Month: April 2025

This month was bookended by two concerts, one in Munich and the other in Glasgow. I don’t normally mention music here but I am not only a scholar and a traveller, I am also a struggling musician—that is, I struggle to play competently.

The first concert was by Michael Kiwanuka, a British singer-songwriter of Ugandan heritage. Like many British acts, Kiwanuka rarely plays in Canada, so this was our best opportunity to see him live. And he did not disappoint. The concert took place at the Zenith, a converted railway repair shop built in 1918. Going in, I did not have high hopes for the acoustics of the hall but I was surprised to hear that his nine-piece band (with three backup singers and a string duo) sounded crisp and clear.

The concert led into a weekend trip to Switzerland. We stayed three days in Lucerne and two in Zurich (okay, it was a LONG weekend). One of the days in Lucerne incorporated a day trip to Interlaken on a train with panoramic views. Upon arrival, we walked around Interlaken for several hours but somehow could not find the two lakes—so, lots of Inter, no Laken. The highlight of our stay in Lucerne was a journey up Mount Pilatus (if you ask my wife, the highlight was a traditional Swiss cheese fondu dinner). The weather was clear, so we had stunning views and watched some paragliders launch themselves off the peak to a soundtrack provided by two yodellers. According to …