Feb 14
On a work trip last year to Zurich, we took the train to Lucerne in central Switzerland for a day trip. It took less than an hour and the train dissects through the Swiss mountainside with lakes for company all the way.
The train station is impressive but we exited to a murky Lucerne shrouded in a low-lying fog.
Please click for moređ5ď¸âŁ Another year, another list of my Top Fives. We will begin with Places. This yearâs travels were almost entirely work related, and unfortunately a lot the places I visited were on repeat.
We did have one big family holiday, and that was to Qatar as we sought to open our daughterâs mind to another culture. The peninsula on the Arabian Gulf therefore took top spot, and here is a list of My Top Fives Favourite Places đ§ł
Please click for moreBillie Eilish did 3 cities this week. Pah, I put two fingers up at that kind of sluggish convention. Me, mind you will have a week of a true rock ân roll tour.
Miami, Sarasota, Las Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Napa Valley. 7 cities, 7 days. The life of a rock star travelling salesman.
I used always write about my travelling whatever the reason or how insignificant the locale.
These days I travel so much with work that I rarely get time to write about them or frankly the places donât muster a lot of creative thought.
Please click for moreWe bookmarked our holiday in Qatar with fleeting visits to a couple of Florida spots that we hadnât visited in a long while.
Boca Raton I was last in 20 years ago, and Coral Gables was a place we used to visit regularly but our last time there was pre-pandemic.
Please click for moreI was talking to another Dad a few months back and he asked me what year our daughter moves into this next year at high school. Junior (11th grade) I said. âOh just two more summerâs with her thenâ he replied.
Wow, I thought. Iâd like to think she may want to come on holiday with us when sheâs older, and I am aware that will depend on where we go and who pays, but time is running out and on the basis she regularly denies or forgetâs sheâs been to any of the places she has, then I thought this summer we had to do something different.
Please click for moreIâve had a bit of a tour of Florida this past week. Orlando with work, Ocala for a swim meet, back home to Sarasota, tomorrow to Boca Raton and then Miami for a long flight on Thursday.
More on the 14 hour flight from Miami later.
Please click for moreJust a couple of miles up the road from us is Siesta Key, recently voted the best beach in the United States, and the 4th best beach in the world by Trip Advisor.
Siesta Key is a barrier island that sits across the gentile waters of Little Sarasota Bay from us, and got badly battered in Hurricane Milton, but happily is just about getting itself back on itâs feet.
Please click for moreJust as I chose 20 Players I also chose 20 Places that have left an enduring mark on me in my life. All this to commemorate me writing this Blog for 20 years.
It was Benjamin Franklin that said âeither write something worth reading or do something worth writing aboutâ and Iâve lived by that since I penned my first Blog post in June 2004.
Please click for moreI am lucky to currently be in Colorado with the beautiful backdrop of the Rockies and rarefied mountain air for company this week.
The sky is a blueish violet and the sun is warm, and I probably didnât need half of the layers I squeezed into my carry on.
Please click for moređ5ď¸âŁ. I stayed in 39 hotels last year, over a hundred nights not in my own bed, and there were plenty of AirBnB stays too, but I canât get excited about them.
I do like a hotel, especially fancy ones, although sadly they werenât always fancy. Anyway, I have selected a handful and these are my 2024 Top Five Favourite Hotels đ¨
Please click for moreWe are coming close to the finish line, we are at 18 of my 20 Places to laud my 20 Years of writing this Blog.
I chose them in no particular order, but each one stands on its own as a place I hold dear. At no. 18 is Miami.
Please click for moređ5ď¸âŁ. Welcome to my annual Top Five series where without any hint of shame I write about my favourite things from the past year.
Back in the day I listed a lot more of these, but Iâve narrowed it down over time, and Iâll start with one of my most craved obsessions, and that of travel. So, Iâll begin with my Top Five Favourite Places đ.
Please click for moreYou probably would only heard of Ocala if you are a competitive swimmer or a competitive equestrian, or have it in yourself to watch either.
The city of Ocala is nestled between the eastern and western coasts of the northern part of Florida. The area is home to over 400 thoroughbred farms and training centreâs and is considered the âhorse capital of the world.â Kentucky, Newmarket, Ireland, Chantilly and Dubai might have something to say about that claim, but it is most definitely horsey.
Please click for moreAnother Place on my list of 20 to commemorate my 20 Years of writing this Blog.
In no particular order, but each one memorable. No. 14 is Iceland.
