It’s early afternoon on Friday 16 October 2026. I enter the public transport office in central Strasbourg, next to the Alt Winmärik tram stop. Alt Winmärik means Old Wine Market in the old Germanic Alsace dialect. From the 14th century onwards, this street was the place wine was bought and sold. A genial, middle-aged man asks me how he can help. ‘I’ve just paid one of your machines for a 10-trip book of electronic tickets to be added to my travel card,’ I say. ‘See, here’s my

Back in 1978 the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti made a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Today it’s a quiet, sunny morning in August. I’m in a high-ceilinged apartment in the Rue de Surène, remembering my student days in the Grands Boulevards of Paris 40 years ago. Here I reflect on the moments, and the rivers, between these events – as well as other rivers, and other journeys. ❧ ❧ ❧ Northwest Ecolog Lawrence Ferlinghetti is best known as one of the Beat Poets in 1950s America. A na

I watched the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics at my neighbour’s house. Part way through the ceremony I laughed and exclaimed: ‘Ha! A drag parody of the Last Supper!’ The other neighbours present also laughed, because the symbolism from Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper was clear. The Last Supper imagery was evident to millions around the world. For some, the obvious parody of Christian imagery was a step too far. Church leaders, particularly from the traditionalist evang