The Road to Diamond, Day 331: From Shamrock to Thistle

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 5, 2025 in collaborating, Community, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 24, 2025, Edinburgh- The bright face of the young lady in the small Taiwanese cafe radiated outside and clear across the street, almost as if she had been expecting me. I crossed the road, glanced at Hoja’s small menu, then went inside and had a fabulous Korean-Cantonese fusion meal, for which Taiwan has become famous. We were in Edinburgh, not T’aipei, making it all the more delicious.

The day broke, bright and sunny, and I checked out of Abigail’s Hostel, crossing quickly over to Eden Quay and the Bus Stop for Dublin Airport. Though the bus came late, I had no problem getting to the airport, and through security on time. Ryan Air left on time also, and we were in Edinburgh in 45 minutes.

It was not bright and sunny here, yet despite the rain, a combination of tram, bus and hoofin’ it got me to Edinburgh Travel Guest House, in less than an hour after landing. The door bell camera had shorted out, though, so I waited outside a bit, until a couple of Chilean ladies who were going out, let me inside. A German hosteler arrived fifteen minutes later, and was able to reach the attendant on his phone. The eight of us who had gathered in the living room were thus able to get settled in our respective rooms: Four young women from Canada, two young men from Spain, the German gentleman and me. I have a room to myself tonight, a nice change, every so often.

Despite the lingering drizzle, I wanted to maximize my time here, so I headed out, to look at the neighbourhood of south Edinburgh. This brought me to a lovely park, across from a technological school.

I came upon a stately church, and a quiet neighbourhood, where shops were closing for the evening.

Newington Trinity Church of Scotland (above and below)

Walking eastward, I came upon The Meadows, directly across from the University of Edinburgh.

Foliage, in The Meadows (above and next two scenes)

Queen’s Hall-along with Summerhall, is an entertainment venue. Walking further south, I came upon

St. Margaret and Leonard Catholic Church.

Had I kept on, in the gathering dusk, I’d have ended up in Holyrood Park, then would have found myself overlooking the Firth of Forth. So, in the interests of rest and well-being, I headed back to Travel Guest House.

Tomorrow will bring me north, to an all too brief visit with more friends, in Findhorn.

The Road to Diamond, Day 330: A Grand Gallery and A Hidden Hotel

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 4, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Historical, impediments, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 23, 2025, Dublin- The status of churches and cathedrals in Ireland, in terms of denomination, often needs a scorecard. Some great buildings are under the Church of Ireland. Others are under the Roman Catholic Church. One parish, St. Audoen’s, has one of each. (The Protestant building is under renovation.)

Into the morass of denominational turmoil, in the mid-19th Century, stepped the figures of al-Bab and Baha’ullah, Whose birthdays, close together on the Badi (Persian Lunar) calendar, we Baha’is celebrate in back-to-back Holy Days. The concept of Progressive Revelation explains the differences among the Faiths of the past and offers a way for those of all Faiths to reconcile.

Our observance of the Birth of Baha’ullah took place in the cafe of the National Gallery of Ireland. The arts are celebrated and honoured in the Baha’i traditions. So, in an environment of splendour, some 25 of us sat and discussed various topics of interest. Following the celebration, which of course included a slice of cake and beverage, of one’s choosing, some of us went to enjoy other rooms of the Gallery.

The paintings I found of interest included John Lavery’s “Her First Communion”, Jan De Beer’s “The Flight Into Egypt”, Adam Pankraz Ferg’s “A Landscape with Figures and Horses”, Jack B. Yeats’ “Above the Fair”. None of these may be shown outside the Gallery, save on its website. Thus, there are no photos, even with watermarks.

Upon leaving the National Gallery, I headed to Dublinia, a museum dedicated to the interaction between Celts, Vikings and Norman French, over the centuries, in the development of the city.

As we learned in Reykjavik, and further in Stockholm, the word Viking most likely refers to one who lives near or comes from an area near, a vik– a bay or cove. Over time, it came to mean anyone who came to the British Isles or mainland Europe, from Scandinavia or Denmark.

Here is the basic truth about the founding of Dublin.

The Vikings found two Celtic settlements in the area, one on each bank of the River Liffey.

