Travel – Page 31 – a sibilant intake of breath

Three follow-ups

1) Remember how our flat got deprived of refrigeration? One week on, we are still subsisting off of bread and cheese we keep cold in the metal cages outside our windows. We call them the ‘alternative fridges.’

2) Remember how I lost the ballot for the Lake District trip with the Walking Club? Well, somebody dropped out. Because I expressed so much interest in it, they offered the spot to me. As such, I will be climbing mountains again from June 1st to 3rd. The only thing that would make it better would be having more than 16 days left before exams.

3) Remember ‘Studio Photography on the (very) cheap?’ Well, I have figured out how to build a large and effective diffuser for under $3. That was the purpose behind this query. Two sheets of A1 tracing paper turn out to perfectly cover the lower section of the window.

Note how English tea stains glassware. The picture would be a lot more attractive if I propped the glass objects up on something, cleaned them before taking the photo, and photoshopped away the tape holding the paper to the window and the place where the two sheets overlap. This was meant to illustrate the assembly, not be artistic of itself.

Non-metaphorical icebreaking

A couple of interesting random facts that I came across today, about the ferries that operate in the Baltic, including between Tallinn and Helsinki:

Many of these ships have an ice class of 1A Super, which means they can travel through sea lanes where the ice is one metre thick, provided they have an icebreaker out front to break it up a bit.
At least some of these ships (belonging to the Finnish shipping company Eckerö Line) were specifically made NATO-compatible, so that they could be rapidly converted into troop carriers in the result of the Cold War becoming hot.

The details of icebreaker design are quite interesting, though I suspect that building them will not be a growth business in the decades to come. Of course, if the northern polar region melted enough for icebreaking routes to be profitable forms of shipping, that might prove to be untrue for a certain period of time.

GPS and navigation

I have been annoyed recently by full-page ads in which RIM is advertising the navigational capabilities of their new BlackBerries. They suggest that people can throw away maps and compasses and wholeheartedly embrace the combination of GPS and electronic maps.

I know firsthand how useful GPS can be. As an altimeter or a way of locating yourself in a featureless landscape, it cannot be beaten. Likewise, it is very helpful for quickly figuring out where you are when you are out on the water in a canoe or kayak. All the same, I think there is a fundamental value in being able to read a map, locate yourself on it, and work out a course to where you want to be. It isn’t enough to take a course in these things and forget about it. As with any complex skill, practice is important.

Some common sense is also a necessity, no matter how you are navigating. If your GPS-based automobile navigation system tells you to drive along train tracks, you should be aware that machines are fallible, and highly stupid as well. They have no common sense by which to evaluate whether, for instance, a bridge has been washed out or whether a linear course between A and B includes a series of lethal cliffs. There is also the small matter that some dead batteries a splash of water or a dropped piece of gear could knock out both your map and compass equivalent, if you are relying on a GPS system.

On GPS, Galileo, and precision
A post on the nature of time that concerns the GPS system
On great circles

54 days left in England

I have booked my flight back to Canada for the 2nd of July. My exams are between June 11th and 13th. On the 29th, it is possible that I will have a viva (oral) examination. That would only be if I found myself on the cusp of passing or failing, or passing and getting a distinction.

Whittling down my possessions to two checked bags of under 20kg will be a challenge. Oxford residents may be interested in what I have for sale.

Paris photos, final batch

Large pyramid at the Louvre

Smaller pyramid at the Louvre

Eiffel Tower

Parisian sewer

Mike beside the Canal Saint-Martin

Paris photos III

Fruit at a market near Mike’s where most of our picnic supplies were purchased.

Metro stations in Paris have some odd names.

Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

Dramatic hair, dramatic expression.

Most of the best graffiti we saw in Paris had a colour wheel beside it. Does anyone know why?

Lakeless

Unfortunately, I lost the Walking Club ballot for the Lake District trip. That is probably going to be good for my exam revision, but it will be a shame not to see the area before I leave.

Paris photos II

With its inside-out appearance, the Pompidou Center reminds me of the Lloyds of London building.

One of the best things about Paris is how there always seem to be people out and about. This was taken at about 1:00am.

Mike on a big stone head.

The plaza containing the head. I almost broke my leg taking this photo, as I had to do it standing inside a fountain. The metal grates at the bottom that seemed firmly fixed actually shifted aside quite easily, plunging you into the shaft under them.

A man vaguely resembling Lenin stands on the Pont des Arts.

Paris photos I

One nice feature of the Louvre is how contemporary art is included in the middle of some of the galleries. Along with these statues, there was a huge polished silver mirror installation in one of the Egyptian galleries.

Brass and marble sculptures are my favourite form of visual art.

It is interesting to watch living artists working from the examples provided by dead and venerated ones.

Along with art and historical artifacts, the Louvre includes the apartments of Napoleon III. This adds something like a palace tour to the whole experience.

Even the graffiti near the Louvre is none too bad.

An ideal traverse

Today’s homecoming was as perfect as could be asked for. Hilary, Mike, and I had an excellent lunch at a vegetarian restaurant. I had never anticipated that blackberry sauce would be so delicious on mashed potatoes and mushrooms. From there, we walked a bit along the Canal Saint-Martin before I picked up a couple of bottles of French wine and was kindly escorted by Mike to the RER train to the airport.

The security people at Charles de Gaulle airport are the most laid-back I can ever recall seeing. They waved me through with about the same level of attention as the guards at the entrance to the Louvre pyramid. EasyJet also deserves praise, for delivering us to Luton a full half-hour early – no mean feat on a light that normally lasts only seventy-five minutes.

At Luton, I had my final stroke of luck. I caught a bus to Oxford just as it was pulling out of the stop and the driver was kind enough to let me aboard. As such, I arrived in Oxford about two hours earlier than planned. I also managed to finish more than half of Barack Obama’s book while traveling – something I had predictably neglected while in Paris.

Many thanks to Hilary for being an excellent and interesting travel companion. I am exceptionally appreciative towards Mike for housing us, feeding us, and spending so much of his own time helping us to have a really interesting and comprehensive Paris experience. As comprehensive as can be attained in four days, that is.

PS. Photos will be appearing online soon. I have learned to put them on Facebook last. Otherwise, everyone looks at the small ugly versions there, rather than the large nice versions that are posted in other places.