The thing I love, the thing I am passionate about, the mistress in my life is, creativity.
I probably work an average of 14-16 hours, 7 days a week. I do so because there is so much I want to get done. I am described as a 'workaholic' by some, whatever one of those is; antisocial by...

Brief Poverty Facts:

Every year, nearly 10 million children die totally preventable deaths. Six million of these lives could be saved by basic, cost-effective measures. Poverty goes beyond lack of income. It encompasses economic and social factors. Economically, the poor are not only deprived...

For those who understand French...spread these ideas around you!

The English and original version can be found at: http://matadortravel.com/travel-blog/united-states/mike-szymanski/six-actions-for-economic-justice

Chaque jour nous prenons des décisions sur comment dépenser notre argent,...

I'm British by birth and it is in my genes to complain about the weather. Actually, it's in my genes to complain about everything, well, that's my cover story for being a miserable, sour faced prat and I'm sticking to it.
I am still in a bad humour generally because all my projects this year are way,...

If you enjoy trekking, then I think you would enjoy GAP Adventure's Tour of Monte Blanc (TMB). I took the TMB the first week and a half of August after a two week stay in Munich. The TMB tour has GAP's highest physical rating, i.e., you should be in pretty good physical shape to be on this tour. No,...

I have just returned from a place that is now one of my favorites in France.  Many have heard of the Dordogne and recognize the towns of Les Ezies, Sarlat and Le Bugue - although worth every lovely thing written about that part of the region - I am talking about a quieter pocket to the North....

I have to say this is, basically, a re-hash of a post from my Red Frame Journey blog at blogspot.com. My reason for re-writing it here is to say that am due to start my new project in the next week or so. It bears the same name as my primary blog;

'The Red Frame Journey'.

Red Frame is a people...

The 'objects' I come across predominantly in rural areas, no matter where I travel in central and southern Europe, are religious shrines and icons of one description or another. The closer to the Mediteranian one gets, the more predominant they become.

Never came across any in England, which is not a...

I've been reading and listening to the multitude of recent new/rehashed arguments about Global Warming and the forum on matador.

Global Warming? The very phrase now leaves me cold.
There are, undoubtedly, changes in the weather systems. There are, undoubtedly, changes in the climate. I have no doubt...

When things get as shitty as they have the last few weeks I walk. As in 'hiking' walk. Regardless of the weather conditions.

In this part of the Dordogne valley, Perigord, it is rolling country side and woodlands. Which is a bit of an misnomer really as, although it is predominantly woodland,...

 I have had a 'Change of Plan' forced upon me due to... I'm not sure if I should describe it as 'Un-foreseen circumstances' or 'Down-right stupidity' on my part.
You can decide.
I own a rather old but, extremely comfortable motor home which has all mod-cons and efficiently, if somewhat slowly,...

Being in a city is like being in heavy rain to me. Everyone rushes about without making eye contact. They all are going some place else. When they do stop they're crammed into the same little spaces, the choices of what to do are, really, quite limited and it's generally oppressive and restricting.

 Your resolve is strong!  Despite the ever weakening of the dollar you will see Europe no matter what it takes.  Student loans, credit cards maybe even selling candy bars door to door (buy them at the dollar store at 4 / dollar and make a huge profit) are ways to get the extra money but...

Being a history major and huge World War II buff, when I visited France, the first thing I had to do was go to Normandy for the day. I was going to spend 7 days in Paris, and it was the end of my experience of living in Europe. I was saving the best for last. I met up with a guy named Brooks from...

Whether you love her or love to hate her, Rachel Ray is living my dream. She's
in Paris with her husband, eating her way through a 5-day vacation. 

Wanna know where she loves to hangout, eat and have fun?

Not surprisingly, food tops her list of the...

It seems like a pretty obvious and overused statement, but once you’re there any English speaking person will find themselves saying it at least once. Nice is really nice.

In a last ditch effort to get some sun before enduring the next 8 months of London rain, my brother and I scoured the internet...

While i was travelling in South-East Asia last spring and summer, i sat a retreat in the meditation centre attached to the forest monastery of Wat Suan Mokkh, in Southern Thailand. Being the zen nerd, this wasn't the first retreat for me. I had a couple of zen retreats under my belt and i wondered...

I went to this castle called Vaux le Vicomte, 1 hour drive outside Paris.

The original owner functioned as a grand producer,

selecting team of designers at that age

(eg. garden designers, architect, etc).

The castle was so good that  the king then got jelouse and

had him jailed...

If you haven't come across it yet, Hemingway's memoir about his years as a struggling writer in Paris is a must-read - not just for the details of Latin Quarter cafes and long walks along the Seine, but also for the writing insights woven in along the way. James Joyce, F. Scott...

Right now Im sitting at the Paris airport. I just watched the flight I was supposed to be on board and leave before I noticed that I was waiting for the wrong gate... But at the place I was waiting there was a screen giving information on the flight i was taking and the waiting area for the flight...