Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentinian Patagonia. It is refreshing to discover a glacier not in retreat, and the consequences can be spectacular. Today, the Perito Moreno Glacier still advances to form a natural ice dam across the adjoining lake, before finally rupturing under the water pressure, with its 220-foot-high wall of ice crashing down into the […]
 Huambo, Angola. Eight years had passed since the end of Angola’s 27-year civil war, yet the scars were still apparent. Structures can be rebuilt but not the 500,000 lives lost in the war. Sadly, the world is little safer today. According to the Global Peace Index, only ten countries are totally free from conflict […]
500 years ago a German monk nailed 95 theses to a church door with a moral force that cracked open the edifice of the Catholic Church to reveal a rotten interior. By disputing the power of indulgences (by which the Pope granted remission of the temporal punishment of sin in purgatory through the sale of certificates) Martin […]
My final cultural outing in Lisbon was to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art), a treasure trove packed with Portuguese and European art produced between the 12th and 19th centuries. Among the various masterpieces discussed on the day with my Portuguese conversation group, for me two stood out for the […]
“(Russia) is using its whole range of state organs and powers to push its foreign policy abroad in increasingly aggressive ways – involving propaganda, espionage, subversion and cyber-attacks.” Andrew Parker, MI5 Chief. This month, the underground world of espionage surfaced and was splashed all over the UK press. Firstly, Andrew Parker used the first-ever newspaper […]
Ever since my arrival in Lisbon, whenever new Portuguese acquaintances discover that I am English they invariably refer to the world’s oldest alliance or to Catherine of Braganza’s role in popularising tea-drinking in England. Their enthusiasm leaves me with a vague feeling of camaraderie that is difficult to explain given my limited knowledge of the […]
Nomad Scribe 