Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

Category: Travel

  • On the road again… to San Diego

    This week I traveled from Dublin to San Diego to attend “The Experts Conference” (TEC). The conference organizers took care of tickets and I was routed via JFK on Delta rather than my normal choice (probably Aer Lingus to Chicago and onwards on United). The good news was that Delta surprised me…

  • The Citadel of St. Tropez

    Most people who visit St. Tropez on the French Riviera probably think about the glamour side of the town – its up-market shops, the restaurants dotted around the port that can charge an extraordinary amount for an ordinary pizza, the yachts that broadcast the fact that their owners drip with cash,…

  • New French breathalyzer law

    [Updated to reflect changed regulations] Driving in France can present some unique challenges.  Drivers who are new to France who have to transit the massive roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris receive a rude introduction to some of the passion, terror, and luck that can surround the French…

  • Climbing the rock: Rocher de Roquebrune

    I have passed by the Rocher de Roquebrune frequently ever since my first trip to the South of France in 1981. The Rocher (literally “large rock”) is located close to the village of Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the department of the Var. The A8 autoroute passes by the hulking bulk of the rock…

  • Snow in the Var

    The French Riviera is usually associated with pictures such as the gentle swaying of palm trees framing the glittering Mediterranean in 30 degrees warmth, with of course those who are deemed to be movers and shakers busily quaffing champagne and telling each other just how wonderful they look. Fortunately, outside Cannes Film…

  • Snowy rugby weekend in Rome

    Last weekend, I was in Rome for the Six Nations clash between Italy and England. An uneventful flight from Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino airport (FCO) was marred only by the slow baggage delivery. FCO took 50 minutes to get bags from the plane to the conveyor belts – I can’t…

  • A visit to Craven Cottage

    There’s something impressive about professional sport when it is played at speed and with precision at the highest level. Wednesday evening saw my sons and I pay a visit to Craven Cottage in London to see Fulham FC welcome Manchester United in an English Premier League game. Fulham had won the…

  • The pain of CDG transits

    Is there another airport in the world that rivals CDG-Paris in terms of its ability to infuriate passengers through senseless bus journeys from one part of the airport to another? This thought came to my mind as I endured yet another opportunity to get far too close to people I…

  • Collective early December ramblings

    Last week my wife and I traveled to The Netherlands to visit Utrecht and Amsterdam for some business and a little pleasure. In Utrecht, we stayed at the Hotel Karel V, which was very nice if a tad cold at times. While there, I visited Conclusion Future IT to talk about a…

  • Weekend in Connemara

    We’ve just passed a very pleasant and relaxing weekend in Connemara, my favourite place in Ireland. Oscar Wilde described Connemara as “savage”, probably due to the rock-strewn rugged landscape that creates a real challenge for farmers to scrape a living. Of course, Connemara was part of the destination that Oliver…