Tag: europe

• Looking Back V: Fifth trip of 2026 – Bilbao and the Basque region

  

  Having not been to mainland Spain for around 30 years, I had mixed feelings about returning. On the one hand, I was curious to see how it had changed. It had been a long time, and I wondered whether my mental picture of the place remained in any way valid. On the other hand, after…

  martinjamesphd

  24th Aug 2026

  AWAY FROM THE DESK

  basque-country, bilbao, europe, life, personal-growth, spain, travel

• Looking Back IV: Forth trip of 2026 – Malta

  

  I’ve worked for the Maltese government since 2024, so you might assume I’d visited before. I hadn’t – at least not until this year. The irony is that I booked this trip entirely on my own dime after deciding I’d probably never get to Malta through my contractual work. About a month later, I was…

  martinjamesphd

  12th Jul 2026

  AWAY FROM THE DESK

  adventure, europe, history, life, love, malta, mental-health, personal-development, personal-growth, travel

• Unforgettable Winter Trip: Belfast and Carrickfergus Highlights

  

  I took a short, wintry escape to Northern Ireland, spending a couple of nights split between Belfast and Carrickfergus, and it turned out to be one of those trips that feels compact in time but rich in atmosphere and history. I based myself first in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, a fitting place to begin any introduction…

  martinjamesphd

  26th Dec 2025

  AWAY FROM THE DESK

  europe, history, ireland, northern-ireland, travel