You crankily awake at some ungodly hour like 4am to get ready to head out to see the sunrise on the face of Uluru. You are tired from drinking and staying up late to watch the brilliant stars the night before. You really don't want to roll out of bed. But when you are standing in front of this orange monolith sleep is the furthest thing from your mind. The sun slowly rises and caps Uluru in a gentle light bathing it softly then becoming … [Read more...]
The New Alchemists of Prague
Prague Spring Break: Bohemian Rhapsody or Bozo Nightmare? The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Time Traveler in Prague In a possessed city Kafka called “a mother with claws,” John M. Edwards discovers the unbearable lightness of being a tourist in overcrowded Prague. Here a cost comparison of Communist and Capitalist Prague reveals a long history of alchemy and occupation, sorcery and intrigue, apparatchik chic and uneasy redemption. Welcome … [Read more...]
The Unexpected Charms of Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf was the last stop on my recent trip to Germany. After the non-stop excitement of Berlin and the Grande Dame beauty of Dresden, my expectations were low. Dusseldorf was a city I associated with trade fairs and big business, neither of which hold my interest. Instead, what I got was a city bursting at the seams with a vigorous art scene, robust cultural life and plenty of culinary mojo. It’s a convenient city to visit, thanks to … [Read more...]
Camels to Sounds of Silence, Uluru Australia
Riding Camels in Australia? I thought present day camels were native to parts of the Middle East and parts of the Horn of Africa? In fact they are, but were brought to this part of the country in 1840 from the Canary Islands. Nine camels were originally brought over - all but one died en route and that one was eventually killed - but then more arrived. More than fifteen hundred camels were released into the wild many generations ago - and … [Read more...]
Little Denmark
At a British- or Irish-style “public house” in an old colonial town, a fictional action figure named John M. Edwards sucks down suds with serendipity. I was standing at the bar at the Jolly Trolley in Westfield, New Jersey, staring at my Fuller’s London Pride, when I decided I was so drunk I would indeed have a hangover in the morning. The red label reminded me of the Protestant solidity of London and the infinite possibilities of drinking … [Read more...]
Tips for Visitors to Majorca
The largest of the Balearic Islands, Majorca is the perfect holiday destination for millions of tourists a year. There is absolutely nothing not to like about Majorca where bustling coastal resorts give way to tiny villages and all within easy travelling distance of some of the most glorious stretches of white sand you will find anywhere. The beaches are a massive draw but the interior also has much to offer, especially in autumn and winter after … [Read more...]
Can food broker peace? Mamnoon Restaurant, Seattle
Celebrating Syria: “We couldn’t go back, so we started mamnoon instead.” -Richard Bangs “For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.” -T.S. Elliot There are so many delicious facets to this story. I first met Wassef Haroun in Zambia, at the Kafue River Camp, owned by a mutual friend who had invited us for a week-long private safari. Towards the end of the week Wassef excused himself from the Rhodesian teak table … [Read more...]
Santa Barbara Film Feast, 4th Appearance
For 11 Days, Feast your way through 28 Restaurants, 16 Hotels and 7 Wine Tasting Rooms Santa Barbara, CA (January 23, 2014) Film Feast, a tasty complement to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) and part of Californias Restaurant Month, will again be luring diners taste buds to one of the 35 restaurants and tasting rooms offering up innovative menus. With so many great options to choose from, festival goers can extend … [Read more...]
Arriving on a little piece of Paradise, Ko Yao Noi Island
A power boat in southern Thailand greeted us as we arrived by taxi from the Phuket Airport. The blue waters beckoned and invited us along for the journey. Boats in this part of the country are great melting pots. Europeans, Americans (north and south) and plenty of folks from all parts of Asia were coming to Ko Yao Noi for a variety of reasons - to get away budget style, to park it at one of the small luxury properties, for honeymoon or ferrying … [Read more...]
Brr-cold in Barbes-Rochechouart: Christmas in France
In Paris’s Muslim quarter, Barbés Rochechouart, John M. Edwards finds ho-hum Christmas cheer, but no champagne or beer. . . . Back when I lived in Paris, one of the most comically incongruous things I saw as a temporary expat was a pathetic Pere Noel with a guelle de bois (“face of wood” = hangover) peeing in the snow, with an excessively painful grin, on the legendary Boulevard St. Germain (namedropped ad infinitum in Hemingway’s elegy to the … [Read more...]
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