The D&O Diary’s European travels continued earlier this week with a first-time ever visit to Albania, the rugged country on the Adriatic and Ionian coasts of the Balkan Peninsula, tucked between Montenegro and Greece. The country still retains many vestiges of its 20th century communist era, but it is modernizing quickly, and it remains a topographically diverse, naturally beautiful country.
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The D&O Diary’s European assignment continued last week with a long weekend visit to Montenegro. Montenegro is a small country with rugged mountains and an interesting history, tucked along the Adriatic coast on the Balkan peninsula. It was my first time in the country, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I discovered was a pleasant surprise. It turns out, Montenegro is an absolute gem.
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The D&O Diary is on assignment this week in Europe, with the first stop in the German city of Frankfurt. Frankfurt is the premier financial hub of continental Europe, serving as the seat of the European Central Bank and the heart of the German banking industry. I always enjoy visiting Frankfurt, but there was something about this visit in particular that made me reflect on how much my views about Germany have changed over the years — and how much I enjoy visiting Germany — as discussed below.
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The D&O Diary’s European assignment continued this past week with a stop in London, the U.K.’s capital and largest city. Although my time in London was largely devoted to business meetings, I did have some time to look around the city a little bit, and to take advantage of a couple of days of pleasant weather.
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The D&O Diary was on assignment in Europe last week, with a first stop in Dublin for client meetings, followed by a long weekend visit to Paris. February is not the best time to visit Europe, as it can be cold and dark, and on this visit both cities were kind of damp, as well. But notwithstanding the generally gloomy and occasionallly wet weather, it was a great visit overall.
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The D&O Diary was on assignment last week with a first stop in Napa Valley in California, followed by a weekend visit to Tucson, Arizona. Although I have visited Napa several times before, it has been a while since I was last there. I had forgotten what a beautiful place it is and how much fun it is to visit.
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The D&O Diary was on assignment in Florida last week, with stops in both Orlando and Miami. It is always a pleasure to be in Florida, even though this time the Orlando leg of the trip was unusually cold.
The primary purpose of the Orlando visit was to attend the annual Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Conference. As always, the Conference was well-organized and well-attended. It was a pleasure to see so many old friends and to make new friends as well. It was gratifying to learn how many of the new members of our industry follow The D&O Diary. It was also my honor to be able to participate as a panelist for one of the sessions, as reflected in the picture below. My congratulations to the PLUS staff for another excellent event.
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The D&O Diary’s Asia assignment continued last week with a first-time-ever stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital and largest city. Kuala Lumpur is rightly well known for its modern skyline, including its distinctive, huge skyscrapers, as well its rich cultural heritage.
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The D&O Diary’s assignment to Asia continued this past week with a visit to Singapore, the prosperous city-state located at the Southern tip of the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia. Singapore seamlessly blends sleek modernity with its multicultural heritage in a comfortable atmosphere full of color, life, and energy.
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The D&O Diary’s Asia assignment continued this past weekend with a first-time-ever visit to Bangkok, Thailand’s capital and largest city. Although the weather did not always cooperate during my visit, I did have a chance to see and experience this colorful, dynamic, and interesting city in all of its glorious and fascinating splendor.
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