I called the NW Airlines elite line at 11 PM London time, 6 hours before my scheduled departure time to Delhi, and was AMAZED at the level of service I received. In just a 30 minute call, I was able to cancel one flight I had, putting the miles back in my account, and change the flight that was leaving in only a few hours.

To Russia with love! I booked a flight to Helsinki, and will visit St Petersburg, Russia and Tallinn, Estonia for my last two weeks of the trip.


For the last week, I have been chilling out in Paris, Dijon, Chamonix, and Geneva. This was my third time in Paris, and I must say, I enjoyed myself immensely. I was upset and frustrated enough with the dickhead in the embassy in Germany that I decided to break the budget and stay in a very nice place. Bring in L’hotel, St Germain des Prez, and the Oscar Wilde suite. This is where the famous play write spent his last, ugly, penniless days in Paris before he died. Funny story if you don’t know who he is (of course I did!), look him up. The note from the manager of the hotel is on the wall along with his $500 unpaid bill. Great place, in a great location in a great time of year, not too hot and no where near the freezing temps I remember from the last two visits.

I chilled, drank wine, and ate cheese.

Chamonix was, as it always is in the summer, amazing, wonderful, beautiful, awesome, and all other words that have any similarity to the afore mentioned descriptives. I was able to get up to the spot where my good friend Robin died two years ago this week, and put some flowers down, smoke a cigar and drink a half bottle of Bordeaux while taking in the beauty of the spot where he met his untimely death. I can’t help but smile when I look out over to Mt. Blanc knowing the Robin is in a good place, with good people having a blast of a time. http://sites.clark-ip.com/robincosgrove/

A good friend of mine, Eric Schwing, who I met on a ferry on my first trip to Europe in 1994 (!!!) just happened to be traveling in Europe, and we were finally able to hook up after a number of years trying to make it happen. Very good to see him, and we had some good laughs.

Drove back to Paris from Geneva and ended my continental European trip cursing the inefficiencies of Charles de Gaulle airport. I’ve said it before and will say it again….ARRRRGHHH the French!

On a plane now to Helsinki for my last two weeks of official time off, very worried that my time to say ‘I could be working’ is running out!