Please click for moreIt must be about 20 years since I was last in ZĂźrich, and I only know that because I had never done a Travelogue previously. Before then when I worked in London I was a frequent visitor.
I had forgotten how beautiful this city is, sat on two rivers and a lake with the Alps looming large in the background.
Read moreI am leaving Munich today feeling a little fragile after a night at the Oktoberfest.
My one and only visit was over two decades ago, and from memory hardly recognizable from back then.
Please click for moreThe next Place of 20 to extol my 20 Years of writing this Blog.
In no particular order, or ranking but each one as memorable as the other. No. 12 is Beaver Creek in Colorado.
Please click for moreBack from a little break for the seasonâs kick off from my 20 Players and 20 Places list celebrating 20 Years of Blogging. No order, no ranking just those Players and Places that endure.
We had reached no. 10 for Places, and at No. 11 is Paphos in Cyprus.
Please click for moreWe are in Miami tonight prepping for an early flight to Mexico in the morning. Prepping by being sat in a hotel bar drinking martiniâs and picking at a bowl of olivesđŤ.
Please click for more20 Players and 20 Places to celebrate my 20 years of writing this Blog. No order, no ranking, just those that left everlasting memories.
Next up on my 20 Places was one for the bucket list. No. 9 is Rio.
Please click for more20 Years of Blogging has compelled me to select and write briefly about my memories of Charlton players I have held in high esteem, and of Places that have stuck with me in my life.
My No.8 pick of 20 Places is Japan.
Please click for more20 Years I have been writing this Blog, and to celebrate my endurance I am selecting 20 Players and 20 Places, in no particular order, that I hold dear.
No.7 in Places is The City of London.
Please click for moreI have a different job these days, with differing pressures but still most of the hard yards come in the first six months of the year and that has remained the case so this weekend represents the âend of the seasonâ for most of us in our business.
Please click for moreAnother Place on my list to extol my 20 Years of writing this Blog.
In no particular order, but each one memorable. No. 6 is Napa Valley in California.
Please click for moreMoving on with my 20 Places to celebrate 20 Years of Blogging. No ranking just memorable.
Next up is the Queen of El Plata, the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires.
Please click for moreI am picking 20 Places and 20 Charlton Players to celebrate 20 years of this Blog. No pecking order, just those that were memorable.
Number four on my list of 20 Places is Brussels in Belgium.
Please click for moreThe continuation of 20 Places and 20 Players to put a stamp on my 20 years of Blogging.
Back to the Places then, and one that will always bring back great memoriesâŚ. Magaluf in Mallorca.
Please cick for more20 Players and 20 Places to celebrate my 20 years of writing this Blog. No order, no ranking, just those that were meaningful in my life.
This is the first Place of 20 that has stuck with me, the volcanic playground of the Caribbean island of St. Barts, or Saint BarthĂŠlemy in the French West Indies.
Please click for moreA month from today this Blog celebrates its 20th birthday, for which I have a binary sense of immense pride as well as complete amazement.
I was 30 something when I started penning these pages in June 2004, living on my own in an apartment in Chicago, and England were about to have another ignominious exit from a major championship on penalties.
Please click for moreRarely do you ever see rolling hills in Florida, but running down the spine of the sunshine state is Lake-Wales Ridge, a 100-mile white sand ridge that tops out at 312 feet, the highest natural point in the state called Sugarloaf MountainâŚ. Not to be confused of course with the other Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.
About 10 miles south of here on the same sand ridge is a pretty little place called Clermont. We were there this past weekend for a swim meet at the National Training Center staying at an AirBnB a couple of miles from the historical downtown area.
Please click for moreThe return of my annual đ5ď¸âŁ list begins with Favourite Places đ. I did what seemed like endless travelling this year especially since we moved stateside, but only an overnight pitstop with my dog in Savannah, Georgia was uncharted territory for me, so 2023 was really about rediscovering places.
Please click for moreTo wrap up what was an epic week of travelling, I am now in Miami with the family and friends celebrating a 50th birthday.
Flying back from Las Vegas Sunday night was tough, this body of mine is hurting after 10 days of travelling in California and then onto Las Vegas for the Formula 1 on Thursday. It was a week of epic proportions but one for the memory bank.
Please click for moreI am in Las Vegas for the inaugural Formula 1 race, which has garnered mixed reviews from locals and drivers alike, but it has consumed Vegas this weekend and is expected to bring in around $1.7 billion of additional revenues to the city that doesnât sleep.
At last nightâs qualifying there were some empty seats around us in the East Harmon Zone grandstand opposite the new permanent paddock, but the noise and octane levels were high.
