Landschlacht, Switzerland, 8 October 2017 It may be the greatest of romances, the strongest of friendships, the warmest of families…. Yet travelling together will put these bonds to the test, for there will come a time when the trip is not ideal for all the travellers simultaneously. For some travelling duos, these moments may be rare and short in duration. For other… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Isle of Silence
Category: History
Canada Slim and the High Road to Anarchy
Landschalacht, Switzerland, 7 September 2017 Six nights ago the world was shocked and saddened when a lone gunman in a hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, shot into a crowd of more than 20,000 people, killing 60 and injuring hundreds. The world has learned that… Continue reading Canada Slim and the High Road to Anarchy
Canada Slim and the Injured Queen
Cernabbio, Lago di Como, Italia, 1 August 2017 We disembarked from the lake steamer, the wife and I on vacation, eager to visit the Villa d´Este and Villa Erba. The day would make me consider the role of women in the world and especially the role of my wife in my own. The Villa d´Este, originally called… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Injured Queen
Canada Slim and the Bloodstained Ground
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 2 October 2017 I have returned, refreshed and revitalised, from a weekend away in Freiburg im Breisgau, in Germany´s Black Forest, ready to write. Above: Freiburg City Hall I had forgotten some of my own rules, some of my own motivations, for writing, which two of my best friends in Freiburg reminded me… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Bloodstained Ground
Canada Slim and the Quest for George Clooney
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 28 September 2017 Celebrities ARE different. They get more public attention and media exposure than we do. They usually have far more wealth than we do. Some achieve celebrity status through their successful careers in sports or entertainment or politics. Some become famous due to media attention on their lifestyle, wealth or controversial actions,… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Quest for George Clooney
Canada Slim and Our Lady of St. Petersburg
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 23 September 2017 It has been a hard year for my heart in my dual roles of teacher and barista. In the former role, I have been disappointed that my preferred profession of choice, teaching, has sadly not been as busy lately as I might have hoped. In the latter, I have been saddened by the… Continue reading Canada Slim and Our Lady of St. Petersburg
Canada Slim and the Road into the Open
Cadenabbia di Griante, Italia, Monday 7 September 1840 “We leave Cadenabbia in a day or two. I go unwillingly. Above: Mary Shelley (1797 – 1851) The calm weather invites my stay, by dispelling my fears. The heat is great in the middle of the day and I read a great deal to beguile the time….… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Road into the Open
Canada Slim and the Apostle of Violence
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 14 September 2017 “History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.” (Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) Above: Edward Gibbon (1737 – 1794) “I believe that are monsters born in the world to human parents. Some you can see. And… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Apostle of Violence
Canada Slim and the Evil Road
9 September 2017, Landschlacht, Switzerland I am determined to not write myself into too predictable a rut. There have been a number of themes running through the posts of this blog since I started it back on 18 May 2015. I have written of many things: my travels in Switzerland and abroad, topics currently relevant at the time… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Evil Road
Canada Slim and the Lure of Italian Journeys
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 4 September 2017 It´s not that Switzerland isn´t inspirational. It is. It has inspired Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac and Albert Cohen’s Her Lover. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein here and Lord Byron The Prisoner of Chillon. From Julius Caesar to Jean Jacques Rousseau, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and John Le Carré, Hermann Hesse and Patricia Highsmith… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Lure of Italian Journeys