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Holidays!
Jul 22, 2024 9:44:52 GMT
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Post by Humph on Jul 22, 2024 9:44:52 GMT
Sounds like you’ll have a lovely time in any event. Enjoy! We’re looking at going back late August/early September-ish
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bpg
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Holidays!
Jul 22, 2024 12:57:36 GMT
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Post by bpg on Jul 22, 2024 12:57:36 GMT
The beach at Viareggio is surprisingly empty for mid-July, perfect. My youngest doesn't do crowds so we elected for a workday at the beach.
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Post by Alanović on Jul 22, 2024 13:33:25 GMT
We were there last year in late May. Very nice, but paying to use the beach loungers and the swimming pools along the front gets very expensive, very quickly. Yes, I know one can sit on the sand and swim in the sea for free. But I'm phobic of open water so need a swimming pool to cool down. Had some quite fierce thunderstorms too, especially on the motorway during our day trip to Florence (which I wouldn't give you tuppence for and would never willingly visit again, because of the swarms of tourists). That was the trip for which we rented a Lynk & Co PHEV wossaname.
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Holidays!
Jul 22, 2024 13:53:44 GMT
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Post by Humph on Jul 22, 2024 13:53:44 GMT
I/we love to swim in the sea. Usually take masks, snorkels and fins with us, but at least some swimming goggles. Always have my diving licence with me too, but I seem to have used that less often in recent years. Happy enough to free dive near the surface. I like to watch the fish, trivially enough. Little pleasures like that are fine now.
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Post by EspadaIII on Jul 22, 2024 13:56:19 GMT
Florence neeeds to be done over several days otherwise the crowds are simply too big. A day trip doesn't do it.
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Post by Alanović on Jul 22, 2024 14:00:22 GMT
I/we love to swim in the sea. Usually take masks, snorkels and fins with us, but at least some swimming goggles. Always have my diving licence with me too, but I seem to have used that less often in recent years. Happy enough to free dive near the surface. I like to watch the fish, trivially enough. Little pleasures like that are fine now. I am also ichthyophobic, so that doesn't help get me in the water either. Mrs and dustbin lids love it though and snorkeled extensively in Australia, whilst I mooched along the beach being advised to stay away from holes which could well be the burrows of eastern browns. They even swam alongside humpbacks, although daughter (10 at the time) wasn't keen and asked to get out straight away.
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Holidays!
Jul 22, 2024 14:04:59 GMT
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Post by Humph on Jul 22, 2024 14:04:59 GMT
Ever tried to figure out where those concerns originated from? Were you for example hit by a violently thrown fish supper while paddling at Largs as a kid? 😉
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Post by Alanović on Jul 22, 2024 14:19:08 GMT
I have no idea. The first incident I can recall was my leaping out into a road in shock as a small child when passing a fishmongers. I don't know if the fear was there already, or if that incident caused the fear. I was almost hit by what must have been a very early model beige Range Rover. Trust me to remember the car involved. I do recall the incident but can't ever know if it was the trigger incident or if the fear pre-existed. Either way I still can't go near a fish, dead or alive, without having a panic reaction. Grateful to this day for the driver's reactions. One of several close calls I had as a small child, shouldn't be here really.
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Holidays!
Jul 22, 2024 14:27:23 GMT
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Post by Humph on Jul 22, 2024 14:27:23 GMT
Blimey! I suppose growing up by the sea (yes even in Scotland) it was always just there. The beach was our playground all year round. Fish was probably on the menu at home more often than meat as a child. It was cheap and readily available with the fresh catches still arriving locally daily. Lot of herring, haddock, cod, crabs, sole, prawns, kippers, smokies etc. Just seemed normal I guess.
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bpg
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Holidays!
Jul 22, 2024 14:32:50 GMT
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Post by bpg on Jul 22, 2024 14:32:50 GMT
We skipped Florence this time, as said, one day isn't enough and none of us like big crowds so mid-July is not the time for it. One for Mrs bpg and myself for the future, off peak.
We went to the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci and spent a few hours in Vinci afterwards which was quite quiet. Last week Pavarotti's house and museum a 10 minute trip from our hotel, well worth it if you're ever in the Modena area.
Pre-booked Pisa for tomorrow, expecting crowds, may be pleasantly surprised. Most tourists we've heard this time have been American and Italian. A few Brits but not many. Bumped into a few Germans mainly from within about a 30 mile radius of where we live.
Edit: love seafood. Growing up in a fishing village it was always just there as per Humph. Played football on the links with sea at the end and a view out to the lighthouse which is a puffin reserve.
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Post by Alanović on Jul 22, 2024 14:42:36 GMT
I think it's just a weird, intrinsic, irrational fear, like so many people have with spiders. I have no idea why anyone would be afraid of a (non-venomous) spider, and yet I often hear screams from all 3 of my immediate family members if they spot one lurking in their rooms. I just go and catch it, and release it through a window. My sister has one about frogs, to the same sort of hysteria level as my fish phobia. I can't say I'm enamoured of frogs, or snakes, or anything amphibious/reptilian, but they don't send me into a panic attack. It's just fish.
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Holidays!
Jul 23, 2024 12:16:46 GMT
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Post by dixinormus on Jul 23, 2024 12:16:46 GMT
Sounds a bit fishy, Al…
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Post by Alanović on Jul 23, 2024 13:50:05 GMT
DFDS live updates website/Twitter account currently asking people to arrive in Dover 2 hours before departure on our departure date. I'll keep an eye on that on the day/night we travel.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jul 23, 2024 14:57:13 GMT
Six minus two is — gulp — four. Three hours to get there. Are you just going to roll off in Dunkirk and drive the rest of the way?
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bpg
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Holidays!
Jul 23, 2024 15:03:54 GMT
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Post by bpg on Jul 23, 2024 15:03:54 GMT
If he's on the 6am ferry, will dock 9-ish CET, on the road 10/10:30 hotels don't usually start check-ins until 2pm gives a good 3½ hours run. Paris might swallow a chunk of that if it can't be avoided.
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