Please click for moreA spell of quick work trips was the warm up for a much longer one. I am in San Francisco, California after travelling here yesterday. I am due downstairs in a few minutes to jump on a bus for what has been flimsily described as a team bonding day of wine tasting in Napa Valley. One of my happy places so the team building should be effortless.
Please click for moreThereâs a saying that after you leave somewhere you can go back too soon.
7 weeks after leaving the island of Bermuda I was back this week and it probably was a little soon.
Please click for moreWe made it.
Around about 5.15pm tonight I pulled my gigantic American gas-guzzler onto the drive of our Sarasota home with the pup in the back.
Three days, 1,290 miles and nine states.
Please click for moreIt was an eventful drive today. 470 miles most of it in rain, some of it pretty bad on a predominantly a two-lane interstate which made the South Circular look sexy.
Please click for moreIt was around about 11pm last night when our chocolate Labrador (called Rolo đŤ) was delivered to me in Newark, New Jersey. That was originally where he was meant to fly into, but it was changed last minute to JFK, so he was driven the hour or so to the hotel I was in after he had cleared customs.
He settled and slept well and today in our obscenely-sized SUV rental car we successfully negotiated the 330 miles to Richmond, Virginia where he lays asleep next to me, exhausted no doubt by all of the driving.
Please click for moreAnother update about having no update today by current CEO Peter Storrie.
It does sound like this takeover is a long way from being finalized, and whoâs hand is at the wheel and in whoâs pocket it is in when it comes to transfer activity is very mystifying.
Please click for moreWe all leave today for the Bahamas where my daughter is again representing Bermuda at an international swim meet. The Bermuda team is joined by other Caribbean nations as well as a sprinkling of Americans and Canadians trying to secure Olympic qualifying times, so it should be fun to watch.
Please click for moreFlying on the red eye tonight from Las Vegas. I had four days in this crazy place on the premise of a best mateâs 50th birthday that never got to happen during the pandemic, and was swiftly thrown together for this past weekend.
Las Vegas really is a nuclear attack on the senses. Some of the things you see, and some of things you canât un-see are disturbingly funny.
Please click for moreNamed for the marmots that roam the area and whistle like a deflating balloon Whistler is the largest ski resort in North America and is only a 90 minute drive from Vancouver with the ocean accompanying you almost the entire way.
Originating in the late 1970âs and Winter Olympics host city in 2010, Whistler alongside sister mountain Blackcomb are two imposing peaks joined by an artsy and busy village at ground level.
Please click for moreBritish Columbia is 350,000 square mile province that has a 16,000 mile coastline. BC has always intrigued me since I first visited Vancouver in 2011, and this trip has furthered my fascination even though we only tiptoed through Vancouver and spent the majority of the week in the mountains.
Please click for moreLeaving for Canada đ¨đŚ tomorrow for 10 days out to British Colombia initially to get in some late season snow, and then back east to Toronto for a few days next week leading into returning home for Easter.
I have been to a few places in Canada, but mostly with work or at least for work reasons. I have spent time in both Vancouver, and Toronto a couple of times, but never to Whistler, a scintillating 75-mile drive north of Vancouver I am reliably told.
Please click for moreIâm in Americaâs capital today.
The District of Colombia is a walking museum of history, power and influence. 67 square miles of wide criss-crossed boulevards lined with trees bursting into blossom, monuments, memorials and just about every federal government building you can imagine.
Please click for moreI woke up this morning in Denver, Colorado.. as you do.
Flew here yesterday afternoon via New York, and arrived at the hotel at 2am. It was quite the hike. Snow lightly fell as we checked in and the photo is from my hotel room window just now.
Please click for moređ5ď¸âŁ My next 2022 Top Five is places. Travel was better in 2022 if not extensive and if I tell you until recently Accrington was on my list, then that tells me I need to get out more..
We did a few trips, nowhere new or too far, but were lucky to sample some new parts of some old places. Here are my 2022 Top Five Favourite Places đď¸
Please click for moreThe only other time I went to Barbados I stayed with my son up in the north of the island at Saint Peter.
That was 19 years ago, but this past year I was in Barbados twice, both times (first) and (second) to watch my daughter represent Bermuda swimming. Those trips centered around the Aquatic Centre, which forms part of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on the outskirts of the capital Bridgetown. The national football stadium Wildey Turf is also there.
Please click for moreSan Franciscoâs streets were more like how I remember them last week when I was huffing and puffing up and down those towering hills.
