At some point in adulthood you realise your parents had a life before you were born. They used to be young and different. Maybe they were cool, and you could have been friends. Doesn’t it make you curious, to see the places they have seen, to walk through a foreign city, to visit the house where they used to live?

What do you do when your mediaeval church tower topples down on top of your head? When Cromwell’s troops visit your home to smash in your windows? Or when the King orders your abbey to be closed, suppressed, and dismantled? Thankfully, someone knows the answer!

Have you ever felt slightly irritated by your younger Sibling? Or watched your older Brother with Suspicion? I know how you feel!

Admittedly it wasn’t easy leaving Japan behind. In many senses I haven’t yet. I carried home hundreds of articles and papers for my thesis. I maintain links to friends and…

I don’t make friends easily. I’m picky with what movies to watch, which books to read, where to have lunch or dinner. There are only two things I’m always 100%…

It’s all trickery. How a year stretches into a lifetime, marked by growth, connection, and departure, is a mystery to me. Time has flown. I run to catch up, but…

The night after I returned from my first visit to China, from labyrinthine Beijing, charming Xi’an, and neurotic Chongqing, I went for a drink with Matt. I told him about…

Long before I ever made it to Thailand, I visited the North-African countries of Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt. The latter was a blast, accompanied by my Arabic speaking friend Marnix,…

A couple years back, during the week running up to Old Year’s Eve, I pestered my mate almost incessantly, asking how we’d spend the night. He has a more laid…

Twelve hours on a night train and between hundreds of Chinese travellers to Xi’an, I am the only foreigner. I don’t mind, in fact, it’s part of why I’m here….