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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November in Sweden
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.
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October in Seoul
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.
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Tokyo
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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Late Summer in Zurich
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.
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Tallinn, Estonia
The D&O Diary completed its European assignment with a final stop late last week in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city. With a population of around 440,000, Tallinn is relatively compact. In fact, the population of the entire country of Estonia (with a total land area roughly equal to that of the states of Vermont and New Hampshire, combined) is only about 1.2 million, making it one of the smaller countries in the EU. Though Tallinn is relatively small, it is full of charm and history.
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Finlandia
The D&O Diary’s current European assignment continued this past weekend with a visit to Finland’s capital city, Helsinki. With a urban area population of about 1.4 million, Helsinki is a little larger than Oslo, and at about 61 degrees northern latitude, it is a bit further north as well – which means that the sun sets even later this time of year in Helsinki than in Oslo. Also, Helsinki was a bit cooler than Oslo, as much as ten to fifteen degrees cooler each day.
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April in Paris
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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