Blog archives for 2012

Free walk from Girona Airport to Riudellots train station

Filth, urban sprawl, prostitutes: what better way to recover from Ryanair? Here.

Sonnet for Sassoon

Vidal "Bob" Sassoon has kicked his bucket His heaters lie forlorn upon the floor The king of Mayfair perms will mould no more And maidens weep from here to distant Phuket. He never cut no hair in grey Nantucket Those frozen coasts he found a dreadful snore Old Martha's vineyard was a filthy chore So [...]

More pics of the free Bournemouth airport walk

Here. (Brickfield is larger than Jacob Armitage's cottage, and Arnwood is between New Milton and Lymington, but use your imagination.)

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Over at the brutal Andalusian money-and-power blog, Ibex Salad, with apologies to Mr Bosch - his brilliant technique and his ability to weave conventional religious narrative into the most tremendous spectacles mean I feel slightly guilty ripping him off. I suppose there's always the possibility that he'll clamber out of the grave and come after [...]

Old China, new Spain?

With a rather nice & interesting group (honest!) from PRC in a train in up-state Gerona: The train stops and is invaded by children in uniform who sit down and start singing militaristic-patriotic songs. I don't know if scouting was banned in China, but their Young Pioneers are not what they were. Check. Coming into [...]

Free route description for 500km cycling tour of mountainous south-central France

Featuring bit of the Cévennes, part of the volcanoes of the Auvergne; the departments of Lozère, Ardèche, Cantal, Lot, Aveyron, and Tarn; and the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, and Midi-Pyrénées.

Announcing a 9-day tour of northern Spain’s industrial heritage in September 2012

Being a lengthy and wearisome personal declaration followed by two crucial links and an opera.

A ruined textile workshop on the banks of the Llobregat

A macabre pleasure of the Llobregat valley over the past few years has being able to walk into the factories and workshops of this once great manufacturing zone as they close. The non-fixed assets are worthless, industrial space is not exactly at a premium, so why bother with human or canine vigilantes? Officially on a [...]

Pisa bar fined €1000 for charging Spanish tourist €26 for 3 * (coffee + brioche)

Here. Apparently the barman thought the guy was from Barcelona and wanted to make him feel at home. Why on earth was crucifixion along the Appian Way abolished?

Patrick Leigh Fermor on taking a town for the first time

With details of a free, self-guided walk from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam's red-light district, for you, Sinterklaas, and all others of exceptional holiness.