The boy is not much better. Extremely high temperatures (104!), oozing nose and eyes makes Paddy a sick boy. This means that some of us don't sleep very well and that during the day, nothing much gets done. I find it incredible that an allergy can do this to him, but a friend of ours who has a cat allergy says that this is exactly how it is for her and it seems too much of a co-incidence that this time and the last time he was this sick, he'd been in a house that had a cat. It's my weakened genes muddying the gene pool, although my allergy doesn't have nearly the same effect. I hope there's something we can do for him.

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There's a web site where you can select the countries you've visited and it'll display a map showing them all. It's an odd little thing, as it seems odd that an overnight stopover in Sydney means that an entire sub-continent gets coloured in. It's also a bit geeky as the countries are based on the internet top level domains, which explains what's in and what's not. I have visited 23 of the countries listed (including the one I live in), which is 10% so I'll have to live until I'm 380 to visit every country. Mind you, I didn't leave the country until I was ten or eleven, so I'll only really have to live until I'm 280.

I have some issues with claiming that high a score (see above) so in the interest of openness and accountability, here is a summary of my visits to these countries.

Argentina (1997?)  A proper holiday. We went for four weeks and traveled outside of Buenos Aires and up into the Andes and everything.

Australia (1985)  As noted above, an overnight stopover in Sydney. Managed to go out with a friend of my brother-in-law's and get drunk in Kings Cross. I suppose if I'd traveled to a country for a stag night it would count, so this should too.

Austria (1991) In 1991, me and a mate backpacked around Europe, roughly following the Danube. I made tour t-shirts and everything. This accounts for many of the countries on this list. I can't really remember much about Vienna or Salzburg (which is where we visited) except that my mate got a talking to for jaywalking in Salzburg.

Belgium (1991) I don't know if I can count this as I was only there for a few hours. It was the very end of my 1991 trip and we were waiting for a ferry to take us to England. We hadn't a bean and all the banks were shut. This was a feature of this trip as we seemed to have a knack of arriving in a country late and broke.

Czech Republic (1991) Before the split. We were in Prague and had just the best time. I'm almost afraid to go back as it would spoil the memory.

France (loads)  Not just Paris, although I've been there a number of times. This was my first non-English speaking country on a school trip. First girlfriend on that trip too. Happy times. Other than that, we had a big family holiday in Normandy (or was it Brittany?) with three other families. There was twenty of us!

Germany (1991) As part of the 1991 trip. I don't really remember much about the Danube bits except that one the very first day of the trip we were picked up by a guy who loved Ireland and who's birthday it was and he took us out drinking and put us up for the night. The rest of Germany made little or no impact until we reached Berlin at the end of the trip (having abandoned the river). Oh, the exception was a place I can't remember the name of (but it's where the Danube and the Inn meet) which we arrived in the day before May day and marveled at the celebrations.

Hungary (1991, 1998?) Another 1991 port of call, but I have been back since. I've only been to Budapest, but would rank it second only to Prague.

Ireland Well, yes.

Italy (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003) Have had two proper family holidays there and weekend trips to Venice and Rome. Rome didn't click with me for some reason, and I should go back, but Venice is somewhere I'd visit at the drop of a hat.

Japan (2002)  Went for work, but was lucky enough to be there when Ireland were playing in the World Cup. Didn't sight-see at all as I was working, but enjoyed the experience all the same. Won't mind being sent again, but I'll make sure I have some tourist time next time.

Lithuania (1997?)  My brother married a Lithuanian and the wedding was in Vilnius. I was best man and the non-Lithuanians outnumbered the locals. Great fun was had, including the burning of my effigy -- a local custom, apparently.

Morocco (1999)  Another family holiday. We booked a package to Agadir and visited Marrakesh, Touradant and Essaouira. A local drug baron stopped petting his lapdog long enough to send us over dessert (crepe) in one restaurant.

Netherlands (1995)  After my 30th birthday, me and a mate were taken on a magical mystery tour by our respective girlfriends and it really wasn't until we boarded the plane that we had any idea that we were going to Amsterdam. A great weekend, partaking of most of what Amsterdam has to offer.

New Zealand (1984) I have family there and I visited when I was nineteen. I had a good time, although the fact that I didn't leave Auckland is a source of some shame. On the up side, I fell in love; on the down side it was with my brother's girlfriend.

Portugal (2001)  Another family holiday. Traveled mostly on the south coast, but went inland and north too. Skirted Lisbon, for some reason and want to return.

Slovak Republic (1991)  Yet more 1991 stuff. Stayed in Bratislava. Avoid Czech red wine. It does things to you.

Spain (loads) This is a popular destination with this family; although mostly Andalucia. We have friends in Granada and have stayed on the coast a good bit too. We've been to Madrid and are going to Barcelona in May. Oh and the Canary Islands a few times too.

Switzerland (1991)   On reflection, I probably shouldn't include this. It was where I started the 1991 trip. I flew to Zurich and then took a train to Donaueshingen (where the Danube rises). But that's in Germany. A couple of hours probably doesn't count.

United Kingdom (loads)  I've been to England, Scotland and Wales. The highlands in Scotland around Fort William are just beautiful.

United States (1996, 2000)  Two visits to New York. I love New York. Anna has been spoiled by big cities as birthday treats in the last two years; Venice for her tenth and Paris for her eleventh. She wants New York for her twelfth. We'll see.

Uruguay (1997?)  A day trip from Buenos Aires. A touristy thing where we took the hydrofoil across the Rio de la Plata and got a bus to a ranch style place where we had a big barbeque and some cowboy type stuff happened around us. I think I got a passport stamp.

Vatican City State (2001) This is just silly. I've been, obviously; and for longer than Switzerland, but it doesn't feel right.

Well traveled, so I am. I wrote a long letter to my sister about the 1991 trip after I got back and I wish I still had the file, but if I do, it's on a floppy disk somewhere and a) I threw out all my floppy disks recently and b) this machine doesn't have a floppy disk drive.

I hope I still have my old passport around somewhere with all the stamps in it. Helps you remember when all this happened.