Continuing on this positive vain, I’m impressed by the European effort to protect the environment. One of my big frustrations in Japan was that people pretented, even believed, that they were being environmental, but they really had no idea. Most separating of garbage was limited to burnables and non-burnables, but the primary example of the… Continue reading A Green Country
Category: Countries
Polyglots
I recently got a message from a friend who, after browsing through this site, said ‘I never realised that you hated Belgium so much.’ The message upset me because I had no intention of creating a negative image in my scribblings. In fact, I love Belgium. I would have left a long time ago if… Continue reading Polyglots
On the Roads
My new company is offering me a company car. I can choose from BMW, Mercedes Benz and Alfa Romeo among others. And I’ll refuse. Driving in Belgium isn’t particularly fun. I rented a car on my first visit and again for a couple of weeks when I was moving in, so I know. It’s not… Continue reading On the Roads
Stirling
I made for a hostel as soon as the bus let me off in Inverness and then out along the eastern end of the Great Glen Way. It ran beside the Ness River, then out onto it. A string of small islands split the river in two, and their miniature forests provided a beautiful escape… Continue reading Stirling
The Great Glen
I’d planned to catch the bus straight through to Inverness, but the ride up to Fort William was so enchanting that I decided to stop there for the night. That bus ride took me past Glen Coe and numerous other lochs and castles – all with mountainous backdrops. Those mountains were covered in a fatigue… Continue reading The Great Glen
Glasgow
I arrived in Glasgow via Prestwick airport. My hopes to get far north were shattered in the first hour when the train that took me into town lost an engine. That delayed my arrival in town until after the train to Inverness had departed. The other options didn’t seem any better. I could get a… Continue reading Glasgow
Bilbao
We rose early the next morning to make our way back towards Bilbao, first stop La Hermina. It was a sleepy village in the shady depths of the canyon, built on the edge of the river cutting its way along the base. It was only 7:30 and no one was around. Carrying our packs, we… Continue reading Bilbao
Potes
We caught the bus to Potes on Monday morning, Sabine once again noting features of towns we passed through and where they were on the map, while I just gazed at the mountains. We determined to get back to La Hermina and San Vicente de Barquere, two of the more spectacular towns. San Vicente was… Continue reading Potes
Santander
Sabine was waiting for me at the tiny Bilbao international airport after spending six hours exploring the two shops and a restaurant in the facility. She’d also obtained a map from the tourist information centre and done some research. Since she’d made the decision to go to Spain and invited me I fully expected her… Continue reading Santander
Day 4-6
Merle didn’t manage to get any days off while I was there, so I joined her for the trip into town, with a plan to wander. I looked around while we waited for the bus. “Look how close we are to the mountains here,” she said. There was a park at the end of the… Continue reading Day 4-6