And is your country on the Irish Green List https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0721/1154621-coronavirus-travel/where you’re now allowed to visit?
And some more guidance too on if and how we insure ourselves amid contradictory Government advice.
I’m indebted here to my good friend Dominic Burke, of Travel Centres https://www.travelcentres.ie/.
And the Irish Travel Agents Association https://itaa.ie/ in Ireland for flagging up some anomalies here.
That Gibraltar is on it, but that you can’t get there unless you go through Spain which isn’t.
Monaco the same with France too left on the list.
While if you want to visit the eskimos of Greenland you’ll need to go through Denmark which you guessed right is off the list.
I notice too that Belgium where I first met the similarly coiffure-bearded Dominic is off the list.
And we were invited to present the wreath at the Menin Gate in Ieper www.visitflanders.com, https://gtitravel.ie/ and In Flanders fields.
We’ll share a Trappist beer there again yet, Dominic.
Let’s all Muck in
I might not be able to get over to Ireland, well at least the southern part.
So it’s just as well that we’ve a few glittering isles of our own in Scotland.
Muck in the Inner Hebrides, or Western Isles, is reopening its self-catering accommodation, although Eigg is not.
Not every Scottish island has a funny name but I do love Ewe.
Get it… they do with it being a popular island to propose.
See www.visitscotland.com and Sunday Sermon – God’s Own Country Scotland.
A cruise to bear in Ireland
Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ descent into administration will be felt on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Whom we know through JMG Cruises http://www.jmgcruise.com
Our Irish ports will be hit hard.
Belfast was set to homeport in 2021 as was Cobh, no stranger to cruiseheads.
They have started and finished their trips in the past and were ready to do so again next year.
Visit https://www.thecruiseroomireland.ie/.
Over there, over there
It was an uplifting American war-time song… ‘and it won’t be over till it’s over, over there.’
The Americans, lest we forget, joined our two major conflicts in the last century.
And also led (and are still leading) us through the Cold War.
And yet, nobody it seems wants them.
The haters have been smirking that the Mexicans have been turning away American tourists at the border.
But it is no laughing matter, not least for a British, European.
And especially Irish market which relies so heavily on the Yankee dollar.
With Bajan Geraldine and Virginian Patay
The good news is that a vaccine looks on the way and that there are countries who want to welcome the Americans back.
We all know how much Americans love the Caribbean.
And I was embraced by the Virginia Ski Club on their annual trip to Barbados www.theclubbarbados.com with www.tropicalsky.ie and www.tropicalsky.com.
And I’m glad to say that that feeling is mutual.
With much of the Caribbean reopening to Americans, subject to requirements.
And my sailing pal Patsy
I got out to see for myself how history is still being made in Virginia https://www.virginia.org.
And Sign up for the Civil War… it is Virginia www.visitusa.ie and www.visitusa.co.uk.
And I am hankering to get back.
