Nice

Question:

True that, Sue.  True that.

There are some people who never have anything valuable to say, especially the trolls.  I use my kill filter, it cuts out the flotsam & jetsam.   I had a hard time getting Dennis P. Harris in my kill filter, after the 3rd time it worked.  Anybody else have that problem?   Becca  <—–kill filters rule! Norwegian Dawn http://www.cruisemaster.com/dawn.htm Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody notice how nice it’s been around here lately?  No personal attacks, flame wars, accusations, hurt feelings, snideness or rudeness, or attitudes. Just happy folks talking about cruising.  This is what RTC is all about, no? Guess you haven’t read all the posts, Skip! ;-) He probably has a very large kill file(grin).

True that, Sue.  True that.

Response:

I think you are right! I see what’s going on in various NGs, and for the most part the people here actually talk about the NG topic! A novel concept these days … http://www.walkvancouver.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody notice how nice it’s been around here lately?  No personal attacks, flame wars, accusations, hurt feelings, snideness or rudeness, or attitudes. Just happy folks talking about cruising.  This is what RTC is all about, no?

Response:

Anybody notice how nice it’s been around here lately?  No personal attacks, flame wars, accusations, hurt feelings, snideness or rudeness, or attitudes. Just happy folks talking about cruising.  This is what RTC is all about, no?

Response:

Anybody notice how nice it’s been around here lately?  No personal attacks, flame wars, accusations, hurt feelings, snideness or rudeness, or attitudes. Just happy folks talking about cruising.  This is what RTC is all about,

no? Guess you haven’t read all the posts, Skip! ;-) –Jean

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anybody notice how nice it’s been around here lately?  No personal attacks, flame wars, accusations, hurt feelings, snideness or rudeness, or attitudes. Just happy folks talking about cruising.  This is what RTC is all about, no? Guess you haven’t read all the posts, Skip! ;-)

He probably has a very large kill file(grin). sue

Response:

I expect to take the airport shuttle into Nice. Could you recommend a friendly B&B within walking distance, with a 4-year old child in tow? Budget: FF300/double/night. The last time I visited Nice, we stayed in a nice place straight up from the coach stop in front of the main beach heading towards the train station. Can’t remember the name, tho. We expect to visit the towns along the railway line from Nice. Is there a special unlimited day-ticket available to visit Monte Carlo & Cannes?

Yes, it is called a "Carte Isabelle", good  for unlimited travel on the line that runs from Menton to Marseilles along the coast.  It is only good for one day, you must purchase at a station that has a ticket window if not for use on the actual day of purchase.  I’m going to hedge a little here….the "Carte Isabelle" was available as of last July – but things do change.  Just ask for it by name from the ticket seller at the Nice station. BobP – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Finally, would you recommend Nice or Monaco for B&Bs?

Response:

bonjour check on http://www.nicetourism.com you have choice of hotels + on line booking facilitities thanks michel PacificNet a *crit : I expect to take the airport shuttle into Nice. Could you recommend a friendly B&B within walking distance, with a 4-year old child in tow? Budget: FF300/double/night. The last time I visited Nice, we stayed in a nice place straight up from the coach stop in front of the main beach heading towards the train station. Can’t remember the name, tho. We expect to visit the towns along the railway line from Nice. Is there a special unlimited day-ticket available to visit Monte Carlo & Cannes? Finally, would you recommend Nice or Monaco for B&Bs?

– Le Splendid est un hotel 4* de tradition aux conforts modernes: television par satellite, prises modem, salles de conferences, etc The Splendid is an exclusive 4* boutique hotel with modern amenities: modem plugs, satellite tv, conference facilities, internet access etc      http://www.splendid-nice.com Le Gounod est un 3* de charme, avec parking, climatisation, etc The Gounod is a charming 3 stars property with parking, air conditioning, etc      http://www.gounod-nice.com webcam:http://www.nicetourism.com/FR/html/voir/webcam/webcam.html En plein centre ville et

TRavel from AMS to Florence

Question:

I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price. ANyone know of a place I can get tix cheaper than the eurorail site? THANKS, Bob

Response:

I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price. ANyone know of a place I can get tix cheaper than the eurorail site?

Buying a ticket at the airport train station in Amsterdam would be cheaper than the Eurail site. Easier too. Or you could take a bus (e.g., www.eurolines.nl). Or fly (www.aerfares.net). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu Latest addition: 80 photos from Guatemala

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price. ANyone know of a place I can get tix cheaper than the eurorail site? Buying a ticket at the airport train station in Amsterdam would be cheaper than the Eurail site. Easier too. Or you could take a bus (e.g., www.eurolines.nl). Or fly (www.aerfares.net). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu Latest addition: 80 photos from Guatemala

My suggestion – one out of many – take EasyJet from Amsterdam to Nice and then continue by train from Nice via Genoa and Pisa to Florence. Italian rail fares are much cheaper than in North European countries. Cheers, Richard H. -Posted by Ozum (http://ozinsight.com/) -All-in-one yEnc newsreader, scanner and freeware autoposter.

Response:

I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price.

Look into the KLM special fares city to city.  The international train is very likely to be more expensive.  Bus (coach) fares will be cheaper and take longer, but it is likely you won’t find a direct line.

Response:

Look into the KLM special fares city to city.  The international train is very likely to be more expensive.  Bus (coach) fares will be cheaper and take longer, but it is likely you won’t find a direct line.

I’ll second that.  AMS-Florence is a hell of a schlep by train – 18 hours or so.  There are direct trains from Paris Bercy (Amsterdam to Paris is reasonably straightforward, either direct on the Thalys or regular train to Brussels and Thalys from there).  Meridiana (www.meridiana.it/english) offer fares from EUR18 (USD18) plus tax from AMS to FLR.  Worth checking their website for your dates. Peter

Response:

I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price. ANyone know of a place I can get tix cheaper than the eurorail site? THANKS, Bob

Response:

I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price. ANyone know of a place I can get tix cheaper than the eurorail site?

