Or even España 😉
Different language, you wouldn’t say I’m going to Espana.
True, but we do take on words from other languages if we don't have anything suitable in our own.
Which is the case here, isn't it?
. The rest of the EU is hitting a third wave, and we’re …….. not.
Isn’t that thou because the variant we had in the 2nd wave is the one we exported for their 3rd wave. 🙁
Different language, you wouldn’t say I’m going to Espana.
Au contraire it's acceptable to do so if you italicise the words.
But back to foreign holidays? Not this year, only for Alexander's dad.
^ smart arse 🙂
Well played on both points thou.
My advice would be as a non-Irish human, avoid using “Éire” at all. I have no idea why people insist on using it (well...I do...but I’d prefer not to elaborate 😉). Just say “Ireland.” You’re on much safer ground.
Isn’t that thou because the variant we had in the 2nd wave is the one we exported for their 3rd wave. 🙁
Possibly to the extent that that's now the variant that's circulating. I don't think your implication that it's somehow our fault is right though. It's just a sequence of lockdown and waves. We didn't have a propper lockdown in the autumn so it just sort of merged into one big wave over Christmas.
It's a fluid situation, and that's just the virus.
Hollidays? no. If you need to travel then in the EU, ... OK, but as the UK is now a 3rd world country, thanks to brexit you'll have to have a pretty good reason, and documents to back it up.
And don't be too upset if you get deported.
If you have any complaints about this, I'm sure Minister Patell will fill you in on the details 😀
What a bloody ridiculous post.
you might get your 10 days in Benidorm without having to beat the Germans up to put your towel on the lounger closest to the all-inclusive bar.
You’re already too late, 40,000 Germans flew into Mallorca last week. If you’ve been furloughed in the hospitality industry the last 12 months that’s probably music to your ears but for the rest of us unable to visit relatives in the next province and heading into yet another lockdown with the 14 day case rate soaring… it’s a bit salty.
You’re already too late
Dammit, I was looking forward to my not quite a fortnight of off-brand paint stripper vodka and coke surrounded by other peoples screeming kids.
We didn't really learn much did we. Our groups have asked our organiser for any potential options on postponing.
We didn’t really learn much did we.
From the man who could make 2+2 look like a master class in obfuscation and ambiguity? Nope, not much.
I'm in the [un] fortunate position that my trip in late August is all booked and paid for already so it's really an issue of whether the flights etc will be cancelled more than anything else.
As is by then I'd imagine it'll be reasonably straightforward given the time scale of the various waves over the last year but, that being said if I've learned one thing over the preceeding 12 months it's that today is not a reasonable basis from which to extrapolate tomorrow.
The real kicker for me will be if I'm required to isolate at the other end and that will be nothing to do with our lot, on return isn't ideal but I can deal with.
I have 2 weeks in a villa in Majorca booked for late July early August, deposit paid having lost last year's deposit but claimed it back on insurance and with last year's flights rolled to this year. I've just pushed it all out to 2022 while it's all free to do so, saves me stressing about being out of pocket and reading the news 5 times a day for the next 3 months.
I'll keep the time booked off work then can sort something out last minute that's within driving distance be that UK or France depending on what the situation is by then
How did you roll flights over to 2022?
I'm not very savvy with flights etc but it looks like Ryanair will let you change dates for a fee but I couldn't see an option to do it for free.
Ideally I would have liked to change destination too! A September long weekend in the Dolomites instead of a July week in the Pyrenees. The savings from the shorter trip would have offset costs of changing flights.
In fairness Ryanair are generally very flexible, they'd let you put your head out of the window on take-off for a fee otoh they only begrudgingly let you use the loo without one.
My flights were easyjet, they are letting you amend flights for free as long as it's more than 14 days before the flight date.
Yas! I’m on holiday!
Bit of a trauma getting here, our rather old Kuga on original battery decided it would not start after I moved it out the garage to pack the car and put the bike rack/bikes on. That meant pushing it back in, put the battery on charge for 30 mins to get it started, then a deviation to Halfords to get a jump start device just in case.
