On 8th May 1902, the thriving town of St Pierre, Martinique, was abruptly destroyed by a pyroclastic surge from the Mount Pelée volcano. Around 25,000 people died within minutes. Sadly, the authorities had been fully aware of the many warning signs of an eruption at Mount Pelée. They had carefully determined that various intervening hills […]
Browsing Posts in Travel
Martinique: St Pierre
March 3, 2020
Costa Rica: Starbucks Farm
January 26, 2020
Costa Rica is home to the one-and-only Starbucks Coffee Farm, Hacienda Alsacia. It is a real working coffee farm, but its main purpose is as an agronomic and educational center. Starbucks has a set of farm support centers around the world that provide improved hybrid varieties plus production and environmental advice to small coffee farmers. […]
Nicaragua: Masaya Volcano
January 23, 2020
Nighttime Glow Lava Lake Close-up I was out viewing the lava lake at the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua. The lake is deep inside the crater, but part of it is clearly visible. And the lava isn’t just sitting there placidly, it’s continually swirling and bubbling and frolicking to and fro. It was very cool. Not […]
Saudi Arabia: Madain Saleh
December 28, 2019
I’m at Al Ula in Northern Saudi Arabia. The main local attraction is the ancient city of Madain Saleh. This was the second city of the Nabateans, whose capital was at Petra, and there are many similarities to Petra. There is nothing as grand as the Treasury at Petra, but there are scores of imposing […]
Riyadh: Segregated Starbucks
December 22, 2019
I’m in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a land where much is changing. There are sparkling skyscrapers, Starbucks, Uber, all mixed up together with traditional conservative ways. Here’s a photo of a typical Riyadh Starbucks. Note the two entrances, separated by a wooden wall. The entrance on the left is for “singles” (unaccompanied men) the one on […]
Oslo: Norse Gods
August 6, 2019
On the outer wall of Oslo City Hall are a series of sixteen carved scenes from Norse Mythology. They are one of my favorite sights in the city! Odin rides out on eight-legged Sleipner, with his ravens Huggin (Thought) and Munin (Memory) flying overhead. Opposite is hammer-wielding Thor, riding on his goat-drawn chariot across the […]
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