Jeremiah's Strange Times

I was in Tehran, physically beaten,  spiritually ecstatic.  The sky hung above the courtyard, grey and tawdry, wind shook the tree in the corner, occasional drops of ashen rain fell to stain the page. I had set to writing, fueled with tea from a battered samovar, perched on a little table with insectile legs buckling; wrapped up in cling film beside it were flat bread piles and fig jam.  By default I was first to this breakfast buffet, others arrived gradually as the hour grew saner and before long I was scattily engaged in chat with a French student and an accountant from Amsterdam. Idle pleasant chat watching bedraggled folk emerge from dormitories upstairs, they stumbled in turn over a large pool of shoes that spread from the door almost to the samovar at which they clutched, sleep feverish. All then sat, chewed and sipped - joined the growing chat.  It was the simple ease of the hostel. All looked well traveled in well worn loose fitting woollens, fa...

The year after Thailand, myself and my friend Eoin Ryan decided to head to the Middle East.  It had been something I'd wanted to do for years.  As a kid I used to annoy baby sitters by appearing in the living room after being put to bed, kept awake by nagging questions concerning Tutankhamen's genealogy.  Apparently.   Later in life, I'd become obsessed with T.E. Lawrence, somehow making it through 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' twice, not to mention a book of his letters and several biographies.  I'd familiarised myself with a fairly large number of ancient alphabets, and had recently taught myself to read Arabic. Jerry And Eoin 2004 Yet I kept putting it off.  I think it was only Eoin's madness in saying he'd like to come along that made me take the plunge.  It was quite a risk at the time.  Iraq had only recently been declared 'At Peace' Bush had landed on his aircraft carrier and declared 'Mission Accomplished', and so, war st...

Germany It was very late when we arrived in Travemunde, and I still had miles to go before I slept.  It was warm though, and I found myself only wearing a single layer on my legs for the first time since I'd left.  Also, I was back in my Fedora, my Russian hat proving too warm and thus ill suited to the purpose.  My gloves too were discarded upon arrival in Germany, and these changes I welcomed.  Nice to throw off some of my wintery bulk. I was asked by the old lady to check if her taxi was on its way, she advised I ask for one myself but the only man in the large stark office complex advised me to instead catch the bus for €3.  I heartily concurred, laughed falsely and headed back outside.  As I helped the old lady with her oddly shaped bags the bus arrived, I waved and raced over in the grey. Boarding with me were a pair of twins.  They were in their 50s, mustachioed and balding, these identical men were wearing the same shoes and the same ...