Ath Cliath (u-thuh clee uh) and Duiblinn (dove-lin).

Interior of a simple peasant hut, during Viking rule

Looking down from the steps to St. Michael’s Tower, Dublinia

Looking at my watch, it did not seem wise to go up the steps to St. Michael’s Tower, as I normally would. There was a meeting with an old Baha’i friend, at a hotel across town, in a relatively short time. Iveah Gardens Hotel was shown to me as being at a major intersection in central Dublin, except that the people who worked at that location had never heard of it. They directed me westward, towards “a big building, that you can’t miss”. In other words, they couldn’t find it on their GPS, either.

I eventually did find an Iveah Court, an apartment building. The guard there thought it was back towards where I had just been, “but in any case, just walk straight, no turns”. Two inquiries later, I came upon Iveah Garden Hotel. It is indeed an elegant place, but is discretely signed. The young lady for whom Penny and I were mentors, in the 2000s, had grown into an elegant and well-spoken teacher of the French language, the promulgation of which was one of her principal reasons for being in Dublin. We got to catch up on the course of our respective lives, for twenty minutes in the hotel tea shop and fifteen minutes walking towards her work site.

Bidding farewell to C, I headed down Cameron Street, towards Temple Bar. I found Ne Zha, an intriguing Asian tapas cafe, which normally requires reservations. The owner found a stool, on which I could sit by the kitchen and observe the chefs at work. It was a fabulous small dinner that ensued.

Tomorrow, I bid farewell to Dublin and to Ireland, with its cousin to the northeast on my radar screen.

The Road to Diamond, Day 329, Part II: A Sacred Triangle

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 3, 2025 in children, collaborating, Community, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 22, 2025, Dublin- In any given new city, my wont is to wander a bit, usually towards a spire, dome or other prominent landmark-and sometimes off to a nearby spot that captures my attention.

After leaving Peace Park, that meant heading towards St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Knowing that it had closed to visitors for the day, I still wanted to get a sense of the exterior and the ambiance of the cathedral close. This was the deanery of one of 17th-18th Century Ireland’s most fascinating thinkers: Jonathan Swift. His satire was brought to me, early on. I treasured reading “Gulliver’s Travels”, when I was nine. I discussed “A Modest Proposal” with a cousin, when I was twelve. His admirers were the original “Swifties”.

The seat of the Church of Ireland was the second point in what turned out to be a triangular route. Here are some scenes of the exterior and of St. Patrick’s Park.

Main fountain, St. Patrick’s Park, Dublin

North face, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (above and below)

Bridge between Towers, St. Patrick’s Cathedral

West face (front) of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

I will return here some day and look into the interior of the great cathedral. For now, my quest turned a bit westward in Wood Quay, and past 18th Century row houses near St. Patrick’s Close.

Row houses of Davies Place, Dublin (above and below). There was an election scheduled for Friday, thus the signs for Polling Place.

St. Nicholas Church, Francis Street, Dublin. This little gem is tucked away, behind a secure gate.

Church of St. Augustine and St. John (aka John’s Lane Church, Dublin. It is a Catholic Church, with the highest steeple in Ireland.

St. Audoen’s Church. This is the third point on the triangular route I took today. It was built in the late Twelfth Century and named for St. Ouen, a Norman French cleric. St. Audoen’s also served as the west gate to Dublin and was the last gate still intact in the 20th Century. Today, it serves Polish Catholics.

West Wall of Dublin, near St. Audoen’s Church (Above and below)

St. Audoen’s Church, behind linden trees

The Singing Hollow, St. Audoen’s Park, Dublin. Anyone who puts their head in the hollow and makes a noise, will hear it amplified.

Child’s drawing of a medieval nun, St. Audoen’s Park

Walking back towards Temple Bar, I passed Dublin City Hall. Of course, all business was finished for the day, but it still stood in stately pose.

Molly Malone stood selling cockles and mussels, by Dublin Castle.

Statue of maiden selling wares, near Dublin Castle

It was a tad late, so I found Tapped, a small pub that serves a small variety of comfort food sandwiches, and whose main line is, of course, beer. I stuck with my N/A beverage and got decent service from the lone young lady who was zipping around the floor and taking the best care she could of the sizable crowd of rowdies. Cajun Chicken took care of my appetite.

