Ummm.........

On 2013-01-10 15:14:57 -0600, Martin said:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:16:10 +0100, Alfred Molon
wrote:

In article . com, Mike
Lane says...
The main problem I have with Italy is the expensive hotels that mostly don't
have twin rooms with separate beds. I know many people like myself who travel
with a friend or relative with whom they don't mind at all sharing a room,
but don't wish to share a bed as well!

The problem with Italy is that while there are many honest people, there
are also many dishonest people.

Oh that, and the dreadful Italian road network that makes driving any
distance a chore rather than a pleasure

We just came back from a two weeks trip to Sicily. We drove around in a
rented car. Driving in Sicily is really crazy, I've never experienced
anything like that.

I found driving in Greece was worse.

How so? The roads, or the drivers? The Italians are crazy drivers but
the Greeks are just NUTS.

ha

--
Dan Stephenson
http://stepheda.com
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

On 2013-01-10 07:08:30 -0600, Martin said:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:56:42 +0000, Mike Lane
wrote:

Martin wrote on Jan 10, 2013:


Pickering to Rosedale to Hutton Le Hole to Castleton via Blakey Ridge
via B roads over the North York Moors


...preferably pausing at theLion - my all-time favourite pub!

Of course!

Is that the place that was snowed in for days last Winter?

My father and I had a pint there.

--
Dan Stephenson
http://stepheda.com
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

What are your favorite Roman sites?
I've never seen any in Italy, but Split is great with none of the
hassles you describe. You can eat at a greasy-spoon restaurant in
what used to be Diocletian's bedroom and go down into the cellars
underneath to see his drainpipes running over your head. Other
historical stuff ranges from an Egyptian statue the Romans imported
as an antiquity to bullet holes from the Yugoslav civil war. And
it's easily accessible by public transport.
I best the whole Dalmation coast would be a great scenic drive, eh?

There is now a motorway all the way down that isn't as scenic but
gives you a better chance of making your destination alive.

You will spend half the journey looking at oncoming traffic with
horrified disbelief and the other half staring at your feet as you
brace for impact. The scenery won't get a look in. Get somebody
else to drive you.

You get the wrecked vehicles left where they fell down the cliffside
in Greece too, but there are a heck of a lot more of them in Croatia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k
Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

In article 2013011118195393317-stephedanospam@maccom, Dan Stephenson
says...
I have been fortunate to drive through Sicily, too. What was so crazy
about it? Just, the winding country roads?

- sicilians like to park in the double row, blocking the traffic
- lady stops the car on the road for a chat with somebody, not caring
about the traffic jam she is creating
- on a road where you have the right of way: cars coming in from the
left and right, from side streets, not caring about your right of way,
forcing you to be extra careful
- narrow road with two lanes, one lane being narrowed further by an
obstacle, you drive, another car enters from the opposite side. There is
no space for two cars, but the other car nevertheless squeezes in and
continues driving, instead of reversing and letting you pass. Precision
millimetre manouvers of your car and the other car to pass by each
other, car mirrors pulled in.
- crazy manouvers by motorbike riders
- cars not respecting the right of way, simply driving into a crossing
or roundabout without looking whether there are other cars
- red traffic light, cars passing anyway
- red traffic light, you stop, cars behind you honking you because you
are stopping in front of a red traffic light
- narrow, very steep roads everywhere

And so on...

It's no surprise that so many cars in Sicily have damaged bodies.

To guy who wrote about India: driving in Sicily is much worse. Try
driving through Palermo (we did - with a minivan).
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - Photos of Asia, Africa and Europe

Jack Campin wrote on Jan 12, 2013:

What are your favorite Roman sites?
I've never seen any in Italy, but Split is great with none of the
hassles you describe. You can eat at a greasy-spoon restaurant in
what used to be Diocletian's bedroom and go down into the cellars
underneath to see his drainpipes running over your head. Other
historical stuff ranges from an Egyptian statue the Romans imported
as an antiquity to bullet holes from the Yugoslav civil war. And
it's easily accessible by public transport.
I best the whole Dalmation coast would be a great scenic drive, eh?

There is now a motorway all the way down that isn't as scenic but
gives you a better chance of making your destination alive.

You will spend half the journey looking at oncoming traffic with
horrified disbelief and the other half staring at your feet as you
brace for impact. The scenery won't get a look in. Get somebody
else to drive you.

You get the wrecked vehicles left where they fell down the cliffside
in Greece too, but there are a heck of a lot more of them in Croatia.


I spent a couple of weeks with a car in Croatia last summer and I didn't find
it all that bad to be honest. I got the impression they're attempting to
control things on the roads now - I saw a number of police patrols about.
They're quite keen to expand their tourism, and too many fatalities on the
roads would probably put a lot of people off!

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

"Mike Lane" wrote in message
dia.com...
Jack Campin wrote on Jan 12, 2013:

What are your favorite Roman sites?
I've never seen any in Italy, but Split is great with none of the
hassles you describe. You can eat at a greasy-spoon restaurant in
what used to be Diocletian's bedroom and go down into the cellars
underneath to see his drainpipes running over your head. Other
historical stuff ranges from an Egyptian statue the Romans imported
as an antiquity to bullet holes from the Yugoslav civil war. And
it's easily accessible by public transport.
I best the whole Dalmation coast would be a great scenic drive, eh?

