John Thomson
Bio
Former television news and current affairs producer now turned writer. Thanks Spell Check. Visit my web page at https://woodfall.journoportfolio.com
Stories (17)
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Sampling the Skeena
The Skeena River in northern British Columbia, Canada is one of those places that takes your breath away. The Gitksan peoples, the indigenous people who were here first, call it the river of mists. Shrouded in clouds, the Skeena can take on a brooding, mysterious quality. Where does it go and who lives along its route? Thankfully, a transcontinental railway hugs its shoreline, making it possible for me, or anybody else, to sample its path from the comfort of a rolling living room.
By John Thomson4 months ago in Wander
Zines Are Back
Is the zine scene alive and well in the digital age? You bet it is. In fact, it’s enjoying a kind of revival right now thanks, in part, to a traveling art show called Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines. Created and curated by two art historians from New York’s Brooklyn Museum, it’s been touring across the United States and Canada billed as the first ever exhibition dedicated to the rich history of North American zines. The exhibition included photographs, videos and original pages from the who’s who of the zine world. I saw it at my local art gallery and it blew me away. It’s gone now and that’s too bad because it concisely summed up the contribution zines have made to our cultural history. I learned a lot.
By John Thomsonabout a year ago in FYI
Exploring Basque Country
I love Spain. Barcelona, Madrid, Grenada, the white villages of Andalusia, all well-travelled tourist haunts I admit but well worth the aggravation. Until recently, I had never been to northern Spain and in particular to Basque country. As I soon discovered, Basque country is very different from the rest of Spain. The climate is more temperate, the scenery is greener and hillier and the area is officially bilingual.
By John Thomsonabout a year ago in Wander
Spanish Puppy Makes a Statement
Can’t say the good people of Bilbao, Spain don’t have a sense of humour. What better way to welcome the world to their magnificent art gallery, the Guggenheim Bilboa, than with a warm and endearing puppy and who doesn’t like puppies?
By John Thomsonabout a year ago in Wander
The Many Faces of Berlin
Octoberfest is party time in Berlin and I just couldn’t get into it. I was sharing a long table with the locals in Alexander Platz, a huge outdoor plaza in the middle of the city while nursing a lager, four euros for the drink and another for the glass stein which I get back after returning it to the bar. The Germans are nothing if not practical.
By John Thomson2 years ago in Wander
Avoiding Trouble in Rome, Italy
Listen, I love Rome. I really do but now that we’re free to travel again, I have to fill you in on what to expect from the Eternal City. Masochists will love Rome. So will anybody else drawn to stress and anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, Rome has a lot of things going for it. Historical buildings, pizza, magnificent museums, pizza, stunning churches, pizza. Did I say pizza? Over nine million tourists a year visit the city and, for the most part, Rome is prepared. Yet there are a few trouble spots that can turn a Roman holiday into a Roman nightmare.
By John Thomson3 years ago in Wander
Ronda, Spain’s Magnificent Mountain Retreat
Ronda is a white village, so called because of its whitewashed houses, in the Andalusian mountains 56 miles north of Malaga and the Costa del Sol. Thousands of tourists visit it every year drawn by the magnificent scenery, the architecture and the quaint cobbled streets.
By John Thomson3 years ago in Wander
An Innocent Abroad
Nursing my kanelsnagle (cinnamon bun) at Zaggis on Frederiksboroggade and watching young Danes cycle past on their way to work, I have to admit I was feeling pretty chill. The Scandinavian word for contentment, hygge, came to mind and while its common to both Norway and Denmark, each country interprets it differently. The Norwegians think of hygge as simply a word meaning cozy. The Danes, on the other hand, take it one step further, incorporating hygge in the broad sense, into their national identity. The Danes are very, very chill.
By John Thomson3 years ago in Wander
My Illegal Irish Adventure
Like most travellers I check out the guidebooks before I jump on the plane. My recent trip to Ireland was no exception. Travelling east to west with Lonely Planet in hand I hit the major tourist haunts. Dublin’s Trinity College and the Book of Kells? Check. The Cliffs of Mohar? Check. The Titanic Experience in Cobh, the final departure point for the ill-fated liner? Did that. Kissing the Blarney Stone? No thanks, sounded like a mononucleosis-spreader to me.
By John Thomson4 years ago in Wander