Buying a ticket at the airport train station in Amsterdam would be cheaper than the Eurail site. Easier too. Or you could take a bus (e.g., www.eurolines.nl). Or fly (www.aerfares.net). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu Latest addition: 80 photos from Guatemala

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price. ANyone know of a place I can get tix cheaper than the eurorail site? Buying a ticket at the airport train station in Amsterdam would be cheaper than the Eurail site. Easier too. Or you could take a bus (e.g., www.eurolines.nl). Or fly (www.aerfares.net). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu Latest addition: 80 photos from Guatemala

My suggestion – one out of many – take EasyJet from Amsterdam to Nice and then continue by train from Nice via Genoa and Pisa to Florence. Italian rail fares are much cheaper than in North European countries. Cheers, Richard H. -Posted by Ozum (http://ozinsight.com/) -All-in-one yEnc newsreader, scanner and freeware autoposter.

Response:

I bought a cheap ticket from Charlotte to Amsterdam; however, once in Europe, I need to get to Florence. What’s the cheapest way to get there? I don’t feel I need a railpass, although for students they’re not too bad in price.

Look into the KLM special fares city to city.  The international train is very likely to be more expensive.  Bus (coach) fares will be cheaper and take longer, but it is likely you won’t find a direct line.

Response:

Look into the KLM special fares city to city.  The international train is very likely to be more expensive.  Bus (coach) fares will be cheaper and take longer, but it is likely you won’t find a direct line.

I’ll second that.  AMS-Florence is a hell of a schlep by train – 18 hours or so.  There are direct trains from Paris Bercy (Amsterdam to Paris is reasonably straightforward, either direct on the Thalys or regular train to Brussels and Thalys from there).  Meridiana (www.meridiana.it/english) offer fares from EUR18 (USD18) plus tax from AMS to FLR.  Worth checking their website for your dates. Peter

Response:

Garuda Business Class

Question:

Any comments on Garuda Business Class from Australia to Europe? I am considering them for a short-notice trip to Amsterdam. — Remove the x y z for reply, please. Damon Kelly

Also consider Emirates – they’re pricing is quite aggressive, as is Malaysia to Europe. les

Response:

Any comments on Garuda Business Class from Australia to Europe? I am considering them for a short-notice trip to Amsterdam. — Remove the x y z for reply, please. Damon Kelly

Response:

Any comments on Garuda Business Class from Australia to Europe? I am considering them for a short-notice trip to Amsterdam. — Remove the x y z for reply, please. Damon Kelly

Last November I flew Garuda Business class Amsterdam-Australia return, 7 flights in total, and I was very pleased with them. Their fares tend to be lower than other airlines on the route, and the service levels are maybe a little lower too, but certainly worth the money. Between Australia and Asia they operate new 330s in 2 classes, Business and Economy. Business is arranged 2-2-2 across the cabin. Comfortable seats and reasonable space. Asia-Europe they operate 744s in 3 classes, Business, Premium Economy and regular Economy. On these flights Business Class is in the nose of the 747 with superb electronically operated seats with more legroom than you could need. Their premium economy is also quite acceptable for a lower fare. All aircraft were spotless, all crew members were friendly, helpful, and efficient, and Garuda have an excellent punctuality record. One downside (for some people) is that they do have smoking sections on the Asia-Europe flights. In Business Class this is just the last row (of 4) so if that bothers you book a seat at the front if possible. I certainly recommend them, I would happily use them again, and probably will! If you want any more details just ask. –==++AJC++==–

Response:

Discount air Istanbul-> Germany (one way)

Question:

Hi- Im looking for help with summertime discount prices on air from Istanbul back to Germany, (one-way)… preferably Berlin, but Frankfurt would do as well. My choices seem to be Turkish Air, Czech Air and Azerbaijan Airlines but the cheapest fare is over $400 one way back to Berlin… but flights.com does not have detail flight info on the latter two and Turkish Air site will only display business class and only 3 months out ($700)… so I dont give much value to that $400 either. Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Thanx. jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 — Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ?

Try telephoning the student travel (Travel CUTS, STA Travel, etc. – Council Travel if you’re desperate) agency affiliates on the ground in Turkey. They’ll speak English, are quite reliable, and will know about the various options better than anyone out of the country. They are able to sell non-student tickets. When in Turkey we were able to buy cheap last-minute one-ways from these places with ease. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Try telephoning the student travel (Travel CUTS, STA Travel, etc. – Council Travel if you’re desperate) agency affiliates on the ground in Turkey. They’ll speak English, are quite reliable, and will know about the various options better than anyone out of the country. They are able to sell non-student tickets. When in Turkey we were able to buy cheap last-minute one-ways from these places with ease.

My biggest concern is that this is in August and while I have 6 days in IST, I have only given an overnight back in germany to catch a trans-Atlantic flight that is date fixed. The fares you were seeing were on scheduled flights or charters (that I cant search for) ? Did they also have cheap fares to Ephesus… on the Turkish air site its just over $200 return, not bad I guess really. thanx jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 miguel

– Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Try telephoning the student travel (Travel CUTS, STA Travel, etc. – Council Travel if you’re desperate) agency affiliates on the ground in Turkey. They’ll speak English, are quite reliable, and will know about the various options better than anyone out of the country. They are able to sell non-student tickets. When in Turkey we were able to buy cheap last-minute one-ways from these places with ease. My biggest concern is that this is in August and while I have 6 days in IST, I have only given an overnight back in germany to catch a trans-Atlantic flight that is date fixed. The fares you were seeing were on scheduled flights or charters (that I cant search for) ? Did they also have cheap fares to Ephesus… on the Turkish air site its just over $200 return, not bad I guess really.

I think you are asking a lot if you expect to book a ‘legal’ ticket from outside Turkey for this – realistically, the way you’ll travel for that kind of money is by buying a Sat night throw away locally (which will almost always be cheaper than one way). As an alternative to those the above, try Malev in Istanbul, who can be cheap for connections. Dont mention the ‘throw away’ bit, obviously, which I can’t condone or recommend and wouldn’t do myself etc etc Address: Elmadag Cumhuriyet Caddesi 141-147, Umac apt. Tel: (+90)(212)232 4839 Fax: (+90)(212) 230 2034

Response:

Try telephoning the student travel (Travel CUTS, STA Travel, etc. – Council Travel if you’re desperate) agency affiliates on the ground in Turkey. They’ll speak English, are quite reliable, and will know about the various options better than anyone out of the country. They are able to sell non-student tickets. When in Turkey we were able to buy cheap last-minute one-ways from these places with ease. My biggest concern is that this is in August and while I have 6 days in IST, I have only given an overnight back in germany to catch a trans-Atlantic flight that is date fixed.