There is now a motorway all the way down that isn't as scenic but
gives you a better chance of making your destination alive.

You will spend half the journey looking at oncoming traffic with
horrified disbelief and the other half staring at your feet as you
brace for impact. The scenery won't get a look in. Get somebody
else to drive you.

You get the wrecked vehicles left where they fell down the cliffside
in Greece too, but there are a heck of a lot more of them in Croatia.


I spent a couple of weeks with a car in Croatia last summer and I didn't
find
it all that bad to be honest.

It's noticeably worse at the weekend (presumably because the police don't
patrol as much)

I got the impression they're attempting to
control things on the roads now - I saw a number of police patrols about.

So did I, I randomly got stopped by one for no reason at all. But this
didn't stop him from keeping me there for 15 minutes whilst he looked around
my car etc for no understandable reason.

They're quite keen to expand their tourism, and too many fatalities on the
roads would probably put a lot of people off!

And being intimidated by a policeman with a machine gun (yes honestly)
doesn't

tim

On Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:28:05 -0600, Dan Stephenson wrote:

On 2013-01-10 07:08:30 -0600, Martin said:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:56:42 +0000, Mike Lane
wrote:

Martin wrote on Jan 10, 2013:


Pickering to Rosedale to Hutton Le Hole to Castleton via Blakey Ridge
via B roads over the North York Moors


...preferably pausing at theLion - my all-time favourite pub!

Of course!

Is that the place that was snowed in for days last Winter?

My father and I had a pint there.


I used to know a guy who took his camper van up there for their beer
festival.

Nice place...

--
"Hopefully the fair wind will resume, or this may well take all day."

Admiral Collingwood on being becalmed under the guns of six French ships-
of-the-line at Trafalgar

tim..... wrote on Jan 12, 2013:


"Mike Lane" wrote in message
dia.com...
Jack Campin wrote on Jan 12, 2013:

What are your favorite Roman sites?
I've never seen any in Italy, but Split is great with none of the
hassles you describe. You can eat at a greasy-spoon restaurant in
what used to be Diocletian's bedroom and go down into the cellars
underneath to see his drainpipes running over your head. Other
historical stuff ranges from an Egyptian statue the Romans imported
as an antiquity to bullet holes from the Yugoslav civil war. And
it's easily accessible by public transport.
I best the whole Dalmation coast would be a great scenic drive, eh?

There is now a motorway all the way down that isn't as scenic but
gives you a better chance of making your destination alive.

You will spend half the journey looking at oncoming traffic with
horrified disbelief and the other half staring at your feet as you
brace for impact. The scenery won't get a look in. Get somebody
else to drive you.

You get the wrecked vehicles left where they fell down the cliffside
in Greece too, but there are a heck of a lot more of them in Croatia.


I spent a couple of weeks with a car in Croatia last summer and I didn't
find
it all that bad to be honest.

It's noticeably worse at the weekend (presumably because the police don't
patrol as much)

I got the impression they're attempting to
control things on the roads now - I saw a number of police patrols about.

So did I, I randomly got stopped by one for no reason at all. But this
didn't stop him from keeping me there for 15 minutes whilst he looked around
my car etc for no understandable reason.

They're quite keen to expand their tourism, and too many fatalities on the
roads would probably put a lot of people off!

And being intimidated by a policeman with a machine gun (yes honestly)
doesn't

Well, all I can say is that I wasn't stopped, threatened, or intimidated in
any way. Everyone seemed very friendly and welcoming - even the border
police! And as I said the roads seemed quite OK and not particularly
dangerous.

I'm thinking of going again in May - possibly driving down to Dubrovnik and
then spending a few days on an island. We'll see - possibly I was just lucky
the first time.

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

Martin wrote:
On Sat, 12 Jan 2013 00:53:30 +0000, Jack Campin
wrote:
..

You will spend half the journey looking at oncoming traffic with
horrified disbelief and the other half staring at your feet as you
brace for impact. The scenery won't get a look in. Get somebody
else to drive you.

I find that doing that is even worse.

Ah, but then you can close your eyes as you prepare to die, at least!

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

On Friday, January 11, 2013 12:25:38 PM UTC, Jack Campin wrote:
I'm very much more into Rome's history and putting a human interest

story at a site or location makes it come alive for me.

What are your favorite Roman sites?



I've never seen any in Italy, but Split is great with none of the

hassles you describe. You can eat at a greasy-spoon restaurant in

what used to be Diocletian's bedroom and go down into the cellars

underneath to see his drainpipes running over your head. Other

historical stuff ranges from an Egyptian statue the Romans imported

as an antiquity to bullet holes from the Yugoslav civil war. And

it's easily accessible by public transport.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k

Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland

mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

Favourite Roman sites?
I've always felt one of the most impressive is the El Djem coliseum in Tunisia.
The one to watch is Gortyn, the largely unexcavated Roman capital of 'Libya' in Crete.