The
Times
Estonian nature park Soomaa
My beaver-spotting safari ends around midnight as I ground my boat onto the bank of the Raudna beside a brightly-painted floating sauna. I walk towards my bed past a flower meadow turned to a pale shimmer by a half moon in a darkening blue sky. The air is heavy with scent and silence.
London
Evening Standard
Along Britain's Top Edge
My ticket is enticing enough by itself. I'm headed, it says, for "the
most remote point in Britain" - where better to start a journey along
Scotland's top edge? Waiting patiently by the tiny jetty at Keoldale, I'm reminded
that time can be an elastic concept hereabouts. "When someone says a thing
leaves at 11 that just means it won't leave before 11", as one local had
put it.
Blue Wings
Japan's West Side Story
“Now I have a question for you,” says curator Maiko Yamauchi, pointing to an ancient theatrical character mask at Kanazawa's Noh Museum. “Do you think that is a man or a woman?” I gaze at horns, red face, fearsome expression - a devil for sure, and so definitely masculine. “No! This is a woman,” exclaims Yamauchi with an air of bemusement at the strange perceptions of gaijin (foreigners), before explaining how any Japanese person would instantly recognise the mask as that of the Jealous Wife. I realise, not for the first time, that there is much about Japan I do not noh...