By all means call them now (well, in about 10 hours). It costs 24 cents/minute to call Turkey with 1016868, so it won’t break the bank. The fares you were seeing were on scheduled flights or charters (that I cant search for) ?

We flew regular flights on Turk Hava Yollari or whatever Turkish Airways is called domestically. Did they also have cheap fares to Ephesus… on the Turkish air site its just over $200 return, not bad I guess really.

The most we paid was about $70 from Adana to Istanbul on the way back from Syria. That’s about 450 miles so if it’s any benchmark (I have no idea how fares are structured) you shouldn’t expect to be paying all that much. We took an overnight bus from Istanbul to Selcuk so don’t know about the fares for that. Also, we were there a couple years ago, so things may be different now. But it’s definitely worth making the phone call. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

Try telephoning the student travel (Travel CUTS, STA Travel, etc. – Council Travel if you’re desperate) agency affiliates on the ground in Turkey. They’ll speak English, are quite reliable, and will know about the various options better than anyone out of the country. They are able to sell non-student tickets. When in Turkey we were able to buy cheap last-minute one-ways from these places with ease. My biggest concern is that this is in August and while I have 6 days in IST, I have only given an overnight back in germany to catch a trans-Atlantic flight that is date fixed. By all means call them now (well, in about 10 hours). It costs 24 cents/minute to call Turkey with 1016868, so it won’t break the bank.

Thanx for this reference… I went to their site… are there really no hidden charges… is it telephony or ISP, ie. quality ? My traveling mate is a student and is currently in Germany, I directed him tho the specific STA site in Germany to make inquiries (as were returning to Germany) but there is no STA site for Turkey, so I’m not sure how I can get a local IST,STA Affiliate phone number… jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 — Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi- Im looking for help with summertime discount prices on air from Istanbul back to Germany, (one-way)… preferably Berlin, but Frankfurt would do as well. My choices seem to be Turkish Air, Czech Air and Azerbaijan Airlines but the cheapest fare is over $400 one way back to Berlin… but flights.com does not have detail flight info on the latter two and Turkish Air site will only display business class and only 3 months out ($700)… so I dont give much value to that $400 either. Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Thanx. jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002

There are always a lot of charters between Turkey and Germany (where most Turkish people outside of Turkey live). Take a look at www.oegertours.de a touroperator on the German market, founded by a Turk and specialized on Turkey. If you are in Berlin prior to your trip to Turkey, you can easily find a ticket to IST for about 200Euro round trip. Just take a walk in the Kreuzberg area, there are zillions of Turkish travel agencies! If you want to purchase a flight in the last minute (i.e. at least 2 weeks prior to departure), check out www.ltur.de or www.lastminute.de or www.5vorflug.de I flew Izmir-Istanbul myself (Izmir is the closest airport to Ephesos) and in 1999, the flight was way less than $200 (one way). We flew with TK as well. HTH Tatjana in Berlin

Response:

Thanx very much for this info jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi- Im looking for help with summertime discount prices on air from Istanbul back to Germany, (one-way)… preferably Berlin, but Frankfurt would do as well. My choices seem to be Turkish Air, Czech Air and Azerbaijan Airlines but the cheapest fare is over $400 one way back to Berlin… but flights.com does not have detail flight info on the latter two and Turkish Air site will only display business class and only 3 months out ($700)… so I dont give much value to that $400 either. Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Thanx. jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 There are always a lot of charters between Turkey and Germany (where most Turkish people outside of Turkey live). Take a look at www.oegertours.de a touroperator on the German market, founded by a Turk and specialized on Turkey. If you are in Berlin prior to your trip to Turkey, you can easily find a ticket to IST for about 200Euro round trip. Just take a walk in the Kreuzberg area, there are zillions of Turkish travel agencies! If you want to purchase a flight in the last minute (i.e. at least 2 weeks prior to departure), check out www.ltur.de or www.lastminute.de or www.5vorflug.de I flew Izmir-Istanbul myself (Izmir is the closest airport to Ephesos) and in 1999, the flight was way less than $200 (one way). We flew with TK as well. HTH Tatjana in Berlin

– Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

By all means call them now (well, in about 10 hours). It costs 24 cents/minute to call Turkey with 1016868, so it won’t break the bank. Thanx for this reference… I went to their site… are there really no hidden charges… is it telephony or ISP, ie. quality ?

I’ve been using it ever since my previous long distance company went bankrupt (!) just because I’ve been too lazy to sign up with anyone else. The quality seems fine, and they don’t charge any special fees or minimums (other than the federal taxes that all long distance companies are required to charge). It’s not as cheap as the cheapest carriers, but for 10c/min to the Netherlands and 12c to Australia, it solves my problems. My traveling mate is a student and is currently in Germany, I directed him tho the specific STA site in Germany to make inquiries (as were returning to Germany) but there is no STA site for Turkey, so I’m not sure how I can get a local IST,STA Affiliate phone number…

I dug up the receipt from the place we used in Istanbul; it was called Genctur (for what it’s worth, they pronounce the C like a J). It was within walking distance of the Aya Sofia in the Sultanahmet area; the phone number is +90 212 520 5274. I had initially gotten their number from the Travel CUTS (Canadian student travel org) site. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

My traveling mate is a student and is currently in Germany, I directed him tho the specific STA site in Germany to make inquiries (as were returning to Germany) but there is no STA site for Turkey, so I’m not sure how I can get a local IST,STA Affiliate phone number… I dug up the receipt from the place we used in Istanbul; it was called Genctur (for what it’s worth, they pronounce the C like a J). It was within walking distance of the Aya Sofia in the Sultanahmet area; the phone number is +90 212 520 5274. I had initially gotten their number from the Travel CUTS (Canadian student travel org) site.

