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As the debate on Scottish-Scots-Scotch fades this is just a note to say that I enjoyed your and Jeff's posts. Of course I deliberately used an unusual word to provoke a response and this turned out more interesting than I anticipated. One of the things I most enjoy about the forum is the way a thread can develop a life of its own independent of the original post.
I have sent a similar PM to Jeff.
Cheers
David
Oh sorry I haven't answered, came back from Bulgaria this morning!

I honestly don't think it will be worthwile getting a Interrail card if you're only doing Eastern Europe - I think you're better off buying single fares. For example, Budapest - Belgrade was about £15 when I was there a month ago. Also, keep in mind that buses are usually more popular than trains and departures much more frequent.

Best advice I can give you really is to stay a couple of days more in the same country rather than rushing on to the next one - when I did it I felt a bit like all cities were the same as I didn't really have time to explore them. Your schedule looks a bit tight if you're only going for two weeks.

Any more questions just ask.
Thanks so much for the message. It's very kind of you to recall my intention and to send me this.

I won't be going this year - due to funds mostly - but it is definitely a place I would love to go and I will bear your advice in mind when I do.
Hello,
Your Roman holiday is coming nearer. I remember recommending St John in Lateran but would understand if you disregarded the advice for more famous sights like the Castel San Angelo or the Pantheon. So I thought I would explain why it is so wonderful.
Christianity was made legal in 313 and the Emperor Constantine ordered a church to be built that would rival the Temple of Jupiter in the Forum (since destroyed by Christians). The result was the huge church of St John in Lateran completed in 324 which was for 1200 years the greatest church in the world. (The present day St Peters only dates from the 16th-17th century.)
The usual trips out of Rome are either to Castel Gandolfo & Francati or to Tivoli. Tivoli is easily the better though you should know the incredible and fun gardens there close at 5.30 and you need plenty of time for them.
The best reasonably price restaurant I have come across in the centre of Rome is Mangrovia on the Via Milazzo. You will find plenty about it on the web.
Buona viaggio
David Gwilliam
Hi,

Me and 2 mates are planning on going inter railing around Europe in August for 2 weeks and just wondered if you had any 'helpful' tips and hints?! as nottingham fox said you did this last year?

Where are good cities to visit? Anyone know any cheap hostels etc etc.

We've been to Amsterdam and Prague before so will probably avoid those and get as far East as possible. Rough plan is getting dropped off in Calais, head to Germany then onto Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and maybe onto Bulgaria but that might be too far? Then back through Croatia, Slovenia, Northern Italy and France.

Any advice is welcome!

Cheers
Consty, I won't be able to produce a list until this evening.
Commit yourself to what the other chap wants and then I'll see what I need over what's available.
have you got that list of stickers?
sorry to hurry you, but I'm making a deal with someone else by post too and have to commit to telling him which stickers to swap.
Hello Macky,
I have enjoyed our recent "sparring". There was a danger that my reply to your most recent list of points could go on forever. I thought I would give a private reply to the comment about preparing to invade Iraq before 9-11.

My Republican sources are very unrepresentative being confined to two families who were very active in Nevada (though not important) in the 1990s but are now elderly were still active at the time of 9-11.

When Bush came to power they were both very isolationist and would not have favoured losing American lives in foreign wars. The 9-11 attacks changed all that and they wanted to "sort out the whole Arab mess" and to put it crudely they would have been furious with any American President who had not got revenge. I am aware that the neo-cons in the government had always believed that it was necessary to create at least one "American style democracy" among the Arab states. I genuinely feared a second attack on Syria. However, I do feel Bush attitude before 9-11 was for less expenditure and tax cuts. Even from Democrats I got the feeling that the President was expected to take dramatic military measures after 9-11.

I try to be tactful because I want genuine opinion not toned down for some "liberal Englishman" but apart from defending "socialized medicine" I have made the point that Iraq had made it more difficult for the British parliament to suopport any further American military action. I have also strongly said that I do not believe any British or Australian government will risk a soldier's life on the judgement of a future President Palin.
Of course my samples are so small and unrepresentative that they can lead to errors one of my Republican sources (who are not racist) told me it would be at least twenty years before America had a black President. This was echoed by a black Democrat activist in her early fifties from Georgia who told me that there would never be a black President in her lifetime. This led me to tell my niece in 2007 "Obama no chance in hell. It will be Hillary versus McCain". A blunder of which I am regularly reminded.
Hi,

Do you still have a spare ticket going for tomorrow's game? I live in Reading at the moment but could meet you in London tonight to get the ticket. I'm willing to pay up to £40 for a ticket.

I wouldn't be able to meet you tomorrow as i'm gonna finish work at 5.30 and so couldn't gaurantee that I would make it to the ground before kick off.

Please let me know anyway, thanks
Hello to all ,first post so go steady on me, i think one of the reasons they are not selling fast is because you cant buy anymore than 2 tickets, i need 3 and we travel down from derbyshire, its silly i think when they are on general sale..
Y'know when Thom Yorke sings 'rain down' at the end of Paranoid Android, don't you think it sounds he singing, 'Wayne Brown, Wayne Brown, c'mon Wayne Brown on me.....'

Just a thought.
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