what got you interested in travel?

"Martin" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:19:18 +0100, "nightjar" cpb@insert my surname
here.me.uk wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
. ..
...
I watched a Discovery programme about passages/tunnels that
connected/connect
the Berlin U-bahn with Hitler's bunker. Can you visit them?

You can still use the station, then Kaiserhof, later Thaelmannplatz and
now
Mohrenstrasse. Verien Berliner Unterwelten (no contact details, sorry) do
tours of some of the old underground parts of Germania and the defences of
Berlin, but I don't know if they include the tunnels you mention. I
suspect
that they are seen as part of the Reich Chancellery bunker complex, which
is
kept closed to stop it becoming a shrine to the neo-Nazis.

You might find the book Past Finder - Berlin 1933-1945 of interest. It is
a
modern guidebook to the city of that period and the bits you can still
find
today. The English version (it is also available in German, Russian,
French
and Italian) is ISBN-13 978-3-86153-363-4

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...ts=t&x=44&y=14

£8.75

Thanks Colin. In the Discovery programme they said most of the occupants
of the
bunkers escaped via the tunnel that linked to the U-bahn.

Mind you, of the hundred or so who tried, only a handful actually made it. A
lot died in the fighting and most of the rest were captured by the Russians.

Colin Bignell

Mike wrote:
On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:18:04 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:

(Although the skid of the
U.S.Dollar against the Euro has made me glad my impulse to retire to
Vienna died without being realized, since my limited income is all in
U.S. funds.)

i think if you retire abroad you need some sort of income in local
currency.

Well, it WOULD be, if deposited to a local bank, wouldn't it?
(Converted, of course, from US dollars.)

In article ,
"James Silverton" wrote:

In an aside, does anyone else feel that eating a decent meal in a train
while the scenery passes by the window is one of life's great pleasures?

It is that, isn't it? 8-)

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar)

You can't reason with someone whose first line of argument is
that reason doesn't count. --Isaac Asimov

Erilar's Cave Annex: http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo*

On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:41:17 -0500, erilar wrote:

In an aside, does anyone else feel that eating a decent meal in a train
while the scenery passes by the window is one of life's great pleasures?

It is that, isn't it? 8-)

Yes, if you can find a decent meal on a train.

-- Larry

"Martin" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:25:53 +0100, "nightjar" cpb@insert my surname
here.me.uk wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:19:18 +0100, "nightjar" cpb@insert my surname
here.me.uk wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
m...
...
I watched a Discovery programme about passages/tunnels that
connected/connect
the Berlin U-bahn with Hitler's bunker. Can you visit them?

You can still use the station, then Kaiserhof, later Thaelmannplatz and
now
Mohrenstrasse. Verien Berliner Unterwelten (no contact details, sorry)
do
tours of some of the old underground parts of Germania and the defences
of
Berlin, but I don't know if they include the tunnels you mention. I
suspect
that they are seen as part of the Reich Chancellery bunker complex,
which
is
kept closed to stop it becoming a shrine to the neo-Nazis.

You might find the book Past Finder - Berlin 1933-1945 of interest. It
is
a
modern guidebook to the city of that period and the bits you can still
find
today. The English version (it is also available in German, Russian,
French
and Italian) is ISBN-13 978-3-86153-363-4

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...ts=t&x=44&y=14

£8.75

Thanks Colin. In the Discovery programme they said most of the occupants
of the
bunkers escaped via the tunnel that linked to the U-bahn.

Mind you, of the hundred or so who tried, only a handful actually made it.
A
lot died in the fighting and most of the rest were captured by the
Russians.

The Russians shot the ones who escaped via the tunnel as they tried to
cross a
bridge over the canal.

The escape route lead across the Weidendammer bridge, which was being
shelled by Russian artillery. However, although casualties there were heavy,
not everyone died crossing. Martin Bormann, for example was seen to come
under fire crossing the bridge, but lead a group across a railway bridge
over the Speer much later the same night. His body was eventually spotted
near Lehrter Station, along with that of Hitler's doctor, who was also part
of the escape.

Colin Bignell

In article ,
wrote:

On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:41:17 -0500, erilar
wrote:

In an aside, does anyone else feel that eating a decent meal in a train
while the scenery passes by the window is one of life's great pleasures?

It is that, isn't it? 8-)

Yes, if you can find a decent meal on a train.

Depends on the train 8-)

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar)

You can't reason with someone whose first line of argument is
that reason doesn't count. --Isaac Asimov

Erilar's Cave Annex: http://www.chibardun.net/~erilarlo

In article ,
"nightjar" cpb@insert my surname here.me.uk wrote:

"hackamore" wrote in message
news

Hi,

how did you get "The Travel Bug"?

I don't recall not having it

According to Friends Reunited, I've visited 14% of the countries in the
world so far.

Colin Bignell


International travel seems to be more prominent in the lives of
Europeans than Americans.

It may be that the average annual miles traveled per capita is
comparable but when Europeans take a journey of 500-1000 miles, they've
crossed several borders while Americans may still be in the same state.

You could say international travel indicates a desire to learn about
other cultures but Europeans can be just as crass about checking off the
famous sites or just as demanding that foreigners cater to their customs
as Americans.

Other thing is, Americans who go to Europe may have some sense of
alienation from various aspects of American culture. Conservatives
suspect that Americans who not only travel to other countries but become
ex-pats are American-hating liberals.

In article ,
Erick T. Barkhuis -o-m wrote:

Nowadays, I distinguish between 'travelers' and 'explorers'.
The travelers are the ones that cover thousands and thousands of miles
around the world. The explorers constantly see and experience new
things, that our Earth offers, and meet people with different
backgrounds. Explorers can be travelers, but need not be.

Well the dichotomy used to be between "tourists" and "travelers."

The famous attractions still are jam-packed so most people seem to be
crossing-off a checklist.

Sure there are books or admonitions to go to places off the beaten path
or go to a popular place and find where the locals live or seek out the
quirky attractions at those places.

But the majority seem to take the tried-and-true route.

In article ,
Martin wrote:

Those who need a GPS receiver as an excuse to go for a walk LOL

I bought a GPS expressly for using overseas. And I've planned trips to
places really requiring cars to visit since.


I worked in a place with a woman whose holidays consisted of buying round the
world tickets and never leaving the airport buildings. She's the only one I
could think of that qualifies as a country collector or maybe even she was
only
an airport collector. K&B were more driven by the search for the perfect
spaghetti bolognaise.

Well I don't know about round-the-world-tickets but there are people who
board planes just to collect miles and they often sleep in airports over
a weekend mileage-run

In article ,
"Mike" wrote:

To state the obvious, going to Spain isn't getting a tan or seeing
pictures in the prado, its getting into eating at midnight and getting
the faintest inkling what bullfighting is about.

I'm not into resorts or lounging around the hotel pool but I could see
why people in the UK like seeking out hot weather in Spain.

Is bullfighting in Spain really that less tourist-oriented than the
Prado?