Thanx so much for your efforts, Im sure it will be a very good resource for getting beyond this hurdle. jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

– Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi- Im looking for help with summertime discount prices on air from Istanbul back to Germany, (one-way)… preferably Berlin, but Frankfurt would do as well. My choices seem to be Turkish Air, Czech Air and Azerbaijan Airlines but the cheapest fare is over $400 one way back to Berlin… but flights.com does not have detail flight info on the latter two and Turkish Air site will only display business class and only 3 months out ($700)… so I dont give much value to that $400 either. Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Thanx. jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 — Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

I’m an American who booked my vacation via a travel agency/tour wholesaler in Germany.  It was much cheaper for me this way.  I flew on Free Bird Airlines which is a charter airline that flies from Berlin to Istanbul non-stop.  Berlin is home to the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey.  The airline was decent although I felt uncomfortable being that I was the only  Asian-American on the flight.  You can contact TurkTur for great deals.  They speak English and have good rates with Free Bird Airlines.  www.turktur.de

Response:

I flew on Free Bird Airlines which is a charter airline that flies from Berlin to Istanbul non-stop.  Berlin is home to the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey.  The airline was decent although I felt uncomfortable being that I was the only Asian-American on the flight.

Why? miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

I’m an American who booked my vacation via a travel agency/tour wholesaler in Germany.  It was much cheaper for me this way.  I flew on Free Bird Airlines which is a charter airline that flies from Berlin to Istanbul non-stop. Berlin is home to the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey.  The airline was decent although I felt uncomfortable being that I was the only Asian-American on the flight.  You can contact TurkTur for great deals.  They speak English and have good rates with Free Bird Airlines.  www.turktur.de

Free Bird Airlines??? Never ever heard of them. BTW are you sure about the link? There is a Turkish site that appears with Turkish MP3s for download…… Could it be http://www.tuerktur.de/ ??? Tatjana in Berlin

Response:

Turk Hava Yollari (Turkish Airlines) IST  FRA 1587 A313 Airbus  Y 0 8:35 AM 10:40 AM Total price ow pp including taxes is 396.00 USD. http://airtravelcenter.com/atcbrokerww.htm Istanbul (IST) – Amsterdam (AMS) 06.00 – 13 MAR 2002 08.35 – 13 MAR 2002 Klm Royal Dutch Airlines 1610 S  Amsterdam (AMS) – Berlin (TXL) 09.40 – 13 MAR 2002 10.55 – 13 MAR 2002 Klm Royal Dutch Airlines 1823 S USD 385.00 TAX USD 27.57 USD 412.57 http://airtravelcenter.com/tselect.htm more options via http://airtravelcenter.com/flyeurope.html — Air Travel Center on the web airtravelcenter.com email over the air airtravelcenter.ch voice wire 1-717-732-7222 1-800-931-7222 data wire 1-717-728-1269 snail mail 1 East Manor Avenue (rear bldg) Enola, Pa. US 17025-2822

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi- Im looking for help with summertime discount prices on air from Istanbul back to Germany, (one-way)… preferably Berlin, but Frankfurt would do as well. My choices seem to be Turkish Air, Czech Air and Azerbaijan Airlines but the cheapest fare is over $400 one way back to Berlin… but flights.com does not have detail flight info on the latter two and Turkish Air site will only display business class and only 3 months out ($700)… so I dont give much value to that $400 either. Are there any scheduled charters, consolidators, travel agents that you could suggest for this 3 hour flight… Im thinking like $200 for this trip… is this not realistic ? Thanx. jay Sun, Feb 10, 2002 — Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m an American who booked my vacation via a travel agency/tour wholesaler in Germany.  It was much cheaper for me this way.  I flew on Free Bird Airlines which is a charter airline that flies from Berlin to Istanbul non-stop. Berlin is home to the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey.  The airline was decent although I felt uncomfortable being that I was the only Asian-American on the flight.  You can contact TurkTur for great deals.  They speak English and have good rates with Free Bird Airlines.  www.turktur.de Free Bird Airlines??? Never ever heard of them. BTW are you sure about the link? There is a Turkish site that appears with Turkish MP3s for download…… Could it be http://www.tuerktur.de/ ??? Tatjana in Berlin

It’s a pretty good airline, actually.  They fly only twice a week from Tegel. The service was good, not so friendly, but then I’m already used to that flying with Lufthansa.  The food was okay too.  For a three hour flight, it was well worth the money.  Most of the passengers were Turks going back home.  I don’t think they cater to tourists as most Germans would prefer staying somewhere along the coast than Istanbul. The tour operator (TurkTur) was really cheap.  We stayed at a Best Western for five days with breakfast including airfare for only $275.00 per person (travel industry rate).  With the dollar being high against the DM at the time and Turkey’s devalued currency it was a real bargain for me. I hope the dollar stays high as I plan to go back to Berlin later this year.  What a beautiful

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s a pretty good airline, actually.  They fly only twice a week from Tegel. The service was good, not so friendly, but then I’m already used to that flying with Lufthansa.  The food was okay too.  For a three hour flight, it was well worth the money.  Most of the passengers were Turks going back home.  I don’t think they cater to tourists as most Germans would prefer staying somewhere along the coast than Istanbul. The tour operator (TurkTur) was really cheap.  We stayed at a Best Western for five days with breakfast including airfare for only $275.00 per person (travel industry rate).  With the dollar being high against the DM at the time and Turkey’s devalued currency it was a real bargain for me. I hope the dollar stays high as I plan to go back to Berlin later this year.  What a beautiful

Thanx for you input! Do you happen to know what days they RETURN to Berlin from IST (I only need return passage) ? Do you think I will have to buy a round trip ticket and discard one of the legs or will they sell a one-way ticket without a substantial penalty ? Thanx Again! jay Mon, Feb 11, 2002 — Legend insists that as he finished his abject… Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanx for you input! Do you happen to know what days they RETURN to Berlin from IST (I only need return passage) ? Do you think I will have to buy a round trip ticket and discard one of the legs or will they sell a one-way ticket without a substantial penalty ? Thanx Again! jay Mon, Feb 11, 2002 —

I believe you can purchase a one-way ticket, although sometimes it’s cheaper to book roundtrip and discard the return leg.  You might want to check with them on that.  As for the schedules, they fly on the same days from IST to Berlin TXL; they simply do a turnaround in Berlin.  They might change their schedule as the season has changed.    I think booking through them is much cheaper than a scheduled airline.  Plus, they offer nonstop service.  They operate on a MD-80 aircraft with meals and all, even though it’s only for three hours or so.  I think you can also see how the airline looks like on the Internet.  I was hesitate to fly with them as first.  I thought I would be flying with chickens in the cabin, but it’s like a regular airline. Hope this helps!

