It had been a long time since I’d been to Folkstone. By coincidence, I went twice in two weeks when two different friends wanted to walk around there. The first walk started in Folkstone and ended in Dover. Dover was not at its best. So the next time, I started in Dover and finished in … Continue reading / view photos Folkstone
Category: Culture
London Zoo
On each of my two trips to India, I went to a zoo. The first in Mysore and the second in Darjeeling. I wrote at the time about my mixed feelings. So it was surprising that I found myself at London Zoo. Helene had been wanting to go there for a while. I had gone … Continue reading / view photos London Zoo
Hay Festival 2025
A couple of weeks ago, we went to Wales for a few days. It reminded me of our trip last year to the annual festival in Hay-on-Wye. We’ve been to the festival before . This time, we went to hear a talk between writers Abdulrazak Gurnah and Elif Shafak. I’ve not read either of their … Continue reading / view photos Hay Festival 2025
Norwegian fjords
In 2007, a friend and I visited West Norway. I’d previously been to Bergen (and Oslo). On this trip, we travelled up the west coast to see the beautiful fjords. Here is the schedule I found recently: The trip started in Bergen — one of the prettiest places you can visit. Less well known is … Continue reading / view photos Norwegian fjords
Ramanujan the mathemagician
An ordinary genius is a fellow that you and I would be just as good as, if we were only many times better. There is no mystery as to how his mind works. Once we understand what he has done, we feel certain that we, too, could have done it. It is different with the … Continue reading / view photos Ramanujan the mathemagician
Richmond and Kew
Whilst I was in India, through a strange sequence of events, I reconnected with someone I hiked with in the USA in 2019. We lost touch during the pandemic. We met a couple of times after I returned home. First, for a walk and picnic in Richmond Park and then again for a trip to … Continue reading / view photos Richmond and Kew
Spring in Kew Gardens
I’ve been a member of Kew Gardens for many years. Although it’s on the other side of London from me, there’s an Overground train that goes there. We didn’t have the ingredients to make a picnic, so we picked up sandwiches on the way. It was a lovely sunny day. We were both getting used … Continue reading / view photos Spring in Kew Gardens
Back in London at Mildred’s
Returning to London has been quite an experience. The most notable change is the temperature. The other change is the quiet. After three months of incessant noise in India, London seems a quiet place! During my time In India, the average temperature was over 30°C. The last two days in Abu Dhabi averaged about 43°C. … Continue reading / view photos Back in London at Mildred’s
Seikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Most workers I’ve seen in the UAE are foreigners. So far I’ve spoken to people from Nepal, Pakistan, India, Philippines, and Rwanda. Several of the Uber drivers said to me that they can’t become UAE citizens. They have visas, which have to be renewed every two years. One Uber driver told me that Uber take … Continue reading / view photos Seikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Having arrived in the evening, I couldn’t get a proper look at my surrounding area. It was too dark. When I woke up, I looked out of the window. This was my view. Despite having two nights in Abu Dhabi, I had only one full day to see anything. I narrowed sightseeing down to two … Continue reading / view photos Louvre Abu Dhabi