Stories from travels in

Mary Murphy

Sputnik and tomorrow’s living room

I’ve never given much thought to the evolution of modern telecommunication save to marvel at how clever my smartphone is (and I can safely say

Palais de nations

193 flags + 1

It wasn’t my first visit to Geneva, and I doubt it will be my last. And while it still hasn’t wormed its way into my

Falling on deaf ears

Having just spent a king’s ransom on navigating my way around London and its hinterland, I now appreciate Budapest Transport Company, or BKK, even more.

Taken for a ride

TripAdvisor has just published its list of the ten most expensive tourist cities in the world. I was surprised to see that Geneva didn’t rate.

The lengths people go to

It’s not that I’m afraid of heights. I’m not. But I like to have something solid under my feet when there is so much distance

Forgive? Forget?

Sometimes when we least expect it, the universe conspires to remind us of stuff that should never be forgotten. I can see the merits of

The signs are there

A day off for me is one on which I don’t have to make any decisions. Tell me where to go, what to do, when

LOOs bar in Vienna

Cocktails in Vienna

I used to collect stamps. Then I moved on to frogs. Now I collect experiences. And chief amongst them is my quest for the perfect

Meat on Mester

I’d heard rumours that there was a … not a butchers in the Irish definition of the word and not a meat market in the

Shopping for a new perspective

It doesn’t cost anything to be nice to people. Smiles are cheap. Manners are the same price. Yes, we all have our bad days when