Response:

Europe in 2 Weeks

Question:

I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget.

You can’t do any of that stuff on a budget. Wait until you can afford it then go.

Response:

What?!? I hope you’re being sarcastic. You can do these places on a budget. I would not attempt so many in only two weeks (common newbies mistake) but I can carry on quite happily in Europe on $40-45 a day in  hostels and eating well, or much less if I cook for myself sometimes. On my last trip food was 35% of my expenses, but I ate really well….As for the question from Houman, get a travel book, there is too much info to digest to discuss here, and once you have all that info you’ll realize that 2 weeks is impractical for all of what you want to see. London, Paris, Amsterdam, and maybe Berlin will fill all of 2 weeks. Spain is a looong way to go especially by train, go to http://bahn.hafas.de and search the schedules and see what i mean. My first trip was like this, from Scandinavia to Greece (and lots in between) in 4 weeks. I was sick of travel by the third week and was happy to go home. I’d suggest slowing down and enjoying what there is to offer. I’m leaving in May for a month in Europe, and here is my itinerary: 2 days London 7 days Ibiza, Spain :)  (package holiday from UK) 2 days Amsterdam 7 days Swiss Alps      (recovery from Ibiza) 6 days Paris +/-4-5 days for travel & whatever comes up. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You can’t do any of that stuff on a budget. Wait until you can afford it then go.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                          - must-see places                          - entertainment (night life and resturants)                          - and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman If you want to se any of the cities, they are worth two weeks each and one of them.  If you don’t want that stick to maximume two. Eli

good advice — two with a few day trips to the region is perfect for a first visit.

Response:

I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

Response:

I’ve done a similar trip and if it’s your first trip I can see why you want to do a lot in a limited time. You will be worn out from all those night trains; think about cutting a few cities of your list or adding another week. If I was going to do these cities in 2 weeks, ideally I’d fly into Berlin then go Paris-Barcelona-Madrid-Amsterdam then ferry to London to fly home. An alternative would be arrive Amsterdam then Berlin-Paris-Barcelona-Madrid, Chunnel to London,  fly home. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                          - must-see places                          - entertainment (night life and resturants)                          - and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

If you want to se any of the cities, they are worth two weeks each and one of them.  If you don’t want that stick to maximume two. Eli

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

you might as well rent videotapes to see the highlights of these cities because you aren’t giving yourself time to actually be there and experience them

Response:

I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

Response:

I’ve done a similar trip and if it’s your first trip I can see why you want to do a lot in a limited time. You will be worn out from all those night trains; think about cutting a few cities of your list or adding another week. If I was going to do these cities in 2 weeks, ideally I’d fly into Berlin then go Paris-Barcelona-Madrid-Amsterdam then ferry to London to fly home. An alternative would be arrive Amsterdam then Berlin-Paris-Barcelona-Madrid, Chunnel to London,  fly home. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

you might as well rent videotapes to see the highlights of these cities because you aren’t giving yourself time to actually be there and experience them

Response:

I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                           – must-see places                           – entertainment (night life and resturants)                           – and … I’ll be travelling on  budget.

You can’t do any of that stuff on a budget. Wait until you can afford it then go.

Response:

What?!? I hope you’re being sarcastic. You can do these places on a budget. I would not attempt so many in only two weeks (common newbies mistake) but I can carry on quite happily in Europe on $40-45 a day in  hostels and eating well, or much less if I cook for myself sometimes. On my last trip food was 35% of my expenses, but I ate really well….As for the question from Houman, get a travel book, there is too much info to digest to discuss here, and once you have all that info you’ll realize that 2 weeks is impractical for all of what you want to see. London, Paris, Amsterdam, and maybe Berlin will fill all of 2 weeks. Spain is a looong way to go especially by train, go to http://bahn.hafas.de and search the schedules and see what i mean. My first trip was like this, from Scandinavia to Greece (and lots in between) in 4 weeks. I was sick of travel by the third week and was happy to go home. I’d suggest slowing down and enjoying what there is to offer. I’m leaving in May for a month in Europe, and here is my itinerary: 2 days London 7 days Ibiza, Spain :)  (package holiday from UK) 2 days Amsterdam 7 days Swiss Alps      (recovery from Ibiza) 6 days Paris +/-4-5 days for travel & whatever comes up. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You can’t do any of that stuff on a budget. Wait until you can afford it then go.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                          - must-see places                          - entertainment (night life and resturants)                          - and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman

If you want to se any of the cities, they are worth two weeks each and one of them.  If you don’t want that stick to maximume two. Eli

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be in Europe for 2 weeks. i’ll be mostly visiting the bigger cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam). I’ll be mostly travlling between the cities by rail at nights (This way i’m only spending 20% of my time on the road). i’m planning to spend about 2 days in these cities (Amsterdam 1 day). i need advise on: – hostel info (do i need to make reservations in advance?)                          - must-see places                          - entertainment (night life and resturants)                          - and … I’ll be travelling on  budget. thanks in advance, Houman If you want to se any of the cities, they are worth two weeks each and one of them.  If you don’t want that stick to maximume two. Eli

good advice — two with a few day trips to the region is perfect for a first visit.

Response:

Geez, there really IS a Mustang vs. Import thing! (more)

Question:

You can make an 88 Chevy truck pretty fast too. The chevrolet 350 is probably one of the easiest engines to work on, and you can get a damn good amount of power out of it for cheap! (Ohhh the blasphemy!)

