Newmarket Hill

The start of my day was in the snow-bound Swiss mountain pass of Bernina, from which the train made its slow winding passage southwards down, round, across and through steep alpine hillsides towards sunnier climes. And if you look very carefully, above the building and behind the trees are the Swiss Alps from whence I […]

I had arrived at the railway station – the highest regular passenger train station in Switzerland. And it was totally deserted! The few icy footprints that were to be seen soon disappeared under deep drifts of snow. I quickly put on the rest of my winter gear. The temperature was literally not figuratively freezing cold. […]

My train in the morning left the Paris Basin and its chalk behind, as I headed eastward into the Swiss Alps. My first change of trains was in Zurich where I observed buildings built of limestone (presumably local). My guess is that it came from the nearby Jura Mountains – a ridge of hills which […]

I arrived in Paris – my first time as a tourist, even if it was only for an afternoon before leaving early the following morning. The sun was shining and it was spring time so I shouldered my pack and walked very gently downhill towards the Seine. Downhill? Yes, Paris is at the very centre […]

I don’t know if any readers have travelled by Eurostar train from St Pancras International to France. My experience was perhaps a useful one. It helped me on my way to becoming a vegan – I now have a better idea of what it is like being treated like cattle. The staff were polite and […]

Cross section through the geology (more or less) between Brighton and London (from Geology of East Sussex: Wikipedia) It’s a shame I struggled with my packing, leaving me sleep deprived as well as behind in my planning and research. I might have taken more photos out of the train window to share here. Hooray for […]

Brighton Station marks the beginning of another epic adventure for me to learn more about the origins of the beautiful chalk South Downs. They are the birthplace of both of my parents, as well as of my sister and myself. We are all children of chalk and flint. Meanwhile, I am loaded with yet another […]

The history of our Earth is a long and complex one. I am trying to understand at least some of it, in particular those aspects that lead to a better understanding of the chalk South Downs. First let us get a quick overview of the Earth’s four eons (the biggest units of geological time). Unlike […]

After my previous post about Gaia, I was asked by a friend if I minded getting splinters from sitting on the fence! As usual, I had left it up to my readers to choose for themselves what to think – which is how it ought to be – but without saying what I believe. The […]

I struggled to pack and to carry all my camping gear, books and digital mobile phones, along with their charger and cables. This process was not helped by my mind being full of new ideas and wonderful memories. But somehow I managed. And I would even do it all again – camping, public transport, the […]