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Post by Humph on May 27, 2021 13:46:08 GMT
I once ate very well in the restaurant in Saronno that is owned by the the Di Saronno company. By way of a bit of Italianate trivia. ( see what I did there? )
🤓
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 27, 2021 14:18:20 GMT
Sounds delightful but it’s not helping my travel withdrawal. This weekend marks three years since our fabulous Berlin trip, which was just one of the best things I’ve ever done. Hoping it won’t take another three years before I can try to match it.
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Post by EspadaIII on May 27, 2021 17:00:06 GMT
Summer 2018 - we had a great weekend in Berlin. I would really like to go back...
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Post by Humph on May 27, 2021 18:46:36 GMT
Last time I was abroad, if you don't count Ireland a couple of times in between lockdown restrictions, was in December 2019 when I was in China.
Not sure I'm in any great rush to go back there just yet. Or indeed anywhere that involves being on an aeroplane. I'd happily drive into Europe though, if they'd have me.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on May 27, 2021 19:00:46 GMT
Last time I was abroad was February 2020 in Athens. We we also in Napflio but flew back early February from Athens.
It was just kicking off then and little did we know how bad it would get. Youngest went to Rome in February and just got back before flights were grounded.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on May 27, 2021 19:37:18 GMT
I've been abroad for the last 16 years except for the odd week here or there.
I was last in the UK Oct. 2019 and the US in Jan. 2020. Like Humph I'm not in any rush to get back on a plane nor, am I, in any hurry to get back to the UK. We might get a trip to the Alps late summer without having to leave the country. Berlin is still on our to do list. We had planned to go summer 2018, sadly my mother passed and a last minute trip to the UK took its place.
Edit: this post made me sit down and think, of the last 25 years I've been out of the UK for 21 years.
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Post by dixinormus on May 27, 2021 21:16:19 GMT
Haven’t really missed international travel at all these past 15 months, but I would like to be on a plane to UK/EU in June 2022... Too early to say what my chances are!
On domestic flights here every passenger has to wear a mask. Not too arduous but not very comfortable either. Difficult to consume the free cookie and beverages onboard. And everybody is maskless at the airport at either end, so really what’s the point?!
Wouldn’t fancy keeping a mask on my face for the duration of a long haul flight though.
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Post by Humph on May 27, 2021 21:23:19 GMT
To be honest, I had already come to dread long haul flights even before Covid. At one stage in my life they were a regular occurrence in my work calendar. But gradually I began to loath them unless I could persuade someone to fund a ticket to allow me to turn left when boarding. Even then, the whole process just feels like a trial. Nothing more than a means to an end as opposed to anything that might qualify as enjoyable.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2021 7:53:49 GMT
Haven’t really missed international travel at all these past 15 months, but I would like to be on a plane to UK/EU in June 2022... Too early to say what my chances are! On domestic flights here every passenger has to wear a mask. Not too arduous but not very comfortable either. Difficult to consume the free cookie and beverages onboard. And everybody is maskless at the airport at either end, so really what’s the point?! Wouldn’t fancy keeping a mask on my face for the duration of a long haul flight though. I think a mask is more important on the plane than in the terminal because of the enforced close quarters with other people for extended times, and the (thankfully) lack of ventilation. I'm in no hurry to get on a plane either, but if it's allowed this summer I might go to Malta to sort out some passport/citizenship stuff for me and the family, as the London Consulate isn't working fully until at least late '21, and I want to get it all in place before my lad applies for University next year, in case he fancies an EU Uni. Other than that, I'd prefer to drive somewhere this summer. Suppose I could drive to Italy and get a ferry to Malta...but ferry/plane, similar situation in regards to close proximity to other people. None of that in the Eurotunnel Shuttle... |
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 28, 2021 8:24:09 GMT
Ventilation inside airliners is much more efficient than inside most public buildings. Consider the two huge air collectors just outside, which are mostly fanning air past the hot bits of the engines. They provide loads of spare air to heat and ventilate the cabin. Boeing says its cabins typically get a complete change of air every two to three minutes. You don’t get this in the passport queue.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2021 8:45:37 GMT
Interesting. I did not know that. I'd still rather people breathing 12 inches from my face were masked at the moment, though, especially if I was on a plane from Auckland to London.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 28, 2021 9:17:17 GMT
I’d put it the other way round: I’d rather not be on a plane for that long while masks are still a requirement. What Norm said, in fact.
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Post by dixinormus on May 28, 2021 23:10:47 GMT
Even “post-Covid”* I very much doubt that airlines will get as many paying customers again. People around here seem to be directing their discretionary income towards houses, gardens, boats and new cars instead.
*Not at all sure what this actually might be.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Jun 1, 2021 14:05:11 GMT
It’s proving quite a faff to register the new i3 for its London Congestion Charge exemption. Transferring the registration number has clearly confused them; I have approval for a 100% Cleaner Vehicle discount but only until October, when all fossil engines, even the Rex’s little generator, lose their exemption. And nothing I can do online can persuade it that their record is looking at the wrong car.
So I emailed them, and a week later got a reply authorising a new CVD — until 24 October. So I’ve tried again, this time with screenshots of the TFL record and the DVLA Tax Checker results for the new car and the old one under its new number. I’m hoping this will prompt someone to actually check the DVLA record and fix the TfL one.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Jun 1, 2021 14:47:03 GMT
If only there was a unique vehicle identification number that could be used instead of a licence plate that can be bought from any Tom, Dick or Harry (for show purposes only hohoho) on the internet.
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