The Long Road to Glasgow ~ Part III The MV Belfast steamed across the Irish Sea. Ethan leaned against the railing on the starboard side of the top deck. He watched past the ship’s stern as the green hills of Ireland receded below the horizon. Then turning he saw the Coast of Scotland in the […]
The Long Road to Glasgow ~ Part II On a cloudy day in June Ethan signed off the S.S. Inchcape at the Port of Cobh, Ireland. Across the street from the docks was O’Shea’s Fish & Chips shop. Ethan was hungry and this would be his first stop on the Emerald Isle. Inside the shop […]
The Long Road to Glasgow ~ Part I He laid on the bed and gazed at a picture on the wall. A whiff of bacon hung in the air attended by quiet laughter down the hall. Clothes draped on a wooden chair, he got up to put on his pants and shirt then walked barefoot into […]
“Caminante, no hay camino…” wrote the Spanish poet. “Traveler there is no road…” Traveler, your footprints are the only road, nothing else. Traveler, there is no road; you make your own path as you walk. As you walk, you make your own road, and when you look back you see the path you will never […]
Decade birthdays can be unsettling. This first occurred on my 30th birthday, and I found my 40th, 50th, 60th & 70th to also be perplexing. Each new decade was like leaving my country and emigrating to another land, a land I knew nothing about. But then at 31, 41, 51, 61 & 71, it was […]
On the road in the Middle East, traveling with friends Jim and Paul, we stopped one afternoon in the town of Dera’a, Syria. We were all hungry and found a street vendor who made felafel sandwiches. The grizzled old fellow who sold us the food spoke perfect English. He told us of his youth in […]
“Mas por me! Mas por me Pancho!” Ben heard these screeching words as he walked up a narrow cobblestone street through a peaceful neighborhood. “Mas por me Pancho!” He looked all around him until he observed a parrot on a perch on a second story terrace. The bird kept chortling, “Mas por me Pancho!” (“More […]
Diane Sloane arrived at the Café Mitla in the early morning. Sitting quietly by herself she ordered a Café Americano. Luis took her order. “Are you waiting for Mr. Ben?” he asked. “No,” said Diane. “I don’t know… have you seen him? “Not since that day he was here with you. He may have left […]
The sun was setting when Ben walked into the cavernous Terminal de Autobuses de Oaxaca. Gentry had been told that Mexican night-buses usually traveled at half capacity. This meant passengers could generally expect to have an empty seat next to them. The seats were similar to standard airline seats but with more leg room. With […]
The next morning Ben brought his luggage into the hotel lobby and saw that Jose was still on duty. “Buenos Dias Jose,” said Ben. “Buenos Dias Señor Gentry.” “I’m surprised to see you still at work.” “The morning clerk called in sick.” “When will you be relieved?” “Soon.” “I hope the owner is paying you […]