Tomorrow will be another very full day-Birth of Baha’ullah celebration at the National Gallery of Ireland, a visit to Dublinia- a museum of city history, focused on the Vikings and a reunion with an old Baha’i friend from our Phoenix years.

The Road to Diamond, Day 314: Back Across A Calm Border

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 3, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 7, 2025, Zagreb- The bus conductor pretended to be livid, shouting in Serbian: “Five minutes means five minutes!”, as I came back from seven minutes in a supermarket queue. Some things are more essential than others, and as he well knew, no one cuts in front of a mother and two children, with a modest basket of groceries. No one does that, anywhere in the world.

The driver shrugged his shoulders and made up the two lost minutes, once we were back on the highway. We didn’t stop again until the Croatian border. There, with two buses ahead of us, we sat for ten minutes. Then, we go out, and were exited by the Bosnian border police, got back on the bus, waited until our time to re-enter Croatia, and got back off the bus. We retrieved our luggage from the storage bins and fell in line again.

A pleasant, business-like young woman stamped everyone’s passport, checked to see that the bins were empty then joined her two colleagues in the baggage inspection room. We were especially selected for the spot check, because there were a few people on board from countries which were being watched by Europol. The U. S. is not among those countries, but I have nothing to hide, regardless. The passport stamper checked my bags, educating herself about American dietary supplements in the process. I was glad to oblige. I would proudly claim that woman as a daughter, the way she dove into her tasks and joined her teammates without being told.

The rest of the way was quiet, the conductor, who was now the driver, maneuvered his way through Zagreb’s rush hour traffic-hardly Los Angeles or Berlin, but a slowdown nonetheless. The first driver got off the bus at a truck stop and the rest of us went to the now familiar West Zagreb Terminal. From there, I caught a tram to near the Mickey Mouse Apartment-a variation on Alora-Heart of Zagreb, except the apartment was on the fourth floor, instead of in the basement. It was of similar size to Alora, and was across the hall from Mini-Suite, which had Madame Mouse on the front door. This start-up apartment business seems to be unique to Zagreb, but it’s a nice idea, even if it wouldn’t work for all travelers.

The day had started a bit less organized. Sarajevo is a larger city than one might think, and there is a world of difference between the Old Town and the modern downtown, which looks pretty standard. No one near the Miljacka River bank knew where the bus station was, but a bartender (open at 8:30 a.m.) said it was too far to walk. I caught a tram, advised by a university student, and a woman who had just taken her kids to school, that it was eight stops ahead. A young woman from Germany joined me in the luggage pile section, and we power-walked together to the bus terminal, doing a 10-minute walk in 7. She sat and waited for her bus, and I caught mine outside, leaving my Bosnian Mark coins with a destitute young man who stood, forlorn, on the platform.

Here are some scenes of the day.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, downtown Sarajevo

Bosna Bucha River, near Zenica (Zeneesa). That town had the supermarket at the bus station.

Safely in Mickey Mouse Apartment, I bid all a good night. Tomorrow, it’s off to Salzburg, probably via Slovenia.

The Road to Diamond, Day 328: An Ancient Surprise

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 1, 2025 in collaborating, Community, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 21, 2025, Dublin- The two ladies, ecstatic at seeing one another after an apparently long time, began excitedly chatting as the bus left Rosslare, for central Wexford. They were mirrors of my mother, and two of her three sisters.

I know that my grandfather’s family left this part of Ireland for Germany, sometime in the late 15th or early 16th century. That information was passed to me as a child, by my eldest maternal aunt, who looked exactly like the silver-blonde haired woman holding court on the bus. The other two ladies could have been Mom and her closest sister, when they were in their forties. I have long felt a bond with the Irish, and with Celts in general, without really knowing why-until today.

Once in Wexford, I had about an hour to while away, until the train to Dublin was ready to leave. So, with bag and baggage, I walked about Redmond Square and the West Side Cultural District. Here are some scenes from this town that, in an ancient surprise, was likely the ancestral home of the Cooks, who became the Kusch family, once in Germany.

A broader view of Redmond Square, Wexford

The Redmond family brought the train to Wexford and drained marshland, to make the area fit for human habitation.

