Caught a morning flight from Barcelona to Stansted Airport and then the Express Train to Liverpool Station, then caught the Tube to Notting Hill and a hotel just north of Kensington Gardens. Which meant I had come home to where I had lived as a boy for three years (Battersea before that) a long time …
Returned the rental car but it was closed so left the keys under the back wheel and left a voice message – hopefully they understand it. Uber didn’t work for a ride to the train station (“No cars available”) so asked at a nearby fitness place if they could call a taxi. Laura patiently understood …
Tudela After an hour drive I reach Tudela which was fun, as I ended up following my nose and driving right into the old part of the town where the streets were narrowest and the rental car could barely squeeze between the walls. After a couple of close calls I parked and walked to the …
Made it to Burgos, the former capital of Castile. Arrived to a very nice apartment (care of Booking.com) right downtown. Lots of walking ensued. In Chaucer’s day, Burgos was the capital of Castile (Madrid eventually supplanted it as capital) and many, many Castilian kings and queens were crowned in Burgos Cathedral. It was here that …
Read more “May 20, 2023 – Naverre, Rioja and Castile, part 2”
Bordeaux to Pamplona via Donostia-San Sebastion The bus left Bordeaux just after 6am and drove south to Bayonne (just before the France-Spain border), then after a brief stop carried to Donostia-San Sebastion on the Atlantic Ocean. The dual name reflects the Basque culture and history in Spain, a heritage very much alive in the names, …
Read more “May 19, 2023 – Navarre, Rioja and Castile, part 1”
Bordeaux lies just south of the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, and was a revelation. After a less than two hour flight from Gatwick I picked up the rental car and made for Marouatte Castle two hours northeast. There to meet Claire Elizabeth Terry, who runs the Rocaberti Writing Retreat. She began the …
I had planned to start this research trip in 2021, and was so very glad to finally be back in London. It’s a lovely, somewhat unique feeling. Every time I land I feel a little bit like I’m coming home, as my first memories are of London (Battersea, then Kensington) where we lived for 3 …
Read more “May 15, 2023 – London, and the research journey begins, finally”
I am excited to finally head to Europe to follow Chaucer’s footsteps leading up to the Battle of Najera (northern Spain). It is the largest battle of the Hundred Year’s War, with some sixty thousand soldiers fighting, yet one many have not heard of. Chaucer may have helped the English allies of King Pedro the …
Read more “May 14, 2023 – Was Chaucer a spy in Navarre helping win a war?”
Oh what a fun research trip lies ahead! it’s been four years since the last trip to London, Paris and Tuscany, which was so worthwhile. This upcoming trip was planned for 2021 and, well, we all know what happened. This time I will be following Chaucer’s footsteps as he travelled from London to Bordeaux and …
It was so great to return to the Surrey International Writers’ Conference last month and see old and new faces. The first thought was, wow, how well organized it was, with the in-person and virtual versions seeming to come off without a hitch (and knowing how hard the many volunteers were working to make it …