The D&O Diary was on assignment in Germany last week for meetings and to attend a conference. The excursion was a bit of a return tour, as I have previously visited all of the stops on the itinerary. My wife accompanied me this time, and for her each stop represented a first encounter. With the help of the excellent German train system, we managed to visit a number of German cities in a very brief period, and to see a little of the countryside, as well.
Continue Reading Scenes of Germany
It was my honor and pleasure this past Thursday to be a part of the PLUS Canadian Chapter event in Toronto, Ontario. It was a well-organized and really well-attended event — so well-attended in fact that it was sold out. It was standing room only. I was also fortunate with weather for my visit. There was some occasional sun while I was there and the temperatures were generally mild, at least for this time of year in Canada, so I had a little chance to look around some as well.
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The D&O Diary was on assignment this past week in Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city and Europe’s second-largest seaport. January may not be the best time to visit; at 53 degrees northern latitude, Hamburg is chilly and dark this time of the year. Fortunately for me, the weather was not nearly so unkind as had been forecast, and other than a few periods of rain, I most enjoyed chilly sunshine. My northern Germany visit included a brief stop in the Baltic port city of Lübeck.
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The D&O Diary’s European assignment continued this week with a stop for meetings in Oslo. On the flight to Oslo from Stockholm, it was clear from looking out the window that it had snowed overnight in Norway. Skies were clear and the sun was shining brightly when I made my way in to the city from the airport, but Oslo also was covered with a fresh layer of snow. The grounds of the Royal Palace, where the lilacs had been in bloom when I visited Oslo in May, were snow-covered, as shown in the accompanying picture.
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The D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with the first stop in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital city. Given Stockholm’s Baltic climate and northern latitude, November is not necessarily the optimal month to visit Stockholm. The weather forecast for my visit was particularly forbidding, with freezing rain and snow predicted. Fortunately, the foul weather never materialized, and other than one overcast day, I enjoyed brisk but dry late fall weather throughout my visit, as the pictures show.
Continue Reading November in Sweden
The D&O Diary’s Asian assignment continued last week with a stop in Seoul, South Korea’s capital city. This was my first visit to Seoul. Turns out, Seoul is a big, amazing city. It is larger than either New York or London and full of interesting and unexpected things.
Continue Reading October in Seoul
The D&O Diary is on assignment in Asia this week, with the first stop for meetings in Tokyo, Japan’s capital city. Tokyo is such an amazing place. With a population of 13.8 million in the city itself and a total of 37.8 million in the Tokyo prefecture, it is by some measures the most populous city in the world. It is also a fascinating place. It is such a study in contrast, between the traditional and the modern, and between incredible organization and the disorder of its massive crowds.
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The D&O Diary was on assignment in Boston last week, to attend and participate in the PLUS Boston Chapter event and to participate in some other meetings as well – including a memorable event at Fenway Park (pictured left). I was fortunate to enjoy some beautiful weather while I was in Beantown. I realized shortly after my arrival that it has been a while since I have been to Boston. It is remarkable what has happened to the city in the interim – it really has been transformed.
Continue Reading Bulletin from Boston
The D&O Diary’s European mission concluded this week with a final stop in Zurich, for meetings and an educational session. I already knew from prior visits that Zurich is a beautiful and charming city nestled in a spectacular setting at the northern end of Lake Zurich, surrounded by mountains, with a spectacular view of the Alps to the south. What I learned on this trip is that as reliably beautiful as Zurich is at any time, it is particularly stunning in late summer.
Continue Reading Late Summer in Zurich
The D&O Diary’s European assignment continued last week with a stop for meetings in Warsaw, Poland, a city that absolutely confounded expectations. As befits a national capital of a country with a growing economy, Warsaw (in Polish, var-SHAW-vah) is a dynamic, energetic city, and full of history and interesting architecture. It also a surprisingly green city, with a huge, beautiful river, and vast parklands.
Continue Reading A Visit to Warsaw