The “Sheriff Street Bull” of Old Wexford. Ironically, the sculpture by John Behan is titled after Sheriff Street, Dublin, which is where he grew up. There is another replica, I’m told, in Galway, western Ireland. John was fascinated with bulls, which he likened to the Irish male, who felt forced to move away or to return to an uncertain future. That may well have been the case with my Cook forebear, off to Germany to seek his fortune, in the days of the Hanseatic League.

Statue of Irish Wolfhound, Westgate, Wexford

Nicky Rackford, a legendary Irish Hurler, who hailed from Wexford. Hurling is an ancient Gaelic sport, akin in many ways to Gaelic football. It is described more fully here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurling

Ruins of Selskar Abbey, an Augustinian monastery of the 12th Century. (Above and below)

The indomitable Irish women, celebrated in Westgate, Wexford

It was time to board the train, so I left things like the John F. Kennedy Arboretum for another time. I did get a few glimpses of Muir Eirann (Irish Sea) from the train, between Wexford and Dublin.

Irish Lights Building, Dun Laoghire (pronounced dun leary)

At long last, we arrived at Connolly Station.

To my Cook relatives, your song resonates through the centuries. To my Connolly relatives (on my Dad’s side), this station is named for your distant cousin, an Irish national hero-but you knew that.

The Road to Diamond, Day 327: Across an Emerald Sea

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 31, 2025 in children, collaborating, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 20, 2025, Rosslare, Ireland- It had slipped my mind, the location of Ocean Lab Cafe-a function of “landmark bleed” (my term), where two places that are close to one another while still some distance apart, become adjacent in my mind. So, my friend Sian and I walked to the grocer, looking for the cafe. As we learned, Ocean Lab Cafe is on the berm that is closer to Goodwick Jetty. The grocer is off the street below. I had been to both, yesterday, while a bit tired from the day’s journey-thus, the landmark bleed.

No matter, we sat and enjoyed hot tea, with no crumpets, as it was mid-morning, and I had enjoyed a full Irish breakfast at Rose & Crown, prior to meeting Sian in the foyer of the guest house. We walked a short bit along the beach, both savouring the salt air and very pleasant clear sky. Ocean Lab is a small aquarium and oceanographic education centre for local children. It also offers Welsh products for visitors, so I purchased a box of tea bags and a tin of chai, each produced locally.

Our meeting lasted about two hours, then it was time for me to head towards the ferry to Ireland. Sian drove me as far as the ferry entrance. I then had to walk around a few barriers, to what turned out to be the Fishguard Harbour Train Station. I was the last one through the chute, but no matter-I was still five minutes shy of the gate closing, and that was only to board the bus to the ship. As it happened, we had to go back and pick up all the people who had been inside the priority visitors’ lounge. We ended up leaving well in time.

I decided to do something different this time-put my computer and journal in stowage and turn off my mobile phone. I enjoyed a full lunch, then sat and contemplated St. George’s Channel-the narrows of the Irish Sea, only nodding off for a short time, in mid-voyage. A few small children who were excited to look for whales, and a snoring man, the next table over, were there to break any monotony. The emerald sea was basically rather calm today, and the mood on board rather relaxed. We were in Rosslare in four hours and twenty minutes.

Irish customs and immigration checked the two American passports separately, but were a pleasant, jovial pair, thanking us for our cooperation. The rest of the bus riders faced a canine unit inspection, which turned up a couple of cans of English ale, and thankfully no drugs. We were let loose within ninety minutes. My transition from Europort to Home from Home Guest House did, however, entail a workaround past the usual tut-tutting from Spectrum, that I could not call my host without being connected to WiFi, and there was no connection at the port. A kind fellow passenger, who lives in Wexford, called my host and got directions. I found the bus that serves Rosslare, rode as far as Coast Hotel and voila, my host, Gemma, was waiting for me as I got off the bus.
“You’d never find the place, in this darkness”, she said, and we walked the five minutes to the apartment house. I was given a cozy and warm introduction to Irish lodging facilities, with the requisite bath tub (in the British Isles, a mere shower stall is frowned upon, though some hoteliers have little choice.) Gemma excused herself, and I headed back to Coast Hotel, for a dinner of fish and chips. The meal was more than ample, and I felt another nice day had passed.

