Seeking

Ah, Berlin. I first visited Berlin in 1970 while a student at Stanford-in-Germany (Beutelsbach), on our spring field trip. There were then two Berlins, West and East, and on May 1st, the big communist holiday, I visited both. You could get a day pass to the east side, but woe unto you if you failed to get back by midnight! Lots of submachineguns at Checkpoint Charlie, held by very serious looking soldiers who looked quite willing to use them. I took a commuter train out of East Berlin for fun (highly illegal). Dressed as a local, and with my good…

Madeira Island, Portugal is a very rugged volcanic island rising out of the depths of the Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles south and 500 miles west of Portugal, at about the same latitude as Marrakesh. It first emerged from the ocean about 5 million years ago. These mid-Atlantic rift islands were created as a result of the plates for America and Africa separating, and are an example of intra-plate volcanism. The water surrounding Madeira is more than 6,000 feet deep. The part of Madeira above the water is only 4% of the mass of the whole volcanic edifice! We’re just…

Porto, 330 km north of Lisbon, is the second largest town in Portugal, and a Unesco World Heritage site. Arriving there by air is pleasant. The airport is not too big, which makes everything easier. Passport control is fast, and a 5 minute walk takes you to the Metro station, where you can take a modern fast tram into the city center for less than $5, and you are whisked there in 30 minutes. Looking out on the Rio Douro from the Ponte Luiz I bridge. The Ponte da Arrabida, the one of the 6 big bridges of Ponte closest to…

Travel day! Car, plane, bus, train, car took me from Glasgow to the Dingle Peninsula via Cork, Ireland. I am not trying to see all of Ireland (it’s big!), nor even saying what is the best to see. I decided to limit my explorations to the southwestern areas west of Cork, Ireland. Dingle is on the Wild West coast of Ireland, with rugged rocky hillsides, and very old geology and history dating back thousands of years. It ranks very high on most ‘must see’ lists. It was my first destination, driving out from Cork. I stayed in an old Irish…

Glasgow is a much bigger, more urban city than Edinburgh. My first impression passing through quickly and in the central area was that it was less attractive than Edinburgh. Now, back for two days, and staying in the West End, near the university, I can already tell it has more to offer than I thought at first glance. There appears to be a tradition in Scotland of having free admission to most museums. I’m writing this on my first morning in Glasgow, before the museums open at 10. It’s clear that what I see today will be only limited by…