Travel

This morning, my partner and I went to a local coffee shop and purchased an Americano and a Latte. The cost: €8.25. They were not remarkable coffees – in fact, not even good ones. My partner rates coffee from 1 to 10, and she gave these a 5. Although we’ve had a few coffees from this outlet in the past because it was convenient, we resolved not to go there again. The price stuck in my mind for a simple reason. Coffee shops have spent years turning a small pleasure into a dail

Apparently there are 43 million people in the United States who claim Irish ancestry. So if we believe that, Irish Americans outnumber Irish people by over eight to one. The latest Irish census puts the population at 5.5 million. We are all familiar with the Irish Famine in the 19th Century. Now apparently the Irish population before that disaster was 8.5 million and following the deaths of over one million from starvation and the emigration of at least another million if not

As an Irish person, I can well appreciate different peoples or ethnicities disputing the same territory. I only have to look to the north of my own country to see that Republicans and Unionists have been fighting over the same small piece of land for hundreds of years. Nowadays, thankfully, peace has broken out and it seems that future arguments about territory and sovereignty will take place in parliament or at the ballot box, where they belong. Sadly, we cannot say the same

I mentioned this in my travel blog, but it is such an unusual phenomenon that I felt it deserved an article of its own. I drove around Azerbaijan for eight days and discovered something rather strange about the country’s roads: there are speed cameras everywhere. Now, I DO mean everywhere. Even on super-wide motorways, the speed limit can suddenly decrease from 110 to 60, for no apparent reason. Watched on every road: Not occasionally, and not just on dangerous stretches – ev

Friends and former colleagues who knew me and worked with me in Russia and Ukraine will immediately recognise this article, perhaps with some humour. I can remember that amongst the first words of Russian I learnt was how to say ‘no dill please.’ This was (and still is) because dill is the one herb that I abhor and it is also the herb that is used in almost every dish in countries that were formerly in the Soviet Union. If you are going to a restaurant in Russia or any former

Last week, I was struck by the enormous number of old Ladas — or Zhigulis, as they were known in Soviet times — on the roads in Azerbaijan. What is particularly remarkable is the condition of many of them. Some look as though they are almost new, despite the fact that they must be 40 or even 50 years old. There seem to be many thousands of them everywhere. It made me wonder why so many have survived in Azerbaijan when, in Russia today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to

I recently visited Azerbaijan and I wrote a very complimentary travel blog recommending it as a tourist destination. I didn’t mention the political situation there at all as I didn’t feel it was relevant to tourism. However, I feel it does merit a separate article as the issues of history, geography and politics interest me greatly. President Ilham Aliyev, ruler of Azerbaijan. On my first night in Baku, I got chatting with a local man – we weren’t talking about politics or an

I visited Azerbaijan in late summer; well it was September but it was still up to 30C most days and the skies were pristine blue. I think summer there probably runs well into October. The country’s best features for me are its mountain scenery and I reckon a lot of the high mountain passes would not be navigable in winter. Road to Khinaliq The country is not a mainstream tourist destination and is unlikely to become one for some time. It is a land of contrasts. In the capital

I always recommend to travelers to do their research, particularly when visiting a new destination. I always do so myself but even so, it doesn’t always work out. I had heard of Cape Verde at various times over the years and I had a vague notion of it as being a holiday destination. That said, the main thing that attracted me to it was the (very) cheap airfare offered by a combination of Ryanair and Easyjet. What appears to have happened since Trump’s war against Iran and the

Last week, I wrote an article about Russia’s longer term demographic issues. Included was some commentary about why the country has got itself into this mess. The article was reasonably well received. A former colleague told me that while he enjoyed the article, he felt it was one-sided, predictable and had no links to the Russian soul or mind. I will be the first person to admit that I’m no expert on either subject but having travelled throughout the country and met its peop

I’ve recently added a few articles with some humour. The feedback has been positive so I’m continuing in this vein. Yesterday I wrote a fairly pessimistic piece on the future of Russia so it’s time to counter balance it with some amusing tales of life there. I have been fortunate over the years to work closely with some of Ireland’s finest diplomats. Working with a state-owned company which was engaged in joint-ventures with foreign state-owned firms meant we stayed close to

I don’t think you would describe this as a travel blog, but the reader can be the judge of that. I wrote this article a couple of years ago after travelling extensively in the USA. In the meantime I have been back several times and unfortunately the revisions to it will say that things have gotten worse. America is still the land of opportunity but it is far from a perfect society. The incumbent President’s encouragement of divisiveness over unity is not helping the situation

Brief Encounters: In some ways it may be described as a cliché, but for as long as I can remember, I have loved meeting people; different people, not just different in numbers but different in character, temperament, attitude, culture etc. I tend to talk to people I meet at random; it might be a waiter in a restaurant; a chance encounter in a gym; on a bus or train or a fellow hotel guest. Really, the possibilities are endless. Many people encounter many other people every da

We all have our favourite foods and drinks which we return to again and again. Some people are more adventurous when they encounter the foods (or the cultures) of other nations; others tend to stick with what they know. Hence the old stereotypes of the Irishman looking for his bacon, cabbage and spuds or the Englishman looking for roast beef or fish and chips. Tasty? Depends where you come from I guess. Perceptions are interesting also; I would consider myself reasonably adv

Driving: I love driving; always have; always will. I remember when the famous Kerry football manager, Mick O’Dwyer, was asked was it not very far for him to travel when he took on the role of managing Kildare. Micko replied, ‘not at all, the farther the better, because I love driving.’ I totally identify with that sentiment. In fact, Micko subsequently managed Laois and Wicklow, which are also a long way from Kerry. But I digress; recently I drove to Derry and Donegal in a da

Tunisia – Travel Blog: Tunisia in January might not be everyone’s idea of a nice holiday but it’s probably the ideal time to go there if you want a cheap break with plenty of good weather and no hassle. I spent nine days there and seven of them featured glorious sunshine with great sunrises and sunsets, yet the temperature was only 18C, so ideal for exploring. I did also experience 48 hours of biblical rain but that could happen anywhere, any time. Medina in Tunis First of al

Today’s story is inspired by a former colleague and a good mate, who when reading one of my blogs a few weeks ago, said whatever you do, don’t write about the time we got deported from Belarus. Unbeknownst to us both, I had done it two years ago, but it bears repeating….. Phase 1: It is said that to make a mistake once is forgivable, twice is careless and three times is unforgivable. I am therefore on my last chance in relation to Belarus. I have managed (almost) to get mysel

The main Pyramid at Giza Before I visited Egypt, I should probably have paid more attention or cognizance to my history knowledge. I was aware that for a relatively long period from the 1950’s to the 1990’s or thereabouts, Egypt was allied with and to a large extent supplied by, the Soviet Union. This had been at the back of my mind but I had assumed that it was a military thing because the US was supplying Israel so Egypt turned to the Soviets. What I didn’t realise was that

Brendan in the early days. I saw an item on TV recently about the erection of a statue in a place called Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, in Ireland, to Dr. Brendan O’Regan. Who was he, many would ask — probably one of the greatest Irish innovators of the 20th Century or indeed of any time. The erection of a statue is hugely deserved but it cannot even begin to quantify what this man achieved or do justice to his legacy. I’m not too sure as to what positions Brendan held in Shannon A

Biarritz Back to my theme of writing travel blogs on places I have been in the past, I have never done blogs on France, Germany, Spain or Portugal. In fact, there are many more I need to get to. I’ve decided to start with France as it is one of the countries I have visited most often. As far as I can recall, I have visited every region except Normandy. So the question is where to start? I’m tempted to just go with a series of anecdotal experiences and then try to summarise. B