The Road to Diamond,Day 325, Part I: Portsmouth’s Daylight

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 28, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Historical, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Travel

October 18, 2025, Portsmouth, England- Dawn came, the ravers and revelers had gone home and it was time to ready for another train ride. So, after the morning routine, I headed down to breakfast-greeted cheerfully, with a bit of wariness, by the Scottish hostess. It was a lovely full English spread, with bacon, scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes and baked beans-along with the buffet standards- fresh vegetables and fruit, croissants and toasting bread, a few pastries, hot and cold beverages. It looked to be the last such buffet on this journey, so I took my time and enjoyed.

After breakfast and devotions, it was time to see Portsmouth, on the morning after. There was no huge mess left over-the street crew had come early and was still out in force. I headed first, through the east end of Guildhall with the goal of the near waterfront.

Here are some scenes of a Portsmouth morning.

Crossing the busy intersection, looking right, left and right again (It’s even written to do so, on the pavement), I walked past fields of young men practicing on the Rugby field-a Royal Navy facility. Portsmouth is RN headquarters, after all. At the end, there are the monuments to science and technology, with Spinnaker Tower to the right of the lower round building. Spinnaker is a place from which to get breathtaking views of Portsmouth, Southampton and the surrounding area. I had little time, though, before the scheduled train, so this was my look at the area.

Spinnaker Tower (center) and Science complex (round towers)

Street art (and “Sir Isaac Newton”) This rather offbeat focus on vision, and “sea aliens”, was at the entrance to the small wood that is in the background.

Heading back to IBIS, I retrieved my bags and started towards the train station. The majestic Guild Hall was no worse for the wear, after hosting many flirtatious youngsters and others, the previous night. It is now an event center, and does its job rather well.

Guildhall Square honours tradition.

With that, I headed to the train station, expecting to board the train towards Salisbury. Yet, there was no train to Salisbury. Britrail has an occasional cancellation. This was one such. The Transit Officer explained what I would need to do to re-route, so about forty minutes later, I was on a train to Fareham, and from there to Southampton, where I changed trains again. The rigmarole meant that the train would arrive in Salisbury at 3 p.m. This meant that I would not be going to Stonehenge, as the last bus to that venerable site leaves at 2 p.m., during the “winter months”, which in tourism parlance include October.

This gave me more time to focus on Salisbury itself, and on its majestic Cathedral. More on them both, in the next post.

The Road to Diamond, Day 324, Part II: Across the English Channel

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 26, 2025 in collaborating, Community, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October17, 2025, Portsmouth, England- The instructions given me by the young man who worked maintenance for the city of Dieppe only revealed to me how often he has been on the far north side of his adopted city. I got in another good walk, thanks to the clarification I received from the middle-aged couple who had emerged from a cafe along my initial route.

I found the port city, about an hour northwest of Rouen to be struggling somewhat, trying to decide where to modernize and where to preserve. It can be an attractive city, especially if services between the Train Station and the Ferry Terminal, some 2 kilometers to the west, are better advertised. Right now, the shuttle is only promoted by a phone application. The question persists- What if phone service hits a dead zone? I have run into that situation with buses in one or two cities along the way, as well, though not in France.

Long story short, I did reach the ferry terminal, after a 30-minute walk. It is an austere, but still comfortable place, lying almost under the white chalk cliffs that are mirrors of the well-known cliffs of Dover. The charming purser was the first person to mention the shuttle to the train station-for those arriving from Newhaven, Nonetheless, if there were her counterpart at the train station, it would save a lot of difficulty for some of those in not so good shape.

Here are some views of Dieppe, from the train station to those white cliffs.

White cliffs-of Dieppe (above and below)

Once on board the vessel, I went into a cabin-a new experience. Being able to catch up on writing, whilst on board a ship was an experience I’ve had on only one other occasion: The Tiger Cruise from Honolulu to San Diego, in 2014. I also slept for an hour or so. When curious about our progress towards England, I could monitor on this laptop. I did miss interaction with others, but managed to be among the crowd for the last 20 minutes of the voyage.

