Monthly Archives: September 2006

Smoking: the European disease?

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The news that Wales is to ban smoking in enclosed public places from 2 April 2007 came in stark contrast to our experience on holiday in Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic last week. Smoking seems almost universal on the continent, even in restaurants.

We checked out of the charming Clarenhof hotel in Nieuwpoort, Belgium, in a cloud of tobacco smoke as the young receptionist had a lit  cigarette next to her. Even more of a shock, we found boxes of fags towering over the checkouts at the Penny Markt supermarket in Germany.

The experience brought home how much Irish and British attitudes to smoking have changed. Smokers here may complain about being persecuted, but the wave of smoking bans across Ireland and Britain have been relatively uncontroversial, certainly compared with the debate about fox hunting.

The Pope, Regensburg and me

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Back from holiday, and a near encounter with the biggest news story of last week.

It was pure chance that we decided to stay the night in the Bavarian city of Regensburg. We were travelling from the beautiful Czech city of Cesky Krumlov to the equally historic German city of Esslingen. Regensburg looked a worthwhile stop-over with the oldest bridge over the Danube, dating back almost 900 years, and a miraculously surviving medieval altstadt.

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Knowing how German cities shut down for the weekend, we were amazed to find the place buzzing. Shops large and small were open – at 5.30pm on a Sunday. We were curious to see television film crews and their lighting rigs everywhere. Then we saw the bunting and the penny dropped: the Pope was about to arrive in town.

I wish I could give you an eyewitness account of the controversy that unfolded when the Pope arrived. But we left hours before the visit began, passing on the autobahn dozens of police cars heading from Munich – where the Papal tour of Bavaria began. It’s the second time in my life I’ve nearly witnessed a Papal visit: I watched Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cardiff in 1982 on television as I prepared for my A levels in the Welsh capital. That Papal visit to Britain was also controversial: Britain was at war following Argentina’s invasion of the Falkland Islands and the Pope felt obliged to arrange a swift ‘balancing’ tour of Argentina.

Back to school

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One of my favourite features in the Guardian is In praise of… Today’s column is tribute to the annual return to school: a hugely significant time for millions of children.

I still have vivid memories of starting school in 1968: headmaster Mr Davies talking to Mum in our street in Whitton, Middlesex, just before I started; playing in the autumn sunshine on the front lawn of  Bishop Perrin school. (That first year was unforgettable: we watched Prince Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales, and learned all about the first moon landing.)

Mr Davies was a fellow Welshman. He was a firm believer in traditional teaching methods: the 3 Rs. It worked: I learned to read quickly at Bishop Perrin, despite the 1930s books. When we moved back to Cardiff, I was amazed how many of my new friends were struggling with reading. And I found the new maths teaching baffling. (Though I was relieved that going decimal made counting money a lot easier!)

Fast forward seven years and the challenge of adjusting to ‘big school’: Cardiff High, one of Cardiff’s best regarded schools. In those early days it all seemed daunting: scurrying around the seemingly huge site from lesson to lesson. I wondered how I would ever get used to it. Within weeks, it seemed like second nature.

Yes, those first days at school leave an indelible mark.

This is my last post for a while. We’re off to Germany and the Czech Republic tomorrow. I’m looking forward to sampling the finest Czech and German beers!

London to Windsor: an act of charity

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It was a great way to spend a Sunday: cycling for charity. Karen and I were two of a multitude of cyclists taking part in yesterday’s London to Windsor bike ride in aid of Bowel Cancer UK. Between us, we hope to have raised over £300.

I’ve created a special blog about the day.

Thanks to everyone who sponsored us.