After years of procrastinating I finally managed to visit one of the most spectacular parts of the Northern American continent, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Continue reading The Canadian Rockies
Author: Gregor Swiderek
Vancouver
Many organisations publish regular lists of cities ranking them by liveability or, in other words, the quality of life. Some of the lists are more respectable than others but most of them put Vancouver very high or even on top. There must be something in it. This year I finally had a chance to visit this famous city and compare it to the nearby (by North American standards) favourites of mine, Seattle and Portland. Continue reading Vancouver
Mount St. Helens
It was my second attempt to see Mount St Helens. First time, more than a decade ago, the weather was so bad that we only managed to reach the first visitor centre located at Silver Lake, 30 miles from the mountain itself. There we were told that there was no point of going any further as due to dense fog and heavy rain the visibility was near zero and even from the furthest viewpoint up the road you couldn’t see the mountain.
British Columbia
I guess most people when they hear the name of British Columbia they imagine high mountains, endless forests, wild landscapes and rain. We had exactly the same expectations when we entered Canada’s westernmost province driving from Lake Louise via the spectacular Kicking Horse canyon. And we were right. Continue reading British Columbia
Texan Travels
Writing about our last trip to the US I so far avoided the elephant in the room (literarily), the enormous state of Texas. It is time to rectify that issue as it was the place where we started and finished our last American adventure. Continue reading Texan Travels
Review: Slow Road to Brownsville
Our resident Americanophile, Gregor, reviews David Reynolds slow travels through the Old West. Continue reading Review: Slow Road to Brownsville
Rievaulx Abbey
After leaving Kingston upon Hull we realised it was still too early to head straight back to London. A quick scan of the map revealed that we were only about 55 miles from the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey in North York Moors National Park so we decided to head there. Continue reading Rievaulx Abbey
Go to Hull!
I had wanted to visit Kingston upon Hull for quite a while and last year I finally managed to mobilise myself for a trip. Continue reading Go to Hull!
Civil War Reading
Today let me recommend two good books about a pivotal event in US history, the American Civil War. Both of these books are rather hefty volumes (totalling over 1600 pages between them) which makes the ongoing winter evenings a perfect time to tackle them. Continue reading Civil War Reading
The other Gulf coast
When people think about the Gulf Coast they mostly imagine beautiful sandy beaches, clear blue sea and colourful cocktails slowly sipped on the porch. Such associations are all true but those things are not really what I’m looking for on holiday (apart, of course, from the cocktails). Continue reading The other Gulf coast