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Continue reading →: A short section of the Via di FrancescoOne of the reasons I stopped at Piediluco was that it is on the La Via di Francesco, or the St Francis’ Way. There’s actually a Cicerone guide book dedicated to it, a 550 kilometre long distance pilgrimage trail that runs from Florence to Assisi. This morning Roja and I…
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Continue reading →: Film Festival – last days
Anatomy of a Fall / Anatomie d’une Chute With its mesmerising backdrop of the Rhone Alps in winter, skilful camera work, subtle soundtrack, and great acting, this is gripping film, quite unpredictable as it delves into the intricacies and imperfections of the relationship of a wealthy and successful couple. It…
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Continue reading →: The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen
This is a really interesting short novel from Machen, in that as typical it is of him, as entertaining to read, the plot is confused and doesn’t really make much sense. If it’s read as a series of vignettes, it may be appreciated better. I could take such a vignette…
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Continue reading →: From the Molise to the foothills of Umbria
Just a few hundred metres outside the village of San Giuliano del Sannio, Francisco and his wife have bought up an old farm and turned it into a restaurant. One of the reasons that they can open almost every day is that they offer free accommodation of campervans and motorhomes,…
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Continue reading →: Confession by Martín Kohan
translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Daniel Kahn – from Charco Press Divided into three sections, this concerns the Argentinian dictatorship of 1976, but more specifically, how it affected one family. The first part, Mercedes, tells of the adolescence of 12 year old Mirta López in 1941 and her repeated…
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Continue reading →: Across the AdriaticJust a quick catch up on the last couple of days in which I’ve moved on from Greece to Italy. I spent 70 days in Greece all together, and would select the Pindos mountains as the area I most enjoyed. Other than the Mani, the coastal areas were as unsuited…
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Continue reading →: Summer Fishing in Lapland by Juhani Karila
(translated from the Finnish by Lola Rogers) Isn’t it good when the book you pick up at 8 in the morning on New Year’s Day will figure as one of the best of the year.. Elina Ylijaako must return to her hometown in a remote part of northwestern Finland each…
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Continue reading →: Last days in Greece
Good literature is a powerful thing. It can inspire, it can change your mood, it can change your life, even if only in the short term. This morning I was reading the book I mentioned yesterday, Summer Fishing In Lapland. It’s a novel, and suffice to say for now, that…
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Continue reading →: Slowly Moving North
I suppose it was inevitable that I would discover the most appealing area of the Peloponnese when my time is limited; I have the ferry to Italy on Wednesday, so am gradually moving north to Igoumenitsa. The two days I have spent in the Neda valley villages have made me…
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Continue reading →: Best Films and TV of 2023
Best Films As Bestas or The Beasts (Spain) Mark or Darkling (Kosovo) Asteroid City The Eight Mountains – FILM OF THE YEAR Pearl Charcoal (Argentina / Brazil) La Montagne or The Mountain (France) When Evil Lurks (Argentina) Utama (Bolviia) Hit The Road (Iran) Godland (Denmark) Funny Pages Door Mouse War…
To live more widely
supera superiora sequi
SafeReturnDoubtful is my alias.
Where is Andy?
I was so much older then…
Quote of the Week
Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, ‘What road do I take?’ The cat asked, ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it really doesn’t matter, does it?’
Lewis Carroll
Safe Return Doubtful 