The Off Topic Topic

[celedhring]

Found the Italian word, it's umarell (it's in Bolognese dialect): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umarell

In Italy it's apparently building sites - and this must be like Christmas and Easter together for them

Check this picture, in some Italian building sites they even place windows in the barriers to allow pensioners to check the work. 

My Italian is limited, but does that sign say "an homage to pensioners, an asset to the neighborhood?" 

[Tamas]

Celed I have found that "middle aged" is often used to call old people old when you don't want to be rude by calling them old.

[Sheilbh]

Celed I have found that "middle aged" is often used to call old people old when you don't want to be rude by calling them old.

I have found my concept of middle aged is in direct relationship with my age

Also my base assumption is humans should live 100 years. So middle aged = around 50

[The Larch]

Found the Italian word, it's umarell (it's in Bolognese dialect): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umarell

In Italy it's apparently building sites - and this must be like Christmas and Easter together for them

Check this picture, in some Italian building sites they even place windows in the barriers to allow pensioners to check the work. 

My Italian is limited, but does that sign say "an homage to pensioners, an asset to the neighborhood?" 

Exactly that. 

[Sheilbh]

Interesting polling on length of journey people are willing to take the train v plane for:


And view on night trains - the Spanish figures are sadly ironic given the absolute vandalism being done to their night train network:


Obvs I love trains and particularly night trains so would be at the max end of this.

From a UK perspective seting aside the night trains which are super-expensive (but I love them) I think the figure is probably around 5 hours too. Trains from London during holiday seasons are packed down to Cornwall or up to Lake District/Glasgow/Edinburgh.

[Maladict]

Obvs I love trains and particularly night trains so would be at the max end of this.

Yeah same. I'm willing to go to great lengths to avoid other forms of transport, unfortunately I don't always get my way.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - it's a bit of a challenge from the UK because outside of the UK it depends on a connection in Paris or Brussels. And I think the relationships with Eurostar and other railways has kind of broken down a bit. You used to be able to get tickets that covered, say, the Deutsche Bahn wing or the train into Italy. Now it just seems to be SNCF and the complication of booking your connection etc is a little bit challenging.

So I have still used Eurostar plus for a few trips but more typically fly somewhere and then use the train.

But it is always disappointing when I go to a country and find out their rail network isn't that good and you should use the buses/coaches (Georgia ) or basically there are only buses or coaches (big chunks of Latin America ).

[Josquius]

I've always wanted to take a night train. Never ran into them though so its always been night coaches for me.

[Maladict]

I've always wanted to take a night train. Never ran into them though so its always been night coaches for me.

I've never been able to sleep on one, so they tend to end up as miserable experiences. And I actually prefer daytime trains, even on long stretches. No point in traveling if you can't see what's happening.

[Sheilbh]

I've always wanted to take a night train. Never ran into them though so its always been night coaches for me.

I've been on a few in Ukraine - Kyiv, Odessa, Lvivi. I'm a big fan of Ukrainian Railways night trains.

Also done the Caledonian Sleeper many times before it got ridiculously expensive and underwhelming (SERCO ) - plus Paris-Berlin (now discontinued ) which made me feel very Kraftwerk

Downside of Ukrainian is there was no on car food, just a samovar on each carriage for tea. And I don't remember any food on Paris-Berlin.

But if you got a cabin on the old Caledonian Sleeper then you used to be able to go to the restaurant carriage which was all tartan decor plus a menu of Scottish classics - venison, haggis, neeps, scallops etc and a whisky bar. It was, I am convinced, the most civilised way to travel in the world. Plus you could order breakfast for the wake-up when you get into Glasgow or Edinburgh.

[DGuller]

I remember taking overnight trains in Ukraine.  It must've been even more fun for an adult, because it's a special social situation.  You're stuck in a car with a bunch of strangers for a day or more, so you get to meet a lot of people and hear a lot of stories over frequent smoke breaks as you pass the time, or invite them to your cabin for vodka and cold cuts.  Of course, as a child, you just enjoy the choo-choo part.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah. As an adult I was made to drink a lot of brandy and vodka - one guy sticks out because he had very strong opinions on Putin that he got across the language barrier

On the first train I hadn't realised there was no food (and wasn't actually that hungry) so I got all of the Ukrainian babushkas in my area offering/forcing bread and cold cuts. It was very nice of everyone.

I had and have no Ukrainian but it was a very social, friendly, fun experience. And it was a useful counter because I think going to Ukraine you can get a sense that people are perhaps a little bit unfriendly, but travelling in Ukraine and it's very different. Same with Georgia where you basically have to share taxis with other tourists (lots of Russians) or get on the mashrutka.

[The Brain]

Overnight train is a nice way to travel to the far north of Sweden.

[Syt]

[Sheilbh]

They're going to blow up the Suez ship