At the small port of Newhaven, it didn’t take much time to process into the United Kingdom, as customs and immigration are streamlined and train passengers are processed first, so as to not get stranded in the small town, with few lodging options. I was on the train to Brighton, then to Portsmouth, in short order.

Portsmouth on a Friday night is a revelation. The Guildhall District, where both the train station and IBIS Hotel are located, is also the home of University of Portsmouth. The club scene is especially lively tonight, but no one bothers the lone traveler walking with backpack and wheeled suitcase. They are all just having a great time and music fills the air. I’m happy to see it all.

The Road to Diamond, Day 322: Still A Fine Metz

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 23, 2025 in Assistance, collaborating, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 15, 2025, Metz- Stately Hotel Escurial is probably the easiest to find, of any hotel that hasn’t been right next to the Train Station (only the hotel in Helsingor, Denmark has fit that description). It is bordered by a health food grocer, with bright green lettering and the Hotel Cecil, which once catered to the British upper crust, is prominently to the west of Escurial. Besides, it has a regal Spanish ring to it.

I arrived here in mid-afternoon, the first stop of three, on a Strasbourg-Luxembourg route, which I last took in the opposite direction, in 2014. At that time, Metz was more a place for regrouping my energy, as Strasbourg was this time. Today was more about giving Metz the limelight.

I got my laundry done in Strasbourg, for the most part figuring out the instructions, which were in French, and managing to get the clothes washed and dried within the allotted time and walked back to Hotel Strasbourg, in plenty of time to return to the main train station. I even helped a college student and a disabled woman, just a little.

Once in Metz and settled in at Hotel Escurial, it was off to look at two different areas of the Old City. First, though, I had to get a new mouse for my computer. A shop was located about four blocks from Hotel Escurial, and the task was quickly done.

Gare Centrale (Main Train Station), Metz

North Wall of Old City, with Water Tower in background

General Charles De Gaulle, at his square

Interior of Metz Cathedral (Above and below)

Stretching towards the sky, Metz Cathedral exterior (above and below)

Spires on southwest corner of Metz Cathedral

Abraham de Faubert, Marshal of France under Henry IV and Louis XIII. Marshal De Faubert established new methods of siegecraft, during the constant wars between England and France during the 17th Century. He is considered a key figure in the survival of the French State, in that uncertain period.

Michel Ney, Napoleon’s sub-commander, who was from Lorraine. He was executed for treason, after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.

My exploration of Metz was complete, for now. Dinner followed, being a simple toasted bagel with cream cheese and minced onion-at a small, cozy place named simply “The Coffee Shop”. It was a fitting end to a day devoted to a blend of simplicity and grandeur.

The Road to Diamond, Day 321: Lifeline

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 23, 2025 in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 14, 2025, Strasbourg- I took no photos of Strasbourg this time. Hotel Strasbourg-Monatagne Verte is lovely and the area around it is serene, almost bucolic. The quiet paths that lead, safely, across the bustling highway into older neighbourhoods of this economic hub of northeastern France are worthy of several shots.

I simply was not in the photographic frame of mind, no pun intended. My camera has a day to charge and I am giving myself time to sit and reflect. Tomorrow morning, I will go across to Laverie Valiwash and take care of my wardrobe. This evening, I will rest, as my message to friends here received no reply. A nice French dinner was my solace. The staff at Hotel Strasbourg are superb.

The trains from Frankfurt were a standard car to Offenburg, then a commuter train the rest of the way. Most of the people on the second leg were university students heading to one of the small German border towns that serve as suburbs to Strasbourg: Places like Kehl, where a team of German and French border police checked tickets and passports. Once the kids were gone, there were only a few of us going the rest of the way to Strasbourg. The trams and buses at Centre Gare (railway station) go towards the Cathedral, to the European Union facilities and other areas that are in the direction opposite where I was headed. Montagne-Verte is a fairly new area of town, and as was said earlier, has a rustic air to it, even with the apartment buildings and tourist hotels that are carefully interspersed within its greenery.

One of these years, I will set aside three days or so, to give justice to a visit to this bustling town. Tonight, though, I am just regrouping, getting ready for the last week or so of a fascinating journey that has had many aspects of whirlwind to it.