What is the best country to visit in Europe?

Dave Smith wrote:

As opposed to a quasi government to enrich oil companies?

Does anybody remember when last year the Bush administration
declared that the invasion of Iraq would bring much more stable
gas prices? How ironic!! Don't tell me, we were LIED again...

The only thing it brought was HUGE profits for the oil companies.
But that's what Dubya really wanted, all the rest was BS.

Holden McGroyne wrote:

I am not the fan of a country which lives by only two rules.
One set for themselves, and another for everyone else.

So, you're not a fan of the US, right?

On Fri, 09 Apr 2004 03:01:25 +0000, Paolo Pizzi wrote:

Dave Smith wrote:

As opposed to a quasi government to enrich oil companies?

Does anybody remember when last year the Bush administration
declared that the invasion of Iraq would bring much more stable
gas prices? How ironic!! Don't tell me, we were LIED again...

The only thing it brought was HUGE profits for the oil companies.
But that's what Dubya really wanted, all the rest was BS.

Actually the price of oil *has been pretty stable.* But perhaps not where
W wanted them to be...

"Shawn Hearn" wrote in message
...
In article 407468D3.1437.425049@localhost,
wrote:

In your opinion

Italy.



I have nothing to say. I just thought the thread should be longer.

ST

In article ,
Paolo Pizzi wrote:

Everything I hear suggests that, by and large, Iraqis are
very happy to be rid of Saddam, the current troubles
notwithstanding.

Maybe because everything you hear is censored bull****...

I see. Everything I hear is censored bull****, whereas everything
*you* hear is an objective statement of fact. Just how arrogant can
you guys get?

In article ,
devil wrote:

At the top end, undoubtedly. But for those of us who can't afford to
drink top-notch Burgundy every night, middle-of-the-road French wines
are simply not competitive, dollar for dollar, with the stuff that
comes out of places like Chile, South Africa and California these
days.

I would not include California on that list. I would hesitate to touch
California stuff that's not high end. Which is about as overpriced as the
French stuff.

That's Napa. Fortunately, there are other appellations that have not
yet been hyped up and Parkerized, and are still reasonably priced.
Amador and Calaveras Zinfandels, for example. Although I suppose they
might not be widely available outside California.

Well, not in the $30 range. Can't afford that on an everyday basis, more
lie $10. But one of my everyday choices, besides Nipozzano chianti and
some Chilean, including Santa Rita Medalla Real, includes a fairly decent
Cotes du Rhone from these guys in Ampuis, Guigal, a glass of which I
happen to have here at this very moment.

Guigal is Ok. So is Andre Brunel. But for the same price ($8-10),
you can get a much better bottle of South African pinotage.

The bottom line is that French wine is not something special anymore,
except at the very top end. There is plenty of excellent wine these
days from all parts of the world, a fact which a lot of French producers
seem to have missed. Most of their output is highly variable, much
of it overpriced rotgut, and since I don't carry a wine guide in my
back pocket, it's simpler to grab a bottle from Chile than to take my
chances with a random French wine.

In article 1gbyg78.1gzz9h8zncly2N%this_address_is_for_spam@y ahoo.co.uk,
David Horne wrote:

Well, Cathedrals are a matter of taste. I enjoy the older ones, not
least because you witness the religion that, for good and evil, was
instrumental in shaping the world which most of the developed world now
inhabits.

One cathedral is a breathtaking experience. Three cathedrals is
an amusing study in variation and evolution of architecture and the
religious idea. A vacation consisting of visiting several European
towns, each complete with a cathedral and a few cutesy faux-medieval
streets, is my idea of a cruel and unusual punishment.

As for being close-minded, that's odd. Admittedly, I've only been to
Egypt, but I'm hard-pressed to think of any definition of 'open-minded'
where anywhere in Arica would really trump France. What country does-
seriously?

I didn't mean to compare France with Africa, except as a vacation
destination. The open-mindedness comment was about France vs. the US.
In one of last year's flamewars on the subject, Mxsmanic, of all people,
really put his finger on it. Lessee if I can google it up...

Europeans are cheap. They won't spend money on air conditioning. They
have a low standard of living and don't care. They consider poverty
holy and good, and wealth evil and bad. They consider comfort a
temptation of Satan, and misery a testament to nobility. They consider
success decadent, and the status quo and "knowing one's place" right and
proper. They are their own worst enemies, and they are their own
greatest obstacles to progress and happiness.

I think he is right on the money, especially the ``knowing one's place''
bit. That's what will forever doom Europeans to being second-rate in
everything they do.

I wouldn't want to live anywhere in Africa, that's for sure,
and I wouldn't say that about France. (Well, I'm happy in the UK- I have
no desire to move _to_ France, but you get the point.)

I wouldn't want to live in Africa, either, but I think Africa is a
much more exciting vacation destination than France. I guess when
I travel for pleasure, as opposed to business, I prefer experiences
that are very different from my everyday life. It boggles the mind
that some people would fly all the way from California to France for
a vacation, when they got Mexico next door - a much more interesting
and exotic country than France.

On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 00:49:23 +0100,
(David Horne) wrote:

Vitaly Shmatikov wrote:

For the past few years, I've been traveling to France on business 2-3
times per year, not counting an occasional vacation, and I am happy
to report that the food situation seems to be improving. I had most
excellent North African food in Marseille, and even started seeing
some halfway decent Asian eateries in Paris, but the provinces are
as dismal as ever - gloppy sauces on everything, overpriced plonk and
all the landscape variety of Central Russia.

Yet you deign to find time in your jet-set schedule to fit in the
"occasional vacation." FAScinating.

David

If he has ever been to France, he is clearly one of those that stays
in and eats in a dreary Holiday Inn so the room and food is identical
whatever country he is in.
--==++AJC++==--

On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 02:11:20 +0100,
(David Horne) wrote:

AJC wrote:

Oh,you can keep your *** restaurants. Eating out in France is often at
its best in unprepossesing restaurants in the most unlikely places.

On recent visits (or is that 'occasional' visits?) I've actually been
quite impressed with some of the 'French' restaurants run by immigrants-
Algerians, Morrocans etc. I say this only because in the 80s and even
most of the 90s, they seemed to me to be a cheap alternative, but
weren't very good. (For residents, preferably those of you used to
mid-lower priced establishments, does this ring true, or is it just the
opinion of a visitor?) This is purely unscientific, mind you- just my
impression. I think another problem is that most of my visits in the 90s
to France were with a US pricing perspective. Now I live in the UK,
everything in France seems like excellent value!

David

Yes, if you live in the UK everything everywhere else in Europe is
going to be good value!
--==++AJC++==--

Super Taint wrote:
"Shawn Hearn" wrote in message
...

In article 407468D3.1437.425049@localhost,
wrote:


In your opinion

Italy.




I have nothing to say. I just thought the thread should be longer.

ST



I've got nothing to say either, but i can help make the thread get
longer :-)

Nils

Italy is great, but I like Belgium cuisine better.