Flags For Key Rings & Quotations For Travellers

How many countries have you visited? Some people buy a fridge magnet as a souvenir. Others buy tee-shirts. Or clothes and notebooks.

I have left my list of countries plain so you and I could copy it. I made a second copy with the countries I have visited in bold.

Countries of the World in 2026

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, 

The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bali, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, 

Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, 

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, 

Fiji, Finland, France, 

Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, 

Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, 

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, 

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, #

Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, #

Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, 

Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), 

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Norway, 

Oman, 

Pakistan, Palau, , Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, 

Qatar, 

Romania, Russia, Rwanda, 

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, 

Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos, Tuvalu, 

Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, 

Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, 

Wales, Yemen, 

Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Countries I have visited in bold

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, 

The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bali, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, 

Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus (Greek and Turkish sides), Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, 

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia,

Fiji, Finland, France, 

Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, 

Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, 

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, 

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, 

Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,

 Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

 Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), 

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Norway, 

Oman, 

Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, 

Qatar, 

Romania, Russia, Rwanda, 

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, 

Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos, Tuvalu, 

Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, 

Wales, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Islands

I have also visited various islands: The Isle of Man, Skye, the Isle of Wight. The Channel Islands: Jersey, Guernsey, Sark.

Goa.

Macao.

I make that 49 countries, counting England, Scotland and Wales as three, not counting the UK as an extra.

Useful Websites

https://scriptcharms.com/products/world-travel-flag-charms-for-jewelry-making

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Understanding Italian From Newspapers

Flag of Italy.

 I picked up an Italian newspaper outside the World Travel Market in London November 2026. I thought, let's see if I can learn a few words and brush up my Italian.  The newspaper was Londra Sera , which translates as London evening.

Here are some of the words I recognized and my translations or interpretations of the meaning.

Italian - English

anna - year

degli - of the (plural)

dei - of the (singular)

di - of

giornale - daily

Gran Bretagna- Great Britain

il - the

Italia - Italy

Italiani - Italian

uno - one

paesi - countries

per - for

prodotti - Products / produce

Useful websites for learning and translating Italian

duolingo.com

wikivoyage Phrasebook

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German Words - Which Are Easy to Recognize and Remember

 

Remember that German nouns start with capital letters.

German - English

April - April

Armbanduhr - watch

Bibliothek - library

Freund - friend

hier - here

Hund - dog / hound

Ich lerne - I learn

Kantine - cafeteria

oft - often

Park - park

Schule - school

Semester - semester

Sporthalle - gym

Sport - sport

English - German

April - April

banana - Banane

cafeteria - Kantine / Mensa

dog / hound - Hund

friend - Freund

gym - Sporthalle

here - hier

I learn - Ich lerne

library - Bibliothek

modern - modern

often - oft

park - Park

post office - Post

semester (USA) - Semester

school - Schule

sport - Sport

watch - Armbanduhr

Useful websites for learning German

duolingo.com

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I am the author of several books which you can see on Amazon or Lulu, such as Quick Quotations, Who Said What When? Embarrassing Moments.

Brunei sweetmeats at World Travel Market in London

Brunei stand food. Photos by Angela Lansbury.

n the Brunei stand at the World Travel Market I saw these local delights. They had brought their chef with them and introduced him to me. At many events the  catering for all stands is supplied by a catering company. If you have restrictions on halal food for your staff, and want to offer traditional food and local specialities to visitors, it seems a good idea to bring your own chef.

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30 vehicle crash on UK motorway

The crash was on the M20 motorway in Kent, November 2026. 

 The causes of the crash were suggested as

1 Fog

2 Drivers not using fog lights

3 Smoke from fireworks

4 Poor driving standards

5 Poor lighting on motorways.

Possible remedies for travellers, event organizers and educators to consider

1 Drivers, check weather forecast. Do not drive in fog. 

Motorways put up speed limits during fog and fireworks. 

Do not fly helicopters and small planes in storms and when ice is expected to form.

2 Police or neighbourhood watch should install fog light reminders and put up signs at motorway stops. The driving test should include putting on fog lights, and an online game could include a fog light reminder with guides as to where to find fog light buttons on the car owned by the person playing the game.

3 Restrict fireworks to certain times and days. Then ban private displays. But since the fireworks smoke was blamed on a public display at a nearby castle, public displays also need to be controlled.

4 Have update online annual tests, at first free and voluntary, including fog light reminders.

5 Restore lighting on motorways which was reputedly cut to save money.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16275135/motorway-shut-crash-heavy-fog-firework-smoke.html

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Travelling To Work With A Dog - A Dachshund

 I was sitting on the train to South Harrow in London when I suddenly realised there was somebody sitting next to me. A dear little dachshund. Ever so quiet.

Darling dachshund. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Dachshund travelling in a bag on his owner's lap in London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

I got talking to the owner. How do you spell Dachshund? The name ends with h u n d, which is German for dog, like hound in English. 

I asked, 'Why do you carry him in a bag? Is because he is tired?'

'It's convenient. I don't get a dog lead caught up in the train or other people. And he is very small, so people might step on him, accidentally. So I keep him on my lap.'

'Where are you taking him?'

She told me, 'We're going home. I take him to work. Not every day. Sometimes I work from home. So we have a rota at work. Who is going to take their dog to work. The management provides dog baskets. In every room. So I can keep him with me. So he is not alone. And he is a very calming presence.'

I asked her, 'Can you travel with him by plane, to Europe?'

'Yes. If you have a dog passport.'

'Rabies, and jabs?'

'Yes. Identity and medical history.'

'How old is he?'

'Middle aged for a dog.'

'So you have a few more years to enjoy his company.'

Later I looked up pet passports. They will record if the animal is micro-chipped, which is handy, so the animal can be linked up with you if it gets injured on the road, bites somebody, or simply gets lost. The passport will also be a record of rabies prevention, tapeworm treatment, complete history. A pet passport is, quite expensive, around a hundred pounds at the current rate, like a human passport. But which you can use multiple times which is cheaper than the alternative system of getting a vet report from every country for every journey.

I looked up Dachshunds in Wikipedia. The word Dachs is German for badger. Nouns have capital initial letters in German. They were bred that shape for tunneling to catch badgers. The long ears of the dog protect the ear canal from the dirty soil.

The dogs are also known as sausage dogs in the UK and Australia. Apparently dachshunds are not all docile. Some of them bark, bite and are disobedient, especially when in hot pursuit. However, on the train, my dear little dachshund was docile, a pleasure to meet.

Useful Websites

https://www.gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain/pet-passport

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/pet-passports-uk-eu-brexit-b3078891.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachshund

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Diwali Decorations On Restaurants and Pubs and On Sale in London.

Diwali decorations on sale in South Harrow, NW London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Diwali Decoration on sale in South Harrow, Piccadilly train line, London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 

Diwali Decorations On Social Dhaba restaurant, Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

On Wetherspoons pub, Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Wetherspoons pub, the Moon and Sixpence, Hatch End. Photos by Angela Lansbury.