As the owner of an 88 S-10 with a screaming 4 cylinder engine and a 5 speed, the thought of a 350 under the hood starts to make it bearable as a winter driver while my pony is garaged. :) — 1996 Mystic Cobra #768    Born 2/28/96    Cobra #5016/7496

Response:

You can make an 88 Chevy truck pretty fast too. The chevrolet 350 is probably one of the easiest engines to work on, and you can get a damn good amount of power out of it for cheap! (Ohhh the blasphemy!) Rusty – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – But, that reliable import does open up the door for a car that, say, needs an engine swap… :) ENGINE SWAP!!!!!! are you nuts??? A lightly moded GSX will run 1/4 mile in low 13’s, with only light mods. Heavy mods will get you to the high tens, or low 11’s…..and still get better gas mileage than a mustang! :o ) True – but the ‘95+ GSXs are out of my possible price range. An ‘89 Camry and, say, a nearly-decent ‘67 Mustang or Chevelle a few months down the road is not. :) Also – the older car gives me the chance to build some shadetree mechanic skills. All-in-all, I’d rather find an ‘88+ Chevy truck, and use it to haul stuff (and, in the probability that I get a classic, hit the swapmeets and junkyards.

Response:

But, that reliable import does open up the door for a car that, say, needs an engine swap… :) ENGINE SWAP!!!!!! are you nuts??? A lightly moded GSX will run 1/4 mile in low 13’s, with only light mods. Heavy mods will get you to the high tens, or low 11’s…..and still get better gas mileage than a mustang! :o )

True – but the ‘95+ GSXs are out of my possible price range. An ‘89 Camry and, say, a nearly-decent ‘67 Mustang or Chevelle a few months down the road is not. :) Also – the older car gives me the chance to build some shadetree mechanic skills. All-in-all, I’d rather find an ‘88+ Chevy truck, and use it to haul stuff (and, in the probability that I get a classic, hit the swapmeets and junkyards.

Response:

<snip so basically they rice out all types of cars with the headlight covers and the fart cans so that the girls think their car is a race car…

Damn, if people think THAT is a race car, we are ALL in trouble!! i mean i want a fast car but i also want something that i can look at and say "wow.. i am so lucky to have that".. i wanted a 300zx because it has a pretty good amt of hp and looks good too… i dont have the money for that so i figured that i would get an old mustang GT (around ‘90)..

My philosophy is, who cares what it looks like. Paint doesn’t make you go fast, horsepower does! Besides, no one can really see what your car looks like if you go fast enough ;) . Rusty – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – at least it is fast… ok im done rambling, chris Yeah , most of those kids dont want a really fast car though. Its all part of an image. See around here Mustangs arent "cool" to those kids , it doesnt matter how fast they are. I have had the chance to talk to alot of the riceboys/girls around here and I asked them several things and here is what I have found. The reason for the fart tips is because it makes the car loud but they arent tryign to make it sound fast they just like the attention everyone gives them. As for all the modifications on a civic that basically cost alot but  still make is slow , well it comes down to the fact that they dont really care how fast it is , its like a status thing " so and so has this on thier ride and blah blah blah"  the more money you spend the cooler you are. Then there is just the point that times are changing and the slow imports are the choice for people now , remember when everyone and thier brother had a

5.0?

Response:

<snip I think you’ve nailed it down good.  Today’s kiddies haven’t the foggiest idea what real V-8 power even feels like, much less really care.  They’d much rather have fart pipes, silly tiny wheels, and neon crap bolted underneath their ‘ride’, so they can strut around their buddies, who are generally ‘in awe’ at such nonsense.  And, they sit around wondering why everyone with a decent car laughs their ASSES off at them, at every stoplight.

Don’t forget these people wear some pretty strange clothes, too!! Rusty – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sure, when I was 16, I thought little 4-banger weeniemobiles were cute, but even then, I longed for a fire-breathing MONSTER V-8 underneath my hood.  Something that would flat-out pull the front-left wheel and shit in the road.  Yeah.  4-on-the-floor, supercharged, and that all too familar American V-8 rumble that’s so choppy, you could lean on the sound waves. Knowing this, I suspect this kid will puss-out and buy the Hoooonda, and start saving for his tint and fart pipes to impress his immature buddies.  What a complete waste of money.  Is it any wonder why young women wonder where in HELL all the MEN went? -JD

Response:

But, that reliable import does open up the door for a car that, say, needs an engine swap… :) ENGINE SWAP!!!!!! are you nuts??? A lightly moded GSX will run 1/4 mile in low 13’s, with only light mods. Heavy mods will get you to the high tens, or low 11’s…..and still get better gas mileage than a mustang! :o )

But how much will these ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ mods cost said owner? Rusty – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Such may be the case wherever you a from, but here in London Ontario it’s a different story.  I’m 17 and i would much rather take the extra time, and save up the extra money to go out and buy a 5.0, and thats final.  Even if it takes an extra year I am willing to do that for a V8.  A good example of this is at my school.  Far more people drive powerful, or somewhat powerful cars instead of little 4-bangers.  There are 2 or 3 GT’s at my school, and one person even owns a Cobra.  And its not just mustangs, but any car with power at my school is a good one, and no one cares about shitty weak cars, or 5 inch exausts on a Civic, or Neon lights, or anything like that.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think much of it boils down to "today’s kids" for the most part are not "car guys" but are more "image guys".  Most of them probably don’t even know that the import is FWD and the Mustang RWD nor do they care. I think you’ve nailed it down good.  Today’s kiddies haven’t the foggiest idea what real V-8 power even feels like, much less really care.  They’d much rather have fart pipes, silly tiny wheels, and neon crap bolted underneath their ‘ride’, so they can strut around their buddies, who are generally ‘in awe’ at such nonsense.  And, they sit around wondering why everyone with a decent car laughs their ASSES off at them, at every stoplight. Sure, when I was 16, I thought little 4-banger weeniemobiles were cute, but even then, I longed for a fire-breathing MONSTER V-8 underneath my hood.  Something that would flat-out pull the front-left wheel and shit in the road.  Yeah.  4-on-the-floor, supercharged, and that all too familar American V-8 rumble that’s so choppy, you could lean on the sound waves. Knowing this, I suspect this kid will puss-out and buy the Hoooonda, and start saving for his tint and fart pipes to impress his immature buddies.  What a complete waste of money.  Is it any wonder why young women wonder where in HELL all the MEN went? -JD

