Canada Slim and the Elastic Novice

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Tuesday 17 September 2019 Damn that man! One man’s writings has had and continue to have a major effect on my life and this has been reflected in my travels and I have already spoken of the man previously in this blog.   Above: Charles Dickens, New York, 1867   (Please see Canada… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Elastic Novice

Canada Slim and the Road to Utopia

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Tuesday 27 August 2019 Sometimes a place defines a person. Sometimes a person defines a place.     Take the eminent Canarian author Alberto Vásquez-Figueroa as an example of the first.     Alberto’s grandfather was an architect. Alberto’s father was born in Guadalajara while Alberto’s grandmother was there. Alberto’s mother, the daughter… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Road to Utopia

Canada Slim and the Italian Twilight

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Tuesday 23 July 2019 There are advantages and disadvantages to everything.   In less than a fortnight I shall board a train to Romanshorn, followed by a ferry across the Lake of Constance (Bodensee) to Friedrichshafen then a train to Lindau, another to Kaufbeuren, another to Füssen and finally a bus to Schwangau… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Italian Twilight

Canada Slim and the Third Man

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Wednesday 26 June 2019 To understand something alien to one’s self it becomes necessary to make time and effort to learn and study that which one does not already know. I have often considered it a sign of wisdom and maturity when one does not only admit when one does not know something… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Third Man

Canada Slim and the Author’s Apartment 1: Learning

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Thursday 13 June 2019 In everyone’s life there are marker moments that separate who you were from who you are, as significant to the individual as BC and AD are to the Western calendar. I have had my share of such moments in my own life. Some are as obvious as scar tissue… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Author’s Apartment 1: Learning

Canada Slim and the Voices without Echo

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Monday 2 June 2019 Thursday was Ascension Day, a holiday commemorated in both Thurgau Canton (where my wife works) and in St. Gallen Canton (where I work), and, to our mutual surprise, we found ourselves both free from the obligations of employment simultaneously. A miracle almost as spectacular as someone rising to Heaven… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Voices without Echo

Canada Slim and the Mandir of Nose Hill

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Tuesday 21 May 2019 This Sunday in Switzerland some folks will attend services in either a Reformed Church or a Roman Catholic Church and both groups will call themselves Christian.     And as the Earth spins around the Sun, from the Dark Continent of Africa to the Canadian tundra, Christians will kneel… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Mandir of Nose Hill

Canada Slim and the Pirates of Teguise

Landschlacht, Switzerland, Sunday 5 May 2019 Imagine the perfect holiday. Perhaps it is an active one spent hiking and windsurfing. Perhaps you are a culture vulture mesmerized by museums and attracted to artefacts of days gone by. Or perhaps you long for a lengthy siesta where your hardest decision is how much sunscreen to wear… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Pirates of Teguise

Canada Slim and the Legacy of Left Boy

Landschlacht, Switzerland (Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera) Thursday 24 April 2019   She is susceptible. He is impossible. They have their cross to share. Three of a perfect pair. He has his contradicting views. She has her cyclothymic moods. They make a study in despair. Three of a perfect pair. One, one too many Schizophrenic tendencies Keeps it complicated… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Legacy of Left Boy

Canada Slim and the Chocolate Factory of Unhappiness

Landschlacht, Switzerland, 30 January 2019 This is not India, but nonetheless there are a few sacred cows in Switzerland one would be wise to not offend. First, one should never question Switzerland’s superiority…. In anything. Just as the laws of physics decree that the bumblebee cannot possibly fly, so the laws of economics similarly decree… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Chocolate Factory of Unhappiness