In early January, Una and I headed north over to San Francisco to visit my sister, who was in town for a conference. I figured it might be a nice opportunity to share some thoughts about “the City.” Since first visiting in 1998, I’ve been to San Francisco many times — and yet, for some … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of San Francisco
INTRODUCTION as spring turned into summer, Una and I visited Hawaiʻi. Una had never been there before. I, on the other hand, have always enjoyed telling people that I’d only ever been there in utero, when my pregnant mother and father visited in the 1970s. I don’t know how far along in her pregnancy my … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Hawaiʻi (Oʻahu and Kauaʻi)
In August, Una and I went to Barcelona. It was the first time for both of us in that city, or Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya), the region of which it is the capital. Home to roughly 4.8 million, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area is also the sixth (after Brexit it will be the fifth) largest urban area in the … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread – A Snapshot of Barcelona
A couple of weeks ago, my partner and I traveled to Michigan to reunite my sister with her cat, Iwashi Oda. Iwashi had been living with us for a little over a year whilst my sister lived in Kyōto. It was my first time back in the Middle West in several years and during our visit, we … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Day in Detroit
As part of the Boaty Weekender cruise, I got to spend eight hours in Cagliari, Sardinia. From the get-go, my partner, Una, had expressed her wish to spend her day at Poetto, Cagliari’s main beach. To be honest, I thought that eight hours at the beach sounded a bit dull — especially having come all the way … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Cagliari
In August I went on my first cruise, Belle & Sebastian‘s Boaty Weekender. I’d never been on a cruise before. I was, at best, ambivalent about cruises. On the one hand, I have something an anthropological curiosity which in the past has compelled me to check out renaissance faires, Civil War reenactments, a Star Trek convention, … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — Cruising the Mediterranean aboard the Boaty Weekender
INTRODUCTION On 1 June of last year, I visited Japan. Despite my sister having lived off and on (currently on) in Japan for many years, it was my first visit to the country. I’m always excited to travel to any new country, but with Japan, my impending trip seemed to produce a great deal of … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Japan
INTRODUCTION In June, Una and I went to the Philippines and Korea on vacation. Since people will invariably ask me to clarify “North or South?” the answer, is South. Perhaps I’m wrong to think that this would be obvious since I usually assume that “Korea” means “South Korea.” More than 12 million travelers annually visit Seoul alone … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of Korea (Seoul and Busan)
a In the spring of 2015, Una, Leonard, and I visited Glasgow, Scotland. I know that, had I had more time, I’d’ve liked to have also visited Edinburgh, Inverness, Orkney and elsewhere. In the past, I amused myself with the idea that on my first visit to the UK I’d skip England, instead limiting my … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of Scotland (Glasgow)
This past June, Una and I visited the Philippines. While she was born and raised there, it was my first time in the country and only my second visit to Asia. We spent a week in Una’s homeland before taking off on the next leg of our vacation, to Korea. The following is a record of … Continue reading Where Fools Fear to Tread — A Snapshot of the Philippines (Metro Manila and the Calamian Islands)
Eric Brightwell 