The D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with a first stop in Paris, for meetings. I have been to Paris many times before, but almost always in the fall or winter. Before this trip, I hadn’t really had the pleasure of seeing Paris in the spring. What I found was that — though warmer temperatures do seem to bring out the crowds — Paris in the spring is delightful.
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A Weekend in Wellington
The final stop on The D&O Diary’s Asia Pacific tour was in Wellington, New Zealand, for a weekend visit and a quick day of Monday meetings, before heading home. Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city, located at the Southwestern tip of the country’s North Island. At 41 degrees southern latitude, the country is roughly about as far south as New York is north. Interestingly, Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world. The city’s beautiful harbor is ringed by mountains; Mount Victoria rises above the city’s central business district.
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A Summer Visit to Sydney
The D&O Diary’s Asia Pacific mission continued at the end of last week with a stop in Sydney, for the meetings that were the primary reason for my Asia Pacific trip. I have been to Sydney several times now, but the city has lost none of its charm for me. If anything, I think I appreciate Australia’s largest city more each time I visit.
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Tasmania, Baby. (Seriously. Tasmania.)
Tasmania. Ten thousand miles away and about as far away from home as you can get. Tasmania — an island state off the southeastern coast of Australia and about an hour’s plane flight from Melbourne. Its capital city, Hobart, is located on the River Derwent and nestled below the rugged peak of Mt. Wellington. I was there for a brief two day visit this week. My visit to the city was short, but long enough to confirm that Tasmania is not just far away but beautiful as well.
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Melbourne
The D&O Diary is on assignment in Australia this week, for meetings and for a little bit of a look around. The first stop on this sojourn Down Under was in Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria, on the southeastern quadrant of the Australian continental landmass. Melbourne is a surprisingly large city. Its metropolitan area population of over 4.5 million makes it the country’s second most populous city. At about 37 degrees southern latitude, it is about as far south as Richmond, Virginia is north. A huge sprawling city like Melbourne is hard to sum up in just a few words, but here’s what you really need to know: in February, it’s summer there. What a great concept.
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Germany in February
The D&O Diary is on assignment in Germany this week for meetings in Frankfurt, with brief opportunities to look around in some other places as well. I have been to Germany during the winter before; I know it can be chilly, and it can snow, too. But during my jetlag recovery visit to Freiburg, I was fortunate to enjoy some pre-Spring warmth and sunshine, as reflected in the picture at the top of the post.
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PLUS Chapter Event in Los Angeles
On October 20, 2016, I was privileged to be able to moderate the educational session at a PLUS Southern California Chapter workshop event in Los Angeles. The title of the event was “Trump vs. Clinton: The Impact of the 2016 Election on EPLI & Cyber Liability.” The session was both informative and entertaining and I very much enjoyed being a part of it.
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A Mumbai Experience
The D&O Diary’s Asia Pacific tour ended last week with a final stop in Mumbai for meetings and for an educational event PLUS was co-sponsoring with the local management liability insurance education group, Bima Gyaan. I enjoyed the chance to be back in Mumbai. It is a vibrant, dynamic, fascinating place, a place that is experienced more vividly and more viscerally than more ordinary destinations.
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A Visit to Singapore
The D&O Diary’s swing through the Asia Pacific region continued last week with a short stop in Singapore. The same hot and steaming conditions that prevailed in Hong Kong were also in effect in Singapore, although because Singapore is only about 90 miles from the equator, the conditions were the same but more so. Singapore is a small, wealthy city state. Its geographic size is comparable to that of New York City, although Singapore’s population (about 5.8 million) is less than that of New York (about 8.9 million); Singapore’s population is larger than every U.S. city other than New York.
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A Visit to Hong Kong
The D&O Diary’s Asia Pacific travels continued this past week in Hong Kong for meetings and to participate in the PLUS Hong Kong Professional Liability Symposium. Early September is late in Hong Kong’s monsoon season, which meant that conditions were generally hot and steamy throughout my visit. It also meant periodic drenching downpours that discouraged any idea of outdoor activities. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions, I did manage to get a little bit of a look around while I was in Hong Kong.
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