munich english garden chinese tower beer gardenThe D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with the first stop in the southern German city of Munich, to attend Munich Re’s Global Casualty Claims Conference. This trip represented my first ever visit to Europe during the summer months. My prior visits have all taken place during other months of the year. Here’s what I discovered about visiting Europe in July; it is a lot more comfortable walking a city in the summer warmth than in colder months, and, even more importantly, a summer visit allows for very late evenings sitting at outdoor cafes and beer gardens in the warm and comfortable twilight that does not turn to darkness until well past 10:00 pm.
Continue Reading Munich in Summer

2015-06-18 13.22.54aThe D&O Diary was on assignment in São Paulo last week, for meetings and for a little bit of a look around. I had never before been to Brazil, or for that matter, to South America. São Paulo turned out to be a bit of a revelation. For one thing, São Paulo, the financial capital

004aThe D&O Diary rounded out its European visit last week with a quick weekend visit to Paris. In addition to a rendezvous with friends and family, the stopover included several long walks, two encounters with the Parisian contemporary art museum scene, and one extraordinary meal.

The best of the weekend’s walks was an energetic

065aThe D&O Diary was in London this week for meetings and a couple of industry events. Though my schedule on this visit was full, I did have a little time between meetings for a bit of touristing. I have been to London many times before, but I always try to make a little time to

058aThe D&O Diary continued its South Pacific sojourn over the weekend with a short stop in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, for meetings and for a brief look around. Auckland is located on New Zealand’s North Island, about a three-hour plane flight from Sydney. Because Auckland is located just inside the International Date Line, every

067aThe D&O Diary is on assignment in Australia this week. Here’s what you need to know about Sydney in late February – if you traverse the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, fly across the Equator and the International Date Line, and then finally arrive Down Under, when you get there, it is summer. Warm,

039aThe D&O Diary was on assignment in Germany this past week, with stops for meetings in Cologne and for a conference in Frankfurt. January, it turns out, is a less than optimal month in which to visit Northern Europe. The conditions are generally cold, grey and dark. When composing their timeless folk tales the Brothers

021aThe D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with the first stop this past weekend in Paris for a field inspection of our junior-year study-abroad student’s scholarly and living arrangements. Our short weekend visit in the middle of rainy November, involving a variety of personal obligations and commitments, afforded only brief opportunities to

149aThe D&O Diary is on assignment in the United Kingdom this week, with the first stop in the venerable city of Edinburgh, for meetings and an event. Due to flight delays, cancellations and missed connections, my visit to Scotland’s capital city was cut short by a day, which compressed both my meetings and my opportunity