Alcock & Brown – first Atlantic Crossing
28 October 2012 | Transport
Three years ago, on a visit to Galway in Ireland, I drove up the coast to the place where in 1919 pioneer aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown touched down on the first ever trans-Atlantic flight. Soon afterwards I had a look at their ungainly Vickers Vimy biplane in...
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The First Flight to Australia
5 July 2010 | Transport
In November last year, driving up the coast from Galway in Ireland, I came to the lonely stretch of Irish bog where Alcock and Brown touched down on 15 June 1919 after making the first flight across the Atlantic. Later I went to the Science Museum in London to look at...
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Hotels – The Worst One & Some Good Ones in 2009
15 December 2009 | Living
The worst hotel of the year? McAlpine House in Broome, Western Australia. In 2009 I stayed in about 70 different hotels in 16 countries. Many of them were strictly one night stands although there were a fair number of two or three nighters, the longest visit was six n...
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First Atlantic Crossing, First Jet Lag
2 December 2009 | Transport
In 1919 John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first flight across the Atlantic. And experienced the first case of jet lag.
◄ In November Maureen and I drove from Galway to Clifden on the west coast of Ireland. Just north of Ballconneely, 4km south of Clifden, we s...
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Galway & Inishmor
11 November 2009 | Culture
I’ve been on the road for the first couple of weeks of November. Starting with a visit to Ireland for an Irish Tourist Board (Fáilte Ireland) conference in Galway. Walking along Galway’s main pedestrian street I came across a strangely familiar statue of that noted I...
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