patrickjegan

Respect your ancestors, for you are the result of a thousand loves….

June 30, 2026

I hate spandex

[This is one of my casual socks after I took a small pair of scissors to it. You know the kind of scissors I mean. The ones with the strange curve that seems to have no purpose. Yes, it was an intentional act done by myself and well within the realm of reason. Photo is…
June 26, 2026

budapest to southampton vII: loose ends & last thoughts

[Mind the gap. Mind your head. It’s all so very British. Photo is mine.] In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take and the love we didn’t give. ~~Anon. (From TikTok). Here I am, sitting in the same seat, at the same table in a corner of The White Star Tavern and…
June 21, 2026

Budapest to amsterdam VI: Nuremberg: why do people continue to deny the truth

[Graffiti on the door of a closed shop. Likely in Nuremberg. Photo is mine.] The Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders, in open court before an international tribunal, had a profound long-term effect in bringing Germans back to democracy and humanity. ~~Anthony Lewis {Author’s note: If you know me and have read some or all of…
June 13, 2026

Budapest to amsterdam V: Passau: 3 rivers, Biblical Floods, High Baroque & 2 personal guides

[The confluence of three rivers. The very light olive color water near the top of the photo is the INN river, clay sediment imparts the color. The closer river is the DANUBE, a brown/grey depending on the rainfall and amount of organic material. A third and much smaller river is the ILZ, which is nearly…
June 11, 2026

Budapest to amsterdam: IV The stumbling Stones of Bamberg

Bambergers bragged about it being as important as Rome, saying their city also had seven hills ~~Never Stop Traveling I was in Bamberg on June 10. I’m writing this on June 11 from the city of Würzberg, more than a day upstream from Bamberg. Two day ago, June 9, we spent the day in Nuremberg.…
June 8, 2026

Budapest to amsterdam III: A passing moment-a very human connection

[A photo taken a few minutes after the described ‘encounter’. These are not the young women I saw. But I’m including this to give a visual of what I’m conveying. Photo is mine.] Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing… Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and…
June 7, 2026

Budapest to amsterdam II: a legend of richard the lionheart

[King Richard I, the Lionheart. Source: Google search.] Even the bravest of us loath war, and those who long for it are the most dangerous. ~~Richard I. If Richard I really did say this, he likely didn’t see himself as particularly dangerous. But the infidels (Muslims led by Sultan Saladin) that he was fighting during…
June 4, 2026

Budapest to amsterdam I: 67 locks 5 countries and beyond

[GEFJON. The Norse goddess of the plow, holds the power to move the earth and foretell people’s destinies. It is also the name of the Viking cruise boat that will take us to Amsterdam. Source: Wall mural on the Viking Gefjon. Photo is mine.] This is where I came in. Budapest: Where East meets West.…
May 24, 2026

nightcrawlers & blue lights at river’s edge

Outbreaks of unvarnished truths in the backyard of our true self can be very precious and inspiring, even though we might inconsistently be tempted to give in to the exhilarating perfume of fables and fair tales or to flattering praise and fiction. ~~Erik Pevernagie I’m in a cemetery standing under a silver maple tree. It’s…
April 30, 2026

An echo of my young self?

[A ‘new’ vintage postcard of our apartment building. Out apartment is shown by the black arrow. Source: Public Domain.] Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you. ~~F. Scott Fitzgerald I slid out of our four-poster and onto the creaky wooden floor. It’s the…