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Chamonix Mont Blanc, France “Whoopee!” I looked up, ducking reflexly as the large object whooshed, yes whooshed, right over my head. It was so close I could feel its slipstream. Broad, flat, sharp, and seemingly directed at me. For a moment, I ceased my struggle with Nature, that all-conquering opponent; climbing the Brévent in winter was proving hard work anyway. Yet this time it was not exhaustion that stopped me in my tracks; it was shock, maybe awe, for sure laced with fear. I had nearly been beheaded by a speed rider.[...]

Hitzkirch, Switzerland I am unsure what made me glance to the left as I leaned hard to open the cheap mahogany door into the cold night air beyond. Maybe habit, maybe instinct, perhaps too many moments spent in dubious locations, but look left I did. And there he stood. Five foot eight, or thereabouts, clearly fit, manifestly strong and dressed from head to toe in white. White trainers, trousers, belt and shirt, and over everything, white hoodie. The occupant, because in my world folk do not wear hoodies, they occupy them, had[...]

Beirut, Lebanon She stuck it in, I wanted it out, but I had already stuck it in myself. The result? An excellent job and I barely felt a thing. Dear me, I can see what you are thinking so perhaps I had best explain. You see, it started with an operation at lunchtime. One of those long procedures that you think will take an hour but takes three times as long. Surgeon time is as unreliable as it gets. If you think something will be quick, it will be slow. If you[...]

Tripoli, Lebanon They say, as a doctor, you are a window on society. Nowhere is that truer than in war-torn Lebanon. Take one simple clinic, yes one and only one, and I wager the stories will change you forever. I saw 20 patients yesterday, one by one they entered and one by one they left. There was not a soldier among them. Each was a civilian, each was defenceless, and each had been displaced by conflict many, many miles away. Aleppo, Damascus, Homs and places in between. The war in Syria has[...]

Istanbul, Turkey There is a mismatch in Turkey, at least Istanbul in particular; the politicians say one thing, the people say another. Mind you, I suppose folk worry that if real facts were to emerge an already hard-hit tourist industry might disappear altogether. The Istanbul I remember, and I have been there umpteen times over at least half a century, was one of winding streets, manageable traffic if any at all, a guaranteed rip-off in a nearby bazaar and food you could die for. Happily, the yummy food remains. Simply do not[...]

Glasgow, United Kingdom So there was me at Glasgow’s Central Station, staggering under the weight of an overfilled duffel bag and there were the men in white. Yes, white. Two serious-looking fellows clad in white overalls, hoods up, gloves on, studying the pavement intently. Police forensics were in action. No surprises, I thought. For some reason I was half anticipating the scene.  After all, this was Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city, the UK’s third, on a drizzly Friday evening towards Christmas. I crossed the road, took up position at the end of the[...]