Luxembourg

Limerick last week, Luxembourg this week. Any place beginning with L will do when you're retired. It's a bit like coming back from retirement because I'm attending a teachers' forum and conference on Safer Internet here as the Irish teacher representative.

Forget Ryanair, LuxAir is the way to fly. Flew from London City airport on a plane with propellors, first time in a long time to do so. A great flight, a free meal, snack actually, and boiled sweets before landing. Great.

You might imagine 27 teachers talking about schools, pupils and internet safety might be dull and boring but no way! Enthusiastic teachers with all kinds of innovative ideas sharing their experiences is exciting. The general impression is how similar the experience is in all countries of the EC.

Paddy tells a story about attending a European conference in the early days of the EEC when delegations from other countries came to the hotel the Irish delegation was staying in to watch the Irish delegation eat and drink!

I always feel I should introduce myself at such a function by saying something like: "I'm from Ireland BUT I don't drink Guiness and I don't sing".