I was in Lisbon, London, Valencia, and Paris for a day each last week, including flights, and meetings, so too short for individual long blog posts… or even picture galleries!

Some of the anecdotes in those trips:

– My flight to Lisbon was delayed 2:05h. The airline, TAP-Portugalia, tried really hard to departure 1:55h late at most, since after two hours delay they have to compensate passengers monetarily. But they couldn’t make it. I wonder how many affected passengers will actually file a claim and follow through.

In any case, that delay jeopardized my meeting schedule, but I was finally able to pull it through, including a nice lunch with the President of IBM Portugal (in other countries they are called “Country Manager”, but not in Portugal), in the private executive dining room.

– In London I tweeted this true story:

I was surprised at the airport hotel trying to be really hip. Nothing wrong with it, but they fell short of the coveted “cool” level.

I did enjoy a nice walk along the Thames river, in the South Bank area, near the National Theater. I wish I had more time to explore the used books pop-up market there.

– In Valencia I enjoyed two wonderful weekends with my family. I know every parent thinks their children are special, but every second I spend with mine is a real treasure. Some highlights? Trekking up the mountain, doing a “photographic safari” in my parent’s backyard, and the fact that my wife flew all the way from New York just to spend the weekend with us! She`s wonderful.

– In Paris I also had to rush, arriving in Orly airport early in the morning, meeting one of our business partners in central Paris, having a quick lunch with my mother and nephew across the street from Palais Garnier Opera House, and flying with my wife out of Charles De Gaulle airport.

We expected heavy security, and long lines, considering the Air France pilot’s strike had just been called off, and the heightened security alert level, but there was none of that! It was, as a matter of fact, one of the easiest and most pleasant check-in / security check / boarding processes in the whole trip.

And now, finally, back in New York, for a couple of weeks at least!