Hike above Tintern Abbey

September 21, 2025

Driving to Cardiff from Birmingham, we drove down the Wye Valley National Landscape to Tintern, Wales, location of the Tintern Abbey. Crossing the Wye on an old railway bridge (1), we began a climb up the steep-sided valley. A short rocky stretch seemed a bit treacherous after last night's heavy rain. After about a mile climb, the trail swung southward near the top of the escarpment. The vista called Devil's pulpit was crowded, but a local hiker told us about another overlook further down the trail. 

The view here was more open, and nobody else was around. We sat and enjoyed the view on this sunny, warm Welsh day. The local man (2) and his dog, Daisy, soon appeared. He was chatty, talking about American and British politics, and J.K. Rowling's upbringing in the next town down the valley, Chepstow. 

After our descent, we enjoyed a pub lunch in Tintern, and Welsh Cream Tea, with Welsh cakes instead of scones. Total hike about 3 1/4 miles and a 750 foot elevation gain.

One Republic put on another good show in a smaller arena in Cardiff. Off the motorway Monday morning down a long series of narrow country lanes, we had a quick visit to Stonehenge before our late-day flight home to Boston.

(1) The Wye forms the border between England and Wales. We thus were back in England (Gloucestershire) for much of the hike. The Welsh tourism board, however, had put up a bilingual interpretive sign on the trail, because the views were back into Wales.

(2) Like many people near the Devil's Pulpit, his car was parked on the ridge-top road in England, about 1/2 mile behind the trail. 

Sheep at a riverside pasture

Ascending the escarpment

Faded wooden fingerpost

A monk confronts the devil on trailside sign

Bilingual Visit Wales sign was actually in England.

View of the river, bridge and Abbey from the vista south of Devil's pulpit

Sun-dappled trail

At Devil's Pulpit

On the descent

Back down at the bridge

Wall-top flowers

Leaving Tintern

Each of the band members had a turn in the spotlight:

Cello

Bass guitar 

Whistling in Run

Spanish guitar solo

A stop at Stonhenge en-route to Heathrow 

Lunch in Oxford

 September 20, 2025

My wife's favorite band had two performances in the UK this weekend, and I had Monday off. The map showed Oxford not far off the highway about halfway from Heathrow and Birmingham. My wife had not visited since she was in college. We got off and had a nice stroll through the University town and enjoyed tea and scones with a good view of the Radcliffe Camera. A wedding party gathered nearby as we snacked. Trinity College was open for visitors, so we popped in; it was hard not to overhear the myriad  tour guides explaining the history.

We tried to remember which episodes of the Morse Mysteries were filmed in particular locations as we ambled through the compact city. For lunch, we drove through the narrow lanes to Wolvercote (1) and had a nice lunch at the ancient pub there before heading on to Birmingham and the concert.

(1) Where the final scene of Morse's Wolvercote Tongue episode was filmed.

The Bridge of Sighs, Oxford

Radcliffe Camera

Trinity College

Trinity College Chapel, Oxford

The Trout Inn, Wolvercote

The canal at Birmingham 

One Republic opening 

Foucault's Pendulum in Paris

August 20, 2025

A 12 hour layover in Paris allowed plenty of time for a visit. The line was not too long, so we went inside Notre Dame. 

The Pantheon was built as a Basilica in honor of Genevieve (1), patron saint of Paris. The timing was not great; the building was completed in 1790, toward the beginning of the French Revolution. The revolutionaries associated the church with the Ancienne Régime, and converted the building to a monument to the philosophes and martyrs defending French liberty. As a result, religuous and secular depictions are directly adjacent. A large statue of Marianne discussing with the philosophes is where the alter would be, with Jesus and Mary above.

In the mid 1800s, Foucault conducted an experiment with a pendulum proving the the earth rotated. The experiment was contemporaneously recreated in the Pantheon for public display, and remains to this day.

A friend from southern France came up to join us. Meeting her at Montparnasse station, we enjoyed a good meal and great conversation. Back to the airport in the aftetnoon for our flight home.

(1) Pronounced John•vee•ev in French.

A visit to Notre Dame

Foucault's pendulum at the Pantheon

The bones of St. Genevieve saving the city from floods

Exterior wall decoration near Montparnasse

Hyena cubs near Skukuza

August 18 to 19, 2025

Heading south-west from Tshokwane, we heard a loud racket coming from a small bird, a frangolin. Arriving at Skukuza, we settled in to the largest rest camp in Kruger. The swimming pool here was the nicest, and jet planes from Jo'burg landed at the Skukuza airport. 

Our self-guide sunset drive encountered a number of cars and safari trucks stopped just east of camp, with visitors pointing to the south. They said there was a leopard in a tree off in the distance which we failed to sight. "It's coming down and walking away!" Even with the movement, no sighting. Oh well.

Turning east, we soon encountered a group of hyenas, including nursing babies. Watching for a while, we were glad the camera does not capture scent. On a dirt road just south of the Sabie, a herd of elephant crossed the river as the sun set.

On the guided night drive, we saw lights in the distance from the nearby towns outside the gates. The drive sped up to see a lion and stopped to see an owl in a tree. We spied our first klipspringer on a rock below a cliff. On the way back, a Jackal was drinking from an indentation in the rocks.

The final day in the park, we drove south towards Malelane Gate in hillier territory. Wildlife is sparser here, but there were elephants, giraffes, and plenty of impala. Outside Kruger through Malelane Gate, it was odd to drive more than 50 kph (about 30 mph) for the first time since we entered the park 6 days ago. The N4 took us back to Johannesburg and our overnight flight to Paris en-route home.

Southern tree agama lizard at Tshokwane

Guinea Fowl (aka Bush Chicken)

Noisy frangolin

Juvenile elephant crossing the road

More buffalo 

Skukuza Rest Camp Gate

Pink desert rose at Skukuza

At Skukuza Rest camp

Our own sunset drive:

Hyena family

 Elephants at the Sabie near Skukuza at dusk

The old Skukuza train station is now a nice restaurant in the rest camp.

On the night drive:

Lion on the prowl

 African Wood Owl

A Jackal 

Driving south the next day:

A Koppie overlook. Our little sedan (called a saloon in Southern Africa) is to the left

Looking southwest to the Malelane Mountain Bushveld

Our last elephant sighting

Last look at Kruger 

Leaving Kruger through Malelane Gate