I'm planning my route down for a months visit in July.
alan h's activity
Questions Asked
I logged on this morning to my local webcam, to look at the snow on the ski slopes.
Thu, 01/05/2012 - 04:47
Loved the note about changing the locks!
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 09:20
Mon, 07/25/2011 - 05:21
For many years now I have used the likes of 'mappy', 'via michelin' etc for calculating different routes down to Italy - for us its a part of our holiday, so we don't always want to take the quickest/shortest route down. We prefer to vary the rou
Wed, 06/01/2011 - 09:25
Today I received an email from the Swiss Travel Centre. The relevant portion is;- "The GBP price for a Vignette will increase from 01 June 2011 and we wanted to give you the opportunity to purchase this years’ Vignette before the pric
Mon, 05/23/2011 - 09:45
I've just driven down and back for a [much too] short holiday, and feel that an update on how fuel prices look on the way down would be useful to fellow travellers The following is a good site for seeing what prices have been like Â
Mon, 04/04/2011 - 05:02
P&O have introduced a new ferry on the Dover - Calais route - its called the Spirit of Britain. They seem to have a special offer on at the moment [on this ship only] I've just booked a return crossing [car + 2] for £60 - significantly less th
Sat, 01/29/2011 - 06:08
Does Tomato soup exist in Italy? We were feeling a bit under the weather when we went out to Italy 2 weeks ago. As part of the R&R process, I fancied some soup, and looked around the supermarket. There were lots of different soups, but I rea
Mon, 01/24/2011 - 08:29
The route/timings for next years Giro d'Italia have been posted  My son rang me up to inform me that the route passes about 100m away from
Sat, 11/06/2010 - 07:04
Comments posted
Found this on the web - hope it helps  "If you have a car which is more than 4 years old, at two year intervals you have to pass your 'Revisione'. The cost is about €50 euros. The REVISIONElasts about 30 minutes and the following SHOULD be checked: Documents of the vehicle Registration plates Vehicle Identification Number Brake efficiency Exhaust emissions: Carbon Monoxide (CO); Hydrocarbons (HC) Lighting equipment, stop lamps, reflectors and direction indicators Driver's view of the road: Mirrors Wipers and Washers Windscreen Seat belts Tyres Exhaust system Doors Horn Steering Vehicle structure Presence of spare wheel; warning triangle Lights Brakes Tyres Exhaust emissions Horn" The article went on to say that in practice, often only a cursory check of lights, brakes etc is made  Â
Is there a link to it?
"Only prob I can see with eating on the boat is wanting to go to sleep afterwards (Yes, we have reached that time of life)" So have I!!! - Its a 2 hour crossing so there's time for a meal when you get on [ask the Attendant in charge of the Exec Lounge for an early meal] and an hours 'nap' afterwards Although its a 2 hr crossing, you'll be in the lounge about 20 minutes before you leave the harbour, because of the priority loading, so there's plenty of time for a meal and a nap
"........ Really want something nice that we can park at then walk around town looking for something to eat." As you 'dock' at 7pm [assume its DFDS/Norfolk Line] - the odds are you won't be at an hotel in the area of Namur much before 9.30ish, allowing for offloading etc [have you booked priority loading/unloading? - well worth it] - By the time you've checked in [let them know you'll be checking in late] it could be about 10pm before you start looking to find somewhere to eat. Places will be closing. So it may be wiser to eat at the hotel [again let them know you're wanting to eat late] Dinant is a nice place - much better than Namur [in my opinion], and the Ibis there serves 'light snacks' in the bar if all else fail. Personally, I'd suggest you eat on the boat - the food is pretty good if you avoid the self service areas, and if you do the priority loading and exec lounge you can have a meal served in the lounge - [so grab a window seat], then the worry about a meal later on doesn't rear its ugly head Might pay you to stop a bit earlier - but that will lengthen day 2's travel  Good Luck
Ryanair's website says "Sorry, but we don't operate the route Liverpool - Rimini at the moment" Â There is some hope [possibly]Â -Â ".... at the moment."Â Â Â This could be the critical wording - but who knows?
"I should really get to a language course some time." See if your any of your local colleges/schools do Conversational ½ûÂþÌìÌà as an evening class - that's how we started
  Ram said "The capital gain is due in Italy, therefore paid in Italy, In this case it has nothing to do with the UK, or where you are fiscally resident, as it is not a cross border tax - AFAIK" - ---------- However, this is a quote from the HMRC website, about CGT “Most assets are liable to Capital Gains Tax when you sell or dispose of them. These include shares, property, business assets and personal possessions - whether they're in the UK or overseas. But some assets are exempt – such as your car and, in most cases, your main home.† So you probably are liable if you are a UK taxpayer
Venice can be horrendously expensive - especially so around Easter time. What we did once was stay in Padove, its cheaper [there's a hotel near the station with garage parking for about E75 a night - Hotel Al Cason], and its only 30 minutes by train to Venice The train run into Venice is fantastic, especially the last bit over the causeway, and you leave the station by a sweep of steps that overlooks the Grand Canal. There is a regular train service, so you can dine out in Venice after the tourists have gone home  Just a suggestion, but its worth considering
" ........... if you insist on averaging less than 700km a day when travelling abroad and given a reasonable time to complete this milage perhaps one should choose another mode of transport i.e. Plane or Train. ....." I wasn't aware that anyone was insisting on less than 700km a day, although my personal preference is for about about maximum of 8 hours travelling a day - say 650km including stops. What one needs to recognise is that different people have different travel 'requirements', but nobody is saying that any particular option is right or wrong. And I do also travel to Italy by train and plane as well - horses for courses really
"........ more than 1 overnight stop is having a laugh; ....." I disagree - if you make the journey part of the 'holiday', there's a lot to be said to taking a few days to get to and from Italy. And you don't need another holiday to get over the journey