Your macho typing makes me want to re-enlist back into the Marine Corps… But, also glad to have owned a 64 Falcon with a Mustang 298 HiPo, and a 70 Maverick 302  with all sorts of neat shit in it.  Last week I traded in my Silver 93 SHO for a  just a Performance Red 35 th Anniversary GT. BTW Don’t be surprised if a riceboy wannabe with a riceboyed Escort GT posts that he whupped a Red 99 GT.  I totally ignored him.  I thought that he just needed a new muffler.  How was I to know? Ain’t this shit cool? Ed Clark

Response:

But, that reliable import does open up the door for a car that, say, needs an engine swap… :)

ENGINE SWAP!!!!!! are you nuts??? A lightly moded GSX will run 1/4 mile in low 13’s, with only light mods. Heavy mods will get you to the high tens, or low 11’s…..and still get better gas mileage than a mustang! :o ) Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

First before I say anything, I’d just like to add that I love reading post where people shit on the riceburners. I’m 22 years old and I have a red 98 gt. Like all you guys I never understood the whole import thing. Sure you can make them fast, but whats the point? You have to spent thousands of dollars on them with blowers and nitrous and by the time you spend all that money you could have spent that money on a v8 and been running 10-12’s instead of a ricey family car running 15-16’s. I’m going to be very sad when there isn’t a muscle car on the market. It will be a sad sad day. But my mustang will always roam the streets beating them all at stops lights and proudly displaying the "piss on rice burner’s" stick on my window for all to see.

Response:

(KJMeloney) writes: Yes, I can understand that point.  However (and I didn’t say this in my first post), this kid races his mom’s Camry (!!!) down at the local drag spots around Philadelphia.  

(Hmmm…  The only local drag spots around Philly that I know of are Atco, Cecil County, and Maple Grove…)  

Response:

I think much of it boils down to "today’s kids" for the most part are not "car guys" but are more "image guys".  Most of them probably don’t even know that the import is FWD and the Mustang RWD nor do they care.

I think you’ve nailed it down good.  Today’s kiddies haven’t the foggiest idea what real V-8 power even feels like, much less really care.  They’d much rather have fart pipes, silly tiny wheels, and neon crap bolted underneath their ‘ride’, so they can strut around their buddies, who are generally ‘in awe’ at such nonsense.  And, they sit around wondering why everyone with a decent car laughs their ASSES off at them, at every stoplight.   Sure, when I was 16, I thought little 4-banger weeniemobiles were cute, but even then, I longed for a fire-breathing MONSTER V-8 underneath my hood.  Something that would flat-out pull the front-left wheel and shit in the road.  Yeah.  4-on-the-floor, supercharged, and that all too familar American V-8 rumble that’s so choppy, you could lean on the sound waves.   Knowing this, I suspect this kid will puss-out and buy the Hoooonda, and start saving for his tint and fart pipes to impress his immature buddies.  What a complete waste of money.  Is it any wonder why young women wonder where in HELL all the MEN went? -JD

Response:

(Hmmm…  The only local drag spots around Philly that I know of are Atco, Cecil County, and Maple Grove…)  

Ok, I’ll bite… Are you SERIOUS?!  I was talking about the very-local, street-variety drag spots (not official drag strips) around Philly… A la Front Street, 62nd & Passyunk, the Automall, etc… -Kirk PS — Anyway, this kid I was talking to actually races his mom’s Camry at Atco (or at least has gotten times on it there), as well as on the street.

Response:

You said in part; Insurance and gas, most likely. That’s what I face now – either some kind of import – Camry, ….. I say; What makes you think a V6 Camry is better on gas than a V6 Mustang?  Besides with the extra money it will cost you to buy a Camry you can run the Mustang for FREE for a couple years.

I should have noted – we’re discussing an ‘88 or ‘89 Camry. :) Now you know why the call of the classic is getting stronger. (The Chevelle guys seem cool – they’ve got a great discussion board at www.chevelles.com) Would that I could afford a newer car, the Mustang would be up there on the list. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Frank

Response:

…But when it comes time to PURCHASE a car, what the hell is the criteria for buying the car if it’s between a Mustang and an import?!

Insurance and gas, most likely. That’s what I face now – either some kind of import – Camry, Eclipse (though an AWD turbo would be a nice daily driver…), whatever – or classic Mustang/Chevelle. (Other options include newer truck, or classic truck) It comes down to 25mpg vs. 13-14mpg, $125/month insurance vs. $200/month, etc. And, since this is my college car, it’ll have to be reliable. But, that reliable import does open up the door for a car that, say, needs an engine swap… :)

Response:

not me i am 17 and would never drive one of them 4 bangers no matter how fast they went.  I think that I will stick with Mustangs

Response:

You said in part; Insurance and gas, most likely. That’s what I face now – either some kind of import – Camry, ….. I say; What makes you think a V6 Camry is better on gas than a V6 Mustang?  Besides with the extra money it will cost you to buy a Camry you can run the Mustang for FREE for a couple years. Frank

Response:

Im 17 and I live on Long Island Babylon to be precise and I never hear about how kids want Lexus’s or BMW ’s. In fact one kid in our school got himslef a 25 Mustang Convertible on the road and I knew the car I wanted for the rest of my life, as of right now im the proud owner of a 73 Mach1 302 and I plan on keeping it and buying mustangs for life.

