Author Archives: sheg4184

…and North Again

Posted on 22 September 2017 by sheg4184

From Menton, with its glimmering sea and glittering inhabitants, we drove east along the coast and straight into Italy, where the buildings instantly lost their glamour and polish. Manicured gardens became market gardens, pencil pines were exchanged for olive trees … Continue reading →

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Road Trip South…

Posted on 13 September 2017 by sheg4184

A clement, uneventful, Sunday drive out of Luxembourg, along a smooth motorway that crossed vast pastures, south to Dijon.  Here we found narrow, cobbled streets and half-timbered buildings, a handful of handsome churches and clusters of modern coffee shops that … Continue reading →

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History Upended

Posted on 30 August 2017 by sheg4184

A birthday. I forget which one. I was probably about ten. A card arrived from Australia with a $10 bill inside. There was a financial exchange with my father, a trip to the local bookshop, a new book: The Children of … Continue reading →

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Wine Song

Posted on 20 August 2017 by sheg4184

          Land of fairy tale beauty, land of the noble Riesling. Rotund, juicy fruits of a hand-picked harvest stemming from a soil rich in time and tradition The chant of an enduring, intoxicating desire that spirals … Continue reading →

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North Yorkshire: then and now

Posted on 8 August 2017 by sheg4184

Once upon a time, my One and Only set out to walk the Pennine Way. This is a challenging, long-distance track that lumbers painfully up the spine of England from Edale, in Derbyshire’s Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales … Continue reading →

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Rome: a City of Echoes, Illusions and Yearning…

Posted on 26 July 2017 by sheg4184

… so says Giotto di Bondone, Renaissance painter. It was the middle of June. We were in Rome to celebrate a significant double birthday that suddenly felt, joyfully, incredibly insignificant among an overwhelming density of history and antiquities. Rome is … Continue reading →

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The Allure of Bruges

Posted on 25 June 2017 by sheg4184

In the market-place of Bruges stands the belfry old and brown; Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o’er the town… Not a sound rose from the city at that early morning hour, But I heard a heart of … Continue reading →

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A Classic London Market

Posted on 8 June 2017 by sheg4184

London has a veritable cornucopia of markets: from Camden to Covent Garden, Brick Lane to Brixton, Spitalfields to Nottinghill and Petticoat Lane, these popular markets attract shoppers from all over the world. Last Christmas, staying downstream from the Tower of London, … Continue reading →

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Sunday Morning on the Broads

Posted on 31 May 2017 by sheg4184

            A lazy long weekend, a boat, a bag of snacks, and hot, hot sun. Marbled water strung with pearly bubbles. Branches dipping low to sip at the rippled wake from passing boats. Boat houses, … Continue reading →

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A Fairy Tale Chateau

Posted on 19 May 2017 by sheg4184

After two days of summer heat and glorious sunshine, Luxembourg has returned to winter drizzle and scuppered any thoughts of an expedition into the countryside. I had forgotten the unpredictability of European weather after years in the Philippines. Were the … Continue reading →

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