continental driving
in [UK Drivers]
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From: Bod on 6 Jan 2010 05:27 Rank I Mong wrote: > On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:08:49 +0000, Bod dribbled: > >> Rank I Mong wrote: >>> On Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:16:08 -0800, NM dribbled: >>> >>>> On 5 Jan, 19:43, "Brimstone" <brimst...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: >>>>> I'm thinking about taking myself off on a tour of western Europe a >>>>> bit later in the year, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium etc. >>>>> >>>>> Can anyone point me at useful sources of info regarding driving >>>>> requirements and cheap places to stay? >>>>> >>>>> Any pointers to potential pitfalls would be useful as well. >>>> As you probably know I have spent a large chunk of my life driving to >>>> every country in Europe, The Middle East and North Africa, I could >>>> give you a lot of useful information however as you are known to troll >>>> and the details of your proposed trip are vague I am reluctant to >>>> spout volumes of advice. >>>> >>>> Some bits of general advice, becoming more obvious the further you get >>>> from Dover, >>>> >>>> 1, Learn the phrase "I don't have any money" in as many languages as >>>> you can. >>>> >>>> 2. Carry small denomination notes, if you have to pay out for a bribe >>>> or to get out of trouble you won't get change from a big bill, don't >>>> rely on credit/debit card service being available in spite of the >>>> adverts to the contrary. >>>> >>>> 3. Some places the secondary currency is cigarettes, find out the >>>> preferred brand in the country concerned and make sure you have a >>>> supply. >>>> >>>> 4. Take care to have the correct documents in France, a very expensive >>>> frogmarch (no pun intended) to the ATM could await you if you don't. >>>> >>>> Why not post more detail of your intended trip. >>> Which part of "Western Europe" don't you understand? >>> >>> RIM >> > >> > >> So you class "Western Europe" as a detailed report of his trip then? > > I don't class anything you say as sensible at all. > >> I suggest that you don't know the meaning of "detailed". It was a fair >> question. > > No, it wasn't. > > Brimstone did say "Western Europe", then "France, Spain, Germany, > Belgium" for a start. I'd love to see NM try and bribe a German copper > with cigarettes or small change. His advice was tosh. It might have > worked 40 years ago... > > Here is as good a place to start as any > > http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/index.html > > RIM > > So why didn't you post that helpful site in the first place, rather than mocking the request for more detail? Bod
From: Rank I Mong on 6 Jan 2010 05:42 On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:33:16 +0000, Bod dribbled: > Mortimer wrote: >> "Bod" <bodron57(a)tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message >> news:7qj5pcFsahU1(a)mid.individual.net... >>> So you class "Western Europe" as a detailed report of his trip then? >>> I suggest that you don't know the meaning of "detailed". It was a fair >>> question. >> >> He probably hasn't worked out his detailed itinerary yet ;-) He did >> mention several countries: France, Spain, Germany, Belgium. Legal >> driving requirements will be the same for the whole of each country. He >> asked where to stay - general advice such as "stay in small hotels >> rather than faceless 'chain' hotels" or "B&B in Spain is very good >> value for money" is probably what he was looking for. Maybe he wants to >> know of country-specific rules of the road, such as the one in the >> Netherlands (I know he didn't mention that) where traffic *on* a >> roundabaout has to give way to traffic *joining* a roundabout (opposite >> of UK and America) or the absurd "priority from the right" rule in >> France whereby traffic on a major road may have to give way to traffic >> emerging from a farm track, rather than a blanket "traffic on the major >> road always has priority over traffic on a minor road". Traffic lights >> in many European countries follow the American convention and do not >> have a red-and-amber phase: they go straight from red to green with no >> advance warning. Does France still require cars to have amber >> headlights, either by law or by common practice (ie drivers will >> harrass you if you don't have them, even though there isn't a legal >> requirement)? > > > > > At least you've offered some helpful advice. > > It's just that if someone is asking for more detail and trying to > help, I can't understand a poster just replying with an unhelpful "what > part of Western Europe don't you understand". I don't understand why you post a seemingly never ending stream of drivel. Maybe you can tell us all why you bother posting? I note with interest you've added nothing useful to this thread, whereas I have.. RIM
From: Mortimer on 6 Jan 2010 05:20 "Bod" <bodron57(a)tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message news:7qj5pcFsahU1(a)mid.individual.net... > So you class "Western Europe" as a detailed report of his trip then? > I suggest that you don't know the meaning of "detailed". > It was a fair question. He probably hasn't worked out his detailed itinerary yet ;-) He did mention several countries: France, Spain, Germany, Belgium. Legal driving requirements will be the same for the whole of each country. He asked where to stay - general advice such as "stay in small hotels rather than faceless 'chain' hotels" or "B&B in Spain is very good value for money" is probably what he was looking for. Maybe he wants to know of country-specific rules of the road, such as the one in the Netherlands (I know he didn't mention that) where traffic *on* a roundabaout has to give way to traffic *joining* a roundabout (opposite of UK and America) or the absurd "priority from the right" rule in France whereby traffic on a major road may have to give way to traffic emerging from a farm track, rather than a blanket "traffic on the major road always has priority over traffic on a minor road". Traffic lights in many European countries follow the American convention and do not have a red-and-amber phase: they go straight from red to green with no advance warning. Does France still require cars to have amber headlights, either by law or by common practice (ie drivers will harrass you if you don't have them, even though there isn't a legal requirement)?