Usual level of Halfords questionable knowledge about being the correct device for Diesels led to a further delay, me paranoid at the wheel nervous of something going wrong and the topped up tyres giving way with the weight of the Kryton family food and possessions, but eventually we’ve arrive at Center Parcs to find is 33% full, sunny with masses of tables outside the bar.
Should be a good week when I’ve calmed down 🙂
Center Parcs in school holidays- you could have bought a new Kuga for that!
Lol, well luckily rolled over twice discounts and a discount ‘cause the pool isn’t open makes it relatively cheaper. It’s pretty quiet, there’s still plenty of activities for the kids with the woods to play in, and it’s a different view out the window and a break from work.
Well if you get a "pass sanitaire" which means full vaccination or recent PCR test you can holiday in France as of 9/6/2020. 🙂
I think what I wrote on page 23 still stands.
We have just moved our Lake Garda and Italian Alps trip on another 12 months to June 2022. Feel for the guys at the camp site but some how it just doesn't seem right to be going at this moment in time.
They have emailed back saying they will probably be open but understand our concerns.
We cancelled our flights for Portugal in May.. however the organiser has still not decided if the actual trip is going ahead and whether we will or won't get a refund/credit on our actual trip.
We've now booked August in Burgundy in a friends house. We can essentially do this in complete self-isolation if we wanted as it's in the middle of a tiny village with the nearest house being 30+m away from it. However we're still debating whether we do 1-2 days in Morzine within the trip too. But we do have 10 days of a trip planned and i'm struggling to imagine why that won't be viable.
We decided as a group that none of us fancied France at the end of July any more, just not worth the uncertainty and stress.
As luck would have it, Ryanair moved our return flight by more than 5 hours so by their own standards were obliged to offer us a refund 😀
Just need to find an AirBnB somewhere on the West Coast for 6 guys and 12 bikes now (gravel and road, naturally) 😎
We can essentially do this in complete self-isolation
Presuming you also won't need to stop on the journey at all for ferry, food, petrol, toilet etc.
Presuming you also won’t need to stop on the journey at all for ferry, food, petrol, toilet etc
If that's what is needed then yes, quite easily. We're getting the train.
I love the SNCF when all goes to plan and hate it when it doesn't. Arrive Paris Gare du Nord and then Gare de l'Est so no need for a Taxi or Metro. We use FFP2 masks in public transport because the trains are as full as ever. Money in money belts, watch and rings in inside pockets, no easily snatched bags, cheap phone (or don't use it in public). Junior lives between Paris and Berlin and always uses a money belt. I have an easily handed over wallet with a few euros in it.
Edukator - in Paris, seriously?
You make it sound like Beirut. I would happily stroll around Paris or any other French city without any particular precautions.
European train stations (in fact globally) have always been areas with a lot of pickpocket gangs.
European train stations (in fact globally) have always been areas with a lot of pickpocket gangs.
A few years ago now but when visiting a friend in Turin, we were warned about gangs of child pickpockets at Turin and Milan stations. There were certainly a lot of unaccompanied scruffy looking kids begging and hustling
Covid has reduced the crime rate but I expect all the petty criminals to be back in action by the Summer and Gare du Nord in particular.
You can see form the maps the worst areas and Gares du Nord et d l'Est are in the thick of it. Check out French trip advisor for the local apprecation:
Think about it, if you were a petty criminal in Paris where in would you go to find the most naive tourists stepping off a train from their existances in the safe suburbs of northern European towns and cities?
La pire gare au monde
févr. 2018 • En famille
Même en ayant un physique assez impressionnant, je ne me suis jamais autant senti en insécurité que dans cette gare... c’est rempli de pseudo caïd, pickpocket, sdf, racketteur, sdf, drogué, ... c’est bien dommage que ce soit la seule gare de Paris désertée par le tgv... une seule boutique pour y acheter un sandwich avant de prendre le train, aucun garde ni policier ni même militaire... si vous savez éviter cette gare, évitez la...
I'll add:
False taxis that'll want 100e for taking you anywhere, if you take a taxi make sure its got the right light and badge.