Response:

    Being 16, I believe I am qualified to respond to this post.  As some of you know, I own a 1998 V6 Mustang.  I bought this car because I hate 4 banger imports and couldn’t afford the insurance on a GT.  Even with a V6, I am able to beat majority of the import cars off the line, and I love the way the SN95 body style looks.  My dream car happens to be a ‘66 Shelby Cobra, though I would be more then happy to drive a Mercedes (Love the E55) or a BMW.     I go to what may be considered a prep school (De La Salle – the one with the football team #1 in US last year), so I see more then a fair share of rich kids driving Audis, BMWs, and M-Bs, etc., but the majority of cars still are sports cars, followed by Trucks/SUVs, then imports.  I also want to state that when I ask what kind of car they would rather have, an import or a stangcambird, majority (usually Caucasian) choose the stangcambird where as the rest go Import (primarily Asian).  I do not mean to be racist, but before I got my stang I asked a fair amount of people and that was the result. Just My Opinion, Nick Andrade ‘98 V6 White – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey all, Upon pulling up in my girlfriend’s neighbor hood, a 17 year old kid, who noticed the whir of my blower, approached me to ask me about my ['93 Cobra] Mustang.  It wasn’t long before he told me that he was looking to get a new car, but couldn’t decide between a Mustang or "like, a Honda Civic or something." Now, I see all of the inflamatory posts here about "Whooped an LX with my Sentra" and crap like that, and that’s all fine, well, and good.  It makes sense that if someone already has a souped-up import that they’d want to run against a reputedly fast car like a Mustang.. …But when it comes time to PURCHASE a car, what the hell is the criteria for buying the car if it’s between a Mustang and an import?! I figured that most Mustang owners like the fact that the Mustang is American, and that it’s quick.  And as far as American cars go, I’d think that American car buyers fall into either the Camaro camp or the Mustang camp, and don’t really ride that fence.  Likewise, I figured that most import owners KNEW that they wanted an import, and that was that (the whole import "scene" seems very different from the American muscle car scene).  Is this all wrong though? It just struck me as odd that this kid couldn’t decide between import or Mustang.  I likened it to apples and oranges, and he wasn’t even deciding from a practicality standpoint, either (it wasn’t like he was deciding between a nifty, fast Corvette that he always wanted, or being able to take the kids to school in a minivan — I think this kid just wanted a cool, fast car that he could race). I found this first-hand experience with one of "today’s kids" pretty interesting (and I thought of this NG immediately, too!).  Just thought I’d share! -Kirk

Response:

Yes, I can understand that point.  However (and I didn’t say this in my first post), this kid races his mom’s Camry (!!!) down at the local drag spots around Philadelphia.  So, I think this kid IS interested in the speed, or at least the fact that either car CAN be made to be mighty quick… -Kirk << Yeah , most of those kids dont want a really fast car though. Its all part of an image. See around here Mustangs arent "cool" to those kids , it doesnt matter how fast they are

Response:

Hey all, <snip I found this first-hand experience with one of "today’s kids" pretty interesting (and I thought of this NG immediately, too!).  Just thought I’d share! -Kirk

It’s a different world, man! Several times at the local gym, I’ve overheard the 16-20 year-old crowd talking about their dream cars, and they almost never mention ‘Mustang’, ‘Firebird’ or ‘Camaro’ and never ‘Corvette’. Frequently I do hear ‘SUV’, ‘Lexus’ (four-door, not coupe), ‘Mercedes Benz’, etc. Oddly, it’s not really an import thing, either: I don’t hear ‘Eclipse’ or ‘Miata’ either. They seem to prefer comfort over speed. When I was 16, I bought a 1971 Plymouth Duster 340 Wedge. My best friends respectively owned: a 1971 Mach 1, an Opel GT, and a 1967 Camaro convertible. Four-door cars were considered ‘old-person cars’. Now I guess pony cars and sports cars are considered ‘old-person cars’. Cheers, Eric — 1999 Silver GT convertible K&N Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

convertible. Four-door cars were considered ‘old-person cars’. Now I guess pony cars and sports cars are considered ‘old-person cars’.

Ouch!  That’s a horrible thought. :-)  It took me years to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Now I just wish I hadn’t grown up! To make it worse you are going to tell me that I’m driving an ‘old farts’ car. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Yeah, well I guess this all started back in the day, when insurance on a V8 with a 4-speed was $100 a year. I paid $1200 for 6 months for my 66 back when I was 16. It’s gone down considerably since than, but I still cringe when I make out the cheque. BTW- I spent about $15,000 (of my own money, not Mom & Dads ) on the car, including purchase in the first 2 years I owned it. In return I had a fast, reliable car, that was very unique and gave me more fond memories than a trip to Amsterdam with the same $15,000! Well, maybe.

Response:

Yeah , most of those kids dont want a really fast car though. Its all part of an image. See around here Mustangs arent "cool" to those kids , it doesnt matter how fast they are. I have had the chance to talk to alot of the riceboys/girls around here and I asked them several things and here is what I have found. The reason for the fart tips is because it makes the car loud but they arent tryign to make it sound fast they just like the attention everyone gives them. As for all the modifications on a civic that basically cost alot but  still make is slow , well it comes down to the fact that they dont really care how fast it is , its like a status thing " so and so has this on thier ride and blah blah blah"  the more money you spend the cooler you are. Then there is just the point that times are changing and the slow imports are the choice for people now , remember when everyone and thier brother had a 5.0?

Response:

Hey all, Upon pulling up in my girlfriend’s neighbor hood, a 17 year old kid, who noticed the whir of my blower, approached me to ask me about my ['93 Cobra] Mustang.  It wasn’t long before he told me that he was looking to get a new car, but couldn’t decide between a Mustang or "like, a Honda Civic or something."   Now, I see all of the inflamatory posts here about "Whooped an LX with my Sentra" and crap like that, and that’s all fine, well, and good.  It makes sense that if someone already has a souped-up import that they’d want to run against a reputedly fast car like a Mustang.. …But when it comes time to PURCHASE a car, what the hell is the criteria for buying the car if it’s between a Mustang and an import?! I figured that most Mustang owners like the fact that the Mustang is American, and that it’s quick.  And as far as American cars go, I’d think that American car buyers fall into either the Camaro camp or the Mustang camp, and don’t really ride that fence.  Likewise, I figured that most import owners KNEW that they wanted an import, and that