Early morning over Edinburgh.
For this weekend’s hike – my 32nd consecutive weekend hike – I decided to make a quick pre-breakfast climb of Arthur’s Seat, an ancient volcanic plug that dominates the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. (I was in Edinburgh to visit the university, and an old friend, in the middle of our Scotland holiday tour.) The gorse brush was blooming brilliant yellow, the skies were a perfect blue, and the sun was rising low in the east. A grand day for a hike!
A week of fabulous spring weather in Scotland.
We’ve just completed a week-long exploration of Scotland, just as the flowers were blooming, the landscape was beginning to green, and the young lambs pranced in the pastures. Wow! Ever since my 2011 visit to Scotland I have wanted to return. On this visit, with my wife and two dear friends, we packed a lot into one week. I’ll touch here on the highlights and share a gallery with highly selective subset of photos snapped that week.
Four short hikes.
We’re in the midst of a two-week driving tour of Scotland, about which I’ll post later. Meanwhile, a quick report about our hikes this weekend – my 31st consecutive weekend hike – in and around the small town of Ballater in the center of Cairngorm National Park. In addition to the natural beauty of the pastoral landscape surrounding this village on the shores of the River Dee, Ballater is known for the nearby Balmoral Castle (“the Highland home of the Royal Family”), built by Queen Victoria and a favorite retreat for Queen Elizabeth II. This area offers many interesting walks, from 4km to 70km. Given our schedule, I ended up doing four short walks, outlined after the photo.
The picturesque village of Dartmouth, at the mouth of the River Dart.
Dartmouth College has been a major part of my life – as a student, professor, parent, and spouse – for over four decades. I am proud to be part of the extended community of this Ivy-League university that dates back to 1769, founded even before the United States. And yet, although I’ve long been aware it was named after the Earl of Dartmouth, in England, I’d never had a chance to look deeper into the origin of its name. Until today! I spent a beautiful spring afternoon exploring the picturesque village of Dartmouth, nestled along the banks of the River Dart within sight of the river’s mouth, which is defended by a Castle dating back to 1388. In addition to exploring this Dartmouth’s many historical milestones, my hike (30th consecutive weekend!) led me to one of the most spectacular wildflower meadows I’ve ever seen, in peak bloom!
28th consecutive weekend hike!
I’m back in England and today gave me another opportunity to hike through the rural forests, pastures, and villages in the greater London area. For this week’s hike – my 28th consecutive weekend hiking – I chose a counter-clockwise loop hike in the valley of the River Eden, through the historic villages of Chiddingstone and Penshurst. Spring has arrived! and the landscape is about as different as different can be, compared to last weekend’s hike!
A visit to Dover, its Castle, and the famous White Cliffs.
We decided to spend the day visiting Dover, a seaside city to the east along the English Channel. Famous for its chalky white cliffs, and for its history. Because it is the closest point in the United Kingdom to France and the continent, it has been strategically important for centuries. We spent most of our time at the Dover Castle atop the cliffs, where we toured the underground tunnels cut for military use in the 1790s and used extensively during World War II.
Returning to Japan, we visited Matsue Castle and the small fishing village of Mihonoseke.
We re-entered Japan at Sakaiminato, a city whose name literally means border port – because Sakaiminato sits on the border between two prefectures. We drove to the small city of Matsue (which means pine (matsu) water (eh)) to visit its castle. There used to be about 360 castles across what is now Japan; today, only 12 castles remain, partly because of a national order to destroy all the castles when the samurai period ended in ~1868 during the Meiji reformation; others had succumbed to fire, earthquakes, or war. Of the remaining twelve, five have been designated as ‘national treasures’ and are open to the public; Matsue Castle is the second-largest and third-tallest. Read on!
Himeji Castle, Koko-En garden, and lunch on shore before boarding our ship, the National Geographic Resolution.
Today we joined our expedition group, toured sights near Kobe, and boarded our ship – the National Geographic Resolution. Read on!
A sunny Sunday-afternoon hike from Olten to Aarburg, with views of its 12c. castle.
Inspired by the sunny weather on Sunday morning, I sought a nearby opportunity where I could do a little hiking and find some interesting photographic subjects. Twice I had caught a glimpse of this stunning castle while my Zürich-bound train crossed the river Aare, and I had made a point to return. My goal was to find the Aarburg castle, first built in the 12th century. “Today it houses the Kantonale Jugendheim, for holding and rehabilitating juvenile offenders” [Wikipedia]. Interesting! Read on, and check out the photo gallery.
A daytrip to the Italian corner of Switzerland, with a hillside hike culminating in a tremendously long suspension bridge.
The weekend weather forecast for Zurich and all of northern Switzerland was looking rather wet, but I really wanted to squeeze in one more hike before the fall chill sets in. An officemate suggested Bellinzona, the capital of the Italian-speaking corner of Switzerland – the canton of Ticino. This small city is often overlooked next to its glitzier lakeside neighbor, Lugano, but has a lot to offer. UNESCO recognizes its three medieval castles as a world heritage site, and the surrounding hills include a web of well-organized hiking trails. Read on, and check out the photo gallery.
David Kotz 