Listening to the likes of Ian Duncan-Smith (IDS, barely distinguishable from IBS) rave about their battle to reassert sovereignty by walking away from Europe, his claim that it is all about intellect and integrity makes me laugh. As intelligent Tories – not necessarily an oxymoron – are at pains to point out, sovereignty is not … More Toeing the line
I am aware that I write as an unapologetic Eurocentric, having had a life immeasurably enriched by European culture, from Greek philosophy and plays, through the multiple achievements of the Roman republic, to the Renaissance and Enlightenment, not to mention the Middle Ages I spent many years studying. I have travelled in Europe for fifty … More Afterthoughts
It is all too apposite that the French national motto – Liberté, égalité, fraternité – should encapsulate two of the concepts Britain seems bent on repudiating, while if we have one at all it is the gnomic royal motto Dieu et mon droit, generally thought to refer to the divine right claimed by the monarchy. We need … More End of the Road
I thought that everything in Switzerland was organised like clockwork; well, my clock doesn’t work either. The day started well enough, driving from Lake Varese to Liuno for coffee before pottering up the east side of Lake Maggiore, giving us sensational views of its west bank. You sweep into Switzerland without let or hindrance and … More Days 33 & 34: From Azzate to Brussels
Bumped into these two nuns surreptitiously licking an ice cream at midnight on their way back to the convent: the Institute of the Immaculate Cornet. Venice was where I effectively ended my road trip in 1968, because I bumped into a party from my old school there who – having lost a teacher to dysentery – had … More Days 31 & 32: From Venice via Verona to Valpolicella and Varese
Leaving the long rugged terrain of Croatia, Slovenia immediately presents as a more tamed landscape, with gentler wooded hills, small meadows and roads lined with lime trees and wild cornflower. It was also the first time in weeks I managed to find a classical music channel on the car radio, on Radio Slovenia, which was … More Days 29 & 30: From Volosko to Venice
If I wasn’t scientifically educated, I might infer that the majority of Croatian men over 50 were several months pregnant. Not that I am being sexist here: the women aren’t all that hot either, though clearly quite hard, if their ability to lie in the sun all day on stone or concrete is anything to … More Day 28: Volosko
Had a good fish and seafood meal in Trogir last night, having just enjoyed another restaurateur’s fuming and exhaustive essay of refutation to a bad TripAdvisor review. These sites have become the ultimate double-edged weapon, as they make so much from the booking fees that it undermines their critical detachment. Most hoteliers loathe the stranglehold … More Day 27: Trogir to Volosko
Just follow the umbrella like a crocodile of schoolchildren or, in this case, the dangling heart and listen to the enhanced commentary delivered on the built-in portable sound system. I once saw a woman completely covered by a swarm of midges in September in the Scottish Highlands, an unwanted version of those lunatics who cover … More Day 26: Trogir to Split
Farewell Montenegro, a phrase many Montenegrins have had to utter to make their way in the world, from the waiter who has sailed the seas – and seen Southampton, Falmouth and Greenock – to the architect who has helped rebuild lands from Palermo to Belfast. It is the inevitable path of ambition in a small nation, … More Day 25: From Montenegro, through Bosnia-Hercegovina to Croatia
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