From: Rank I Mong on 6 Jan 2010 05:03 On Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:16:08 -0800, NM dribbled: > On 5 Jan, 19:43, "Brimstone" <brimst...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: >> I'm thinking about taking myself off on a tour of western Europe a bit >> later in the year, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium etc. >> >> Can anyone point me at useful sources of info regarding driving >> requirements and cheap places to stay? >> >> Any pointers to potential pitfalls would be useful as well. > > As you probably know I have spent a large chunk of my life driving to > every country in Europe, The Middle East and North Africa, I could give > you a lot of useful information however as you are known to troll and > the details of your proposed trip are vague I am reluctant to spout > volumes of advice. > > Some bits of general advice, becoming more obvious the further you get > from Dover, > > 1, Learn the phrase "I don't have any money" in as many languages as you > can. > > 2. Carry small denomination notes, if you have to pay out for a bribe or > to get out of trouble you won't get change from a big bill, don't rely > on credit/debit card service being available in spite of the adverts to > the contrary. > > 3. Some places the secondary currency is cigarettes, find out the > preferred brand in the country concerned and make sure you have a > supply. > > 4. Take care to have the correct documents in France, a very expensive > frogmarch (no pun intended) to the ATM could await you if you don't. > > Why not post more detail of your intended trip. Which part of "Western Europe" don't you understand? RIM
From: Bod on 6 Jan 2010 05:48
Rank I Mong wrote: > On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:27:30 +0000, Bod dribbled: > >> Rank I Mong wrote: >>> On Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:08:49 +0000, Bod dribbled: >>> >>>> Rank I Mong wrote: >>>>> On Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:16:08 -0800, NM dribbled: >>>>> >>>>>> On 5 Jan, 19:43, "Brimstone" <brimst...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> I'm thinking about taking myself off on a tour of western Europe a >>>>>>> bit later in the year, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium etc. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Can anyone point me at useful sources of info regarding driving >>>>>>> requirements and cheap places to stay? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Any pointers to potential pitfalls would be useful as well. >>>>>> As you probably know I have spent a large chunk of my life driving >>>>>> to every country in Europe, The Middle East and North Africa, I >>>>>> could give you a lot of useful information however as you are known >>>>>> to troll and the details of your proposed trip are vague I am >>>>>> reluctant to spout volumes of advice. >>>>>> >>>>>> Some bits of general advice, becoming more obvious the further you >>>>>> get from Dover, >>>>>> >>>>>> 1, Learn the phrase "I don't have any money" in as many languages as >>>>>> you can. >>>>>> >>>>>> 2. Carry small denomination notes, if you have to pay out for a >>>>>> bribe or to get out of trouble you won't get change from a big bill, >>>>>> don't rely on credit/debit card service being available in spite of >>>>>> the adverts to the contrary. >>>>>> >>>>>> 3. Some places the secondary currency is cigarettes, find out the >>>>>> preferred brand in the country concerned and make sure you have a >>>>>> supply. >>>>>> >>>>>> 4. Take care to have the correct documents in France, a very >>>>>> expensive frogmarch (no pun intended) to the ATM could await you if >>>>>> you don't. >>>>>> >>>>>> Why not post more detail of your intended trip. >>>>> Which part of "Western Europe" don't you understand? >>>>> >>>>> RIM >>>> > >>>> > >>>> So you class "Western Europe" as a detailed report of his trip >>>> then? >>> I don't class anything you say as sensible at all. >>> >>>> I suggest that you don't know the meaning of "detailed". It was a fair >>>> question. >>> No, it wasn't. >>> >>> Brimstone did say "Western Europe", then "France, Spain, Germany, >>> Belgium" for a start. I'd love to see NM try and bribe a German copper >>> with cigarettes or small change. His advice was tosh. It might have >>> worked 40 years ago... >>> >>> Here is as good a place to start as any >>> >>> http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/index.html >>> >>> RIM >>> >>> >> So why didn't you post that helpful site in the first place, rather >> than mocking the request for more detail? > > Why don't you take your own advice? > > RIM > > I have not mocked, you have. Bod |