travel

Bleary-Eyed.

Greetings from Texas. I got in at all hours last night on the first part of a whistlestop tour of the US. Off to Boston over the weekend and then to Washington DC.

As always, the people here are wonderful and friendly. I only hope I don't bewilder them when I deliver a short paper tomorrow on the Parades Commission (being rewritten now in the light of this week's events).

Just one thing: reading Martin McGuinness's speech in yesterday's Irish Times, I noticed that the transcript, as is also the case on the BBC, has him beginning "I am proud to stand here today as an Irish republican who believes absolutely in a united Ireland."

But listen to the speech (you can listen to all the speeches here). What McGuinness actually said was that he "believes in the unity of Ireland." Which is a very different thing, symptomatic of Sinn Féin's slight shift from a united Ireland policy to an all-Ireland policy.

And it's very welcome. Nothing like the recognition that politics is the art of the possible to actually develop a politics that works.

Posted by Ciarán on Thu, 10/05/2007 - 17:10

Walkabout

We're just back from a pleasant and sunny walk in strangely balmy Dublin (the photo to the right is an hour old as I write and are flicking through the blogs before heading out for the evening.

And, via Lifehacker, I come across the perfect site for my rising wanderlüst: Seat 61.

Great stuff. I am most enamoured with the idea of never climbing on board a flight again. Not that I won't - it's part of the job description - but it would be lovely to take holidays entirely on the ground. So, this is the perfect site

That said, while London to Tokyo is a little tempting I assume there's a point when flying becomes the more pleasant option: two or three days would do it. So, we're examining the possibility of either London to Cordoba or London to Stockholm in September...

Posted by Ciarán on Sat, 17/02/2007 - 18:29

Russian rails

Train journeys are becoming the only way to travel; fast(ish), environmentally friendly, relaxed, sociable.

The Calgary Herald reports on a new virtual trip that has been made available on the web site of the Russian railways. The user can take a virtual trip on the train from Moscow to Vladivostok in about 30 minutes. Just hit Ctapt (Start in Russian) and away you go. Very interactive; you even get to surprise a few unassuming passengers!

Closer to home, the journey between Greystones and Wicklow Town has got to be one of the most beautiful railway stretches in Ireland. It is like being in two places ar one time; on one side you have stones, sea and sky, usually varying shades of silver and grey. On the other side, there are lush green fields, mountains, lakes, the odd cow asleep in the grass or running away if they are too close to the train. It is ripe for a virtual filming...better to concentrate on the scenary rather than the train though!

Posted by isabel on Wed, 31/01/2007 - 23:52