I was staying at the top of Nob Hill, one of the seven famous hills in the city, although the list of the cityâs hills is nearer to 50.
Please click for moreIâm in Sarasota, Florida for a few days, the first time I have been inside our house since Hurricane Ian. Happy to report it is still standing!
On Saturday, not long after the end of the Addicksâ FA Cup game, I fly to Las Vegas for what my daughter charmingly calls a âwork vacation.â
Please click for moreWe were last in Puerto Rico in 2009 and was enchanted by the Isla del Encanto, and one afternoon in August sat in our kitchen in Sarasota we decided on a very last minute trip back there.
The last time we were there, 13 years ago, my unknowingly-pregnant-other-half and me spent a large chunk of our time sampling the charms of Old San Juan. We danced to very loud music, drunk piĂąa coladaâs and tumbled late out of bars onto its shiny blue cobblestones.
Please click for moreWe havenât done anything spontaneous for a while. Years ago we would regularly make last minute trips bound for unknown places, but children and life got in the way of such whims and a global pandemic of course.
Anyway that outlook changed suddenly yesterday when we went online and booked a hotel and a flight to Puerto Rico for this morning.
Please click for moreWhilst in East Sussex last week I wanted to take my parents somewhere a little different, and I found an absolute treasure trove of a place just 10 minutes from their home.
To say the Rathfinny Wine Estate is tucked away is hardly legitimate when it occupies 600 acres, with flawless rows of vines growing on the south facing hills of the South Downs. Yet the entrance gates to the estate are located just beyond the chocolate box village of Alfriston near the Deans Place Hotel and one could easily drive past them.
please click for moreBarbados was a blur. I couldnât decide if it went by in a blink of an eye or it seemed like we were there for weeks.
The reason we were in Barbados was that our daughter was representing Bermuda at the CARIFTA regional swimming championships. Like a Caribbean youth games for under 18âs.
Please click for moređ5ď¸âŁ. Next up on my look back at the year that wasnât of 2021 is My Top Five Favourite Places. Not quite as limited on exploration as the year before, nevertheless the five were relatively easy to select.
There was nowhere new, but plenty of places revisited, one in particular was long overdue. Here are my 2021 Top Five Favourite Places đ
Please click for moreBack home indoors after almost a month away in the United States. The dog was ignoring me, but we rekindled a little on our morning walk earlier.
It was pretty restorative being away from this small isle for the past 4 weeks, travelling East Coast to West, and back again. When I left at the beginning of December Covid was in the rear view mirror and now it is back in the front seat. California and Florida have a complete different mindset when it comes to the pandemic, and one could easily see that after spending time in both States.
Please click for moreAt home in Sarasota, Florida this evening after a whirlwind and exhausting eleven day work trip, or as my daughter calls them work vacationâs.
A Five night kick-off in Las Vegas is not to be recommended, although the time there was more dominated (other than work) by sports more-so than gambling. I actually didnât even get to sit at a table to lose any money. One reason I wasnât that bothered was due to mandatory mask wearing at all times within the casinos.
Please click for moreI got an unexpected sunny welcome landing at Heathrow Airport this morning. Fast forward ten hours and Iâm sat in my parents conservatory looking out at the South Downs which are quickly becoming shrouded in November darkness.
Please click for moreJust back from a little trip to Florida, a couple of days in Miami followed a couple in Fort Lauderdale, just 40 minutes north along the coast, and a place I hadnât been for 13 years. It had changed significantly, and grown like a sunflower.
Neighbouring towns of Hollywood and Oakwood Park have been engulfed by Fort Lauderdaleâs expansion. Once a renowned centre for spring-breakersâ high jinks the dive bar and burger joints had all but disappeared and have been replaced by boutique hotels, upscale apartment buildings and a burgeoning restaurant scene.
It is the longest wait for an Olympic opening ceremony in history, but tomorrow morning my time the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that never looked like happening finally opens.
A year late and stymied by all the regular hosting city controversies of construction, corruption, dodgy resignations of officials and even logo arguments, last year the Tokyo Olympics was taken down by the biggest disease of all.
Read moreIâm back in Bermuda after our little sojourn to Miami Beach. We stayed just a couple of miles south of Chaplain Towers in Surfide, the site of Thursdayâs building collapse tragedy. We drove by it last Monday to have dinner in Bal Harbour, a condo building in a row of non-descript 1980 oceanfront buildings punctuated occasionally by plush hotels.
My heart goes out to every family and friend waiting on news of loved ones đ
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TPC Louisiana
