Walks near Paris An Evocative Riverside Walk The Marne for the Parisians is a mythical river, evoking lazy Sunday afternoons, boat trips, riverbank parties and men in jaunty hats straight out of a painting by Renoir. But above all, the Marne evokes the presence of the legendary guinguettes, small drinking places that serve local white…
Walks near Paris A Walk through a Paris Working Class Suburb Having visited the Ile de Brise a few weeks ago, we are inviting you to follow us today on another spontaneous walking trip to the outskirts of Paris – one with a difference, however, inasmuch as we will be climbing down several notches on…
Easy Hikes in Germany The Erzbahn – A Railtrack Hiking Trail Some hiking trails have always been hiking trails, and there is nothing wrong with that. Others, however, have a history behind them: itinerant tradesmen may have been using them for centuries to carry their wares from village to village, or the trail gives you…
Themed London Walks Poetry in Motion Part 2: T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land The Waste Land is the most famous English poem of the 20th century, but also the one most likely to scare readers away. For this, T.S. Eliot himself is to blame. The notes he published alongside the poem – mainly to…
Themed London Walks Poetry in Motion Literature and (easy) hiking have always gone together well. As a way of exploring nature, for one. Nature, after all, has provided a source of inspiration for poets since the dawn of literature. But for many, I suspect, the more important thing has been the act of walking as…
Holidays in the Netherlands Biking or Hiking At the end of our visit to the Netherlands, I finally had to concede defeat. We were leaving the country in the sad realization that the Dutch will never take to hiking in a major way. Never will hiking be the preferred choice of the Dutch for moving about…
Walks in the Netherlands And now, for something completely different. A Vertical Hike in Utrecht Part three in our short series of “Walks in the Netherlands” provides a stark contrast both to the forested lake and windmills of Kralingen and to our delightful urban promenade along the canals of Utrecht. In the first two walks,…
Walks in the Netherlands A Pleasant Urban Promenade in Utrect The modern world was born in the Netherlands: this small country at the edge of Europe, forever at risk of sliding into the Atlantic Ocean, was the first that was run for and on behalf of its citizens. Today, we take this form of government…
Holidays in Holland Eating in Utrecht by Mrs. Easy Hiker One of the best things of any walking trip is the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the local cuisine – not least because that is something you can enjoy even if the weather refuses to cooperate with your plans. A good meal is a good…
Walks in Holland A Walk in Rotterdam Rotterdam city centre, as I told you in my last post, is not conventionally pretty. You may admire the city’s ebullience and its youthful elan, but there is little that the average visitor will find charming. Kralingse Bos in the Rotterdam suburb of Kralingen, however, more than makes…