DUBLIN I arrived on a shoestring and found this little youth hostel on top of Doran’s Pub in Marlborough Street. It was downtown North Side, the area was seedy, but the place was affordable and reasonably clean. I ended up in a dorm room with…
I have met some of the wealthy and well educated who could not see past their own status, class or ego. I have met poor or humble intellectuals who self-educated to high levels of knowledge and experience, but who would never be given equal recognition…
Early in 2004 I was about to start my first blog. I had already been on the road for a few years and was trying come up with an appropriate title. It had to describe quite closely what travelling really meant to me. I knew…
It’s a wind-blown Saturday afternoon in Belfast in the north of Ireland. A new restaurant called Ratz, with an international theme has opened on Bradbury Place. The display menu boasts a wide variety of exotic dishes from around the globe. The exterior has an attractive…
The ability to think freely could prove to be more important than a high level of intelligence. There is apparently more than one type of natural IQ, although conventionally only one type is measured. Others are emotional intelligence, social intelligence and spiritual intelligence. There may…
I’m standing on the access road to a German motorway, close to the Polish border. I crossed over about an hour ago by train and a fellow passenger offered to drop me off. It’s absolutely freezing and I reflect on how I’ve misjudged the sting…
The Road to Travelosophy The word traveller covers a broad spectrum of people on the move. Most people associate the word with short-term travellers, as in tourists or backpackers. Certain types of travellers would fall into a more long-term category. They would practice travel as…
— Life is like coffee, often filtered, sometimes bleak Instant at birth, rarely smooth and sweet For the most part it’s a touch of bitter with flavour Yet, it’s that strong coffee that some of us favour — Gypsy Café / Jean-Jacques M © 2007