One of the top three bridges in Japan, Shinkyo is located in Nikko. Nikko is an out of the way type of place, very small and (one gets the feeling) seasonal. It’s about 3 hours from Tokyo by train. Deceptively, the bridge is located against a main road and traffic around the area is quite…
Deyrolle, Paris: A Place where shopping fantasy and weirdo fascination collide
Deyrolle Shop Front: 46 Rue du Bac, Paris. Photo by author, June 2017 As we get older I like to think we become more confident and at ease with our personal eccentricities. I know I have and, I can tell you, it’s a beautiful thing. Part of this process involves embracing the fact that we,…
Morbidly Curious: The Paris Catacombs
I’ve got nothing against the bucket list concept. In fact, I’ve had about 85 versions of my own going for the last 15 years. It’s good to have goals. As I move through and cross items off though, I can honestly say that it’s not always a good experience… Certainly, it never turns out the…
Strangers on the River
I love old timey things. The older the better, especially if we’re talking about photographs. I’m particularly interested in Carte de Visite (CDV), Daguerreotype and tin-type era portraits. It’s the faces of strangers that draw me in (we’re all visual creatures after all) and I like to think about the lives these people might have…
Disappointment
Disappointment is such a harsh word I’ve always thought. When you’re experiencing it, it feels like a weight or a burden. Something that sits in the pit of your stomach or hangs around your neck like a constant reminder of missed opportunities or mis-judged impressions. Whether you’re disappointed in yourself or in someone else –…
Change in Tune
This is not the first time I have undergone a change of heart about the nature and purpose of this blog. A little while ago I attempted a re-launch, which was short lived and a bit disappointing (to me). The short story about why this failed is also simple one – time management. It’s been…
Seeking people with an Elvis Tattoo
This is a call to anyone with an Elvis tattoo – I want to hear your story. I am writing a paper on Elvis tattoos and the meaning behind them and I need to speak to all those people out there like me, who have decided to brand themselves with the image of The King….
Food: Glorious Southern Food
How can one visit the Deep South and not talk about food? Well, they can’t really. So here we go, the obligatory food post, in which we celebrate everything that is right with the world of Southern cuisine… (goats cheese, chicken, bacon, some kind of hash brown thing and fried green tomato. I’m not ashamed…
The Old Ursuline Convent: Most Haunted Place in the French Quarter?
Surrounded by a high fence and security cameras, the Old Ursuline Convent casts an ominous shadow over the French Quarter. Steeped in mystery, the Convent is linked to some of the most well-known ghost and vampire stories in New Orleans and, staring up at the locked attic windows, it isn’t difficult to see why… Catholicism is…
Elvis and New Orleans
One of the only things I love more than New Orleans is Elvis. Back in 2011, on my maiden solo voyage to the United States, on route to Graceland, I was able to visit the French Quarter for the first time and so, to my mind, the two are rather closely and fondly linked – they…
the young historian travels 