With much of the Netherlands covered by clouds I didn't get to witness the solar eclipse, but I did watch the stunning live coverage by the BBC from a plane above the Faroe Islands. Unfortunately, I will no longer be around during the next (full) solar eclipse in the Netherlands, which will take place 7 October 2135, although I could, of course, always get on a plane to wherever the next eclipse will take place.
This is in fact one of my biggest regrets. I would love to know what the world will look like and what state it will be in one hundred, one thousand or 100,000 years from now. Will Manhattan and Boston be submerged by rising sea levels? Will Las Vegas be deserted after having run out of water? What will remain of Dubai, Tokyo and Singapore? Will there still be snow in the Alps? Will the entire marine food chain have collapsed? What will have been the greatest scientific discoveries and technological innovations?
One reason that I am fascinated by the ruins of ancient civilizations is that they offer a window onto how people lived 2,000 years ago.
And while I will never know what the future will look like, I can indulge in the present.