You know how those holiday pictures never capture your feeling of the place? Prague is a city of utterly jaw-dropping views, every time you turn your head…every angle. And yet, my photos seem flat, at least they don’t convey the magnificence of the views, the architecture, the sense of time. Our first view was pretty good, … Read more
A Long Day’s Night Amsterdam is not an easy city to leave, but we had a train to catch. My original plan had been to take the sleeper to Prague, recommended by “The Man in Seat 61.” The Man, Mark Smith, is a real railway professional and lover of old-fashioned travel, who has developed this site … Read more
Amsterdam is a city on the move. Mainly on bikes. A population going to and fro. Straight-backed, with easy panache on bicycles of every color and configuration. Women in summer dresses. Or sleeveless sheaths and high heels. Riding their bikes one-handed with baskets of flowers, panniers of groceries, a bottle of wine. Or children in … Read more
Paris and I go way back, but this was the first time I will arrive by train. Arriving at the Gare du Nord is a step back to the era when trains were the modern way to travel. Taking the Eurostar from London’s St. Pancras station remains the modern way to travel, from city center to … Read more
For all that we rant about social media, there are moments when I marvel at the way it can connect us. At the start of my “Europe By Train” trip, www.mysteryplayground.net asked me to blog about the London book benches commissioned by Britain’s Literacy Trust. http://www.mysteryplayground.net/2014/07/dateline-london-literary-investigation.html. They quickly became a high point of my stay, so I also … Read more
Always a trading city, London is undergoing yet another resurgence, a safe haven for the developing world, digital lockbox for hard and soft assets. Property values are soaring, red cranes angling across ancient spires. New captains of industry are rising, new fortunes being created. London’s pulsing artery remains the River Thames, its banks and quays … Read more