The Off Topic Topic

[celedhring]

That is a pity in a way; the old gauge permits more spacious rolling stock. I used the system a lot on a prolonged visit to Spain in 1980, there were trains back then with delightfully spacious compartments and netted luggage racks that could also serve as hammocks when I needed to rest 

EU bureaucrats will have to pry our spacious trains from our cold, dead hands

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_gauge#Spain

[Richard Hakluyt]

When campervanning around Normandy a few years ago we came upon brits. Nice we thought, we can talk to those and perhaps have some friendly encounters.

Well, apparently brits are insular and unfriendly and any contact attempt was shot down quickly and efficiently.

I wonder who they were? I'm surprised they were unfriendly; a more usual interaction would involve initial reserve followed by best-of-friends semi-accidental booze-up 

[celedhring]

My experience with brits has been significantly more positive when interacting with people still living there than with expats. 

[Threviel]

Well, being reserved and rather shy Swedes is perhaps not the best way to make friends. It was probably us that behaved strange.

In Normandy there were brits everywhere. My favourite was the family that came with a camper and two or three LCVs full of stuff, including a washing machine and a dry tumbler.

[Duque de Bragança]

That is a pity in a way; the old gauge permits more spacious rolling stock. I used the system a lot on a prolonged visit to Spain in 1980, there were trains back then with delightfully spacious compartments and netted luggage racks that could also serve as hammocks when I needed to rest 

The real problem is for freight trains though; passenger trains with variable gauge axles have been in use for quite a while now.

[Sheilbh]

When Breakfast TV interviews go wrong:
https://twitter.com/scottygb/status/1347496068532084743?s=20

Helped because I love Alison Hammond (her Blade Runner 2049 interview was outstanding) and Graham Norton.

[Josquius]

That is a pity in a way; the old gauge permits more spacious rolling stock. I used the system a lot on a prolonged visit to Spain in 1980, there were trains back then with delightfully spacious compartments and netted luggage racks that could also serve as hammocks when I needed to rest 

I really like the very broad gauge trains you get in Eastern Europe too - travelled round bits of Ukraine on train a couple of years ago and they were very spacious

Famously Brunel invented broad gauge after rigorous scientific study found it was the optimum and started building railways in the south to these standards.
Parliament noticed after a while that it might be a problem to have incompatible southern and northern railways when they eventually met.
Since the north already had a huge network based off the standard gauge of coal mines they went with that one.

Its funny though that more countries who were slower to build their railways didn't go with broad gauge...
But then I guess there's the added cost factor to consider. With e.g. Japan they want the opposite way and into even tinier gauge.

PS: Brits are infamous for not learning the language in places like Algarve or Madeira. For some reason, in France the pressure to learn the language is stronger.

Also class. The Brits in France are more likely to be upper middle-class and take great pride in (showing off) how local they've become, want to learn the language etc (and have the resources to do it more effectively).

This is true.
Related there's also the factor of why they chose those countries.
Brits in Spain- its hot innit. Like Britain but hot=optimum.
Brits in France- the culture is a big part of it. France has cachet.

[Razgovory]

I've played quite a bit of HOI4 with some of the alternate history mods and I've decided to write my own alternate history.  Imagine a world where Em-men-dur-ana succeeded Em-men-lu-ana rather than Em-men-gur-ana.  Obviously this causes the Byzantine empire to survive to the modern day.  Also they have spaceships.  And magic.  Riveting stuff!

[Duque de Bragança]

PS: Brits are infamous for not learning the language in places like Algarve or Madeira. For some reason, in France the pressure to learn the language is stronger.

Also class. The Brits in France are more likely to be upper middle-class and take great pride in (showing off) how local they've become, want to learn the language etc (and have the resources to do it more effectively).

This is true.
Related there's also the factor of why they chose those countries.
Brits in Spain- its hot innit. Like Britain but hot=optimum.
Brits in France- the culture is a big part of it. France has cachet.

Not entirely convinced by the class argument. Property in Algarve and Madeira is not affordable for chavs. Perceived culture maybe.
Not to mention Brits in France don't buy in the most expensive regions in France and sometimes end up in hinterland and no so hot regions (as in rainy) such as Normandy and Brittany.

OTOH, ignoring totally a language does not do wonders to appreciate the culture, kind of egg and chicken argument I know.

[Sheilbh]

Not entirely convinced by the class argument. Property in Algarve and Madeira is not affordable for chavs. Perceived culture maybe.
Not to mention Brits in France don't buy in the most expensive regions in France and sometimes end up in hinterland and no so hot regions (as in rainy) such as Normandy and Brittany.

Totally based on stereotypes and all of these are retirees plus class doesn't necessarily equal wealth:
Spain = working class.
Portugal = middle-middle class (Victor Meldrew, golf).
France = upper-middle class looking for an affordable alternative to a second home in, say, Cornwall or the Lake District (John Lewis, Le Creuset, country walks).

[Duque de Bragança]

From Lord Byron (Sintra = Glorious Eden) to Victor Meldrew. How the mighty have fallen.

[Sheilbh]

From Lord Byron (Sintra = Glorious Eden) to Victor Meldrew. How the mighty have fallen.

I may just have that association because whenever they did a holiday special it was One Foot in the Algarve

[Syt]

Austrian labor minister Aschbacher is under criticism. It looks like in her bachelor's paper and and her doctorate's paper she, uhm, "failed to mark quotes as such" (i.e. plagiarized).

What makes it embarrassing is that sections of the paper read as if translated by a really bad translation software into German, or by someone who fails to grasp basic German syntax.

[Josquius]

Totally based on stereotypes and all of these are retirees plus class doesn't necessarily equal wealth:
Spain = working class.
Portugal = middle-middle class (Victor Meldrew, golf).
France = upper-middle class looking for an affordable alternative to a second home in, say, Cornwall or the Lake District (John Lewis, Le Creuset, country walks).

hmm, ish.
I would note you do get working class people in France too, though they tend to be those who have pretensions of being middle class or at the least had professional careers despite the working class background.

PS: Brits are infamous for not learning the language in places like Algarve or Madeira. For some reason, in France the pressure to learn the language is stronger.

Also class. The Brits in France are more likely to be upper middle-class and take great pride in (showing off) how local they've become, want to learn the language etc (and have the resources to do it more effectively).

This is true.
Related there's also the factor of why they chose those countries.
Brits in Spain- its hot innit. Like Britain but hot=optimum.
Brits in France- the culture is a big part of it. France has cachet.

Not entirely convinced by the class argument. Property in Algarve and Madeira is not affordable for chavs. Perceived culture maybe.
Not to mention Brits in France don't buy in the most expensive regions in France and sometimes end up in hinterland and no so hot regions (as in rainy) such as Normandy and Brittany.

OTOH, ignoring totally a language does not do wonders to appreciate the culture, kind of egg and chicken argument I know.

Class has very little to do with wealth, especially these days when plumbers easily earn more than librarians and some of the widely regarded shittiest jobs going (e.g. call centres) are middle class.
Its not the charvas off the council estate buying property in Spain. Its older working class people who worked hard/got lucky/found a way to hack the system over the decades.

Normandy is pretty warm and comfortable by our standards. If Brittany is ought like Cornwall I expect it to to be tropical :p

[Sheilbh]

Normandy is pretty warm and comfortable by our standards. If Brittany is ought like Cornwall I expect it to to be tropical :p

The most North-Eastern thing you've ever said

In fairness if I had the money for a holiday home it'd be on the north coast of Spain (middle class)