The worst exchange rate in town.
Use the toilets on the train before you get off
Just get off the train, walk out and keep walking whatever is going on around you, don't let yourselves be distracted.
This advice might be wasted because you're super street wise but I don't want France to get a bad reputaton and if visitors know how to look after themselves it won't. It's a long time ago but I used to use Gare du Nord a lot, my then girlfriend's mother worked in Relais H, last time I went through it was worse.
I agree with @Edukator. Gare du Nord is a great place for petty crime and quite a sinister area after dark. For 17 years I used to go to Paris every month and walk the 1.5km from GdN to the office/hotel. Luckily it was straight along the Boulevard and not many side streets. Over the years I noticed an increase in the police presence in the evenings but still lots of dodgy people hanging about
Les Halles metro station is infamous for pickpockets too. My Parisian ex-colleague has been robbed there a few times. He told me a story of his pockets being picked, he turned around and there was a 2m tall guy about 150Kg blocking him whilst his small nimble accomplice took his phone and wallet. There was nothing he could do as he didn't want to fight the man mountain. It's notorious even in Paris
Lots of similar stories in Barcelona too
We lived in Barcellona for year without problem but Madame's American colleague spent three days there with her hubby and had one unsuccessful pick-pocket attempt, one failed robbery attempt and one succesful bag snatch.
I don't want to be accused of victim blaming but thieves are opportunists and the simple precautions I posted wil reduce your risk.
The Chinese and particularly Japanese are seen as such easy targets so they're often targetted which traumatises them and has led to a phenomene Known as Paris Syndrome:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome
Edit: international travellers get off planes in Roissy Charles de Gaulle and get on the RER then get off in Gare du Nord or Les Halles.
I used to do that then quickly learnt to get the Roissy bus to Rue Scribe/Opera Garnier.
I then stopped flying and took a train to London then jumped on the EuroStar. It's a much nicer way to travel and you can get some work done rather than standing in queues. Also handy for post-9/11 rules so I could take wine home
We lived in Barcellona for year without problem but Madame’s American colleague spent three days there with her hubby and had one unsuccessful pick-pocket attempt, one failed robbery attempt and one succesful bag snatch.
I had a wallet nicked from an inside jacket breast pocket on the subway ride from the airport before I'd even arrived at Las Ramblas.
To be fair this can happen outside Kings Cross or Manchester Piccadilly
False taxis
I've seen them videos on the internet.
I thought that Paris Syndrome could often be brought on by the sharp end of a Parisian Waiter's tongue. The visitor is expecting high culture and sophistication, but instead gets berated for being slow to order and having poor language skills.
Paris waiters are brilliant. Watched an American fail to ask for raspberries in English/mime. I tried in my best schoolboys french to say "he wants raspberries" the waiter turned to ma and in faultless English said "I know, what would you like?" and then return to the American with a look of gallic confusion.
If you want the full theatrical Parisian waiter experience Chartier restaurant in the 9éme is hilarious. We used to send US colleagues there to experience it at its worse.
The words surly, rude and unhelpful are not remotely adequate to describe their performance. It is all an act though, I think they are out of work actors such is their compelling performance.
and then return to the American with a look of gallic confusion.
German girlfriend and me rocked up at a campsite with a sign indicating German, English and Spanish was spoken in addition to French (many years ago in Brittany). We tried our French which was met with a shrug of the shoulders. We tried English and then German, to be met with indifference. We started to walk away to be met with “hey where are you going” in perfect queen’s English.
The big unanswered question for me - both from govt and journalists, is what happens to a family? Will anybody with kids be unable to get away?
I suspect it’ll be PCR tests for all family members. As long as those seeking a holiday this summer pay for it themselves, rather than the rest of stuck here all year subsidising them, that’s fine with me.
I wasn't paying full attention to BBC news this morning, but it sounded like the EU would allow people with authorised vaccine jabs to cross their borders this summer...
What if this ongoing euopean OxAZ nonsense results in it not being authorised and thereby blocking a lot of eager British, while "further justifying" their paranoid stance on not letting their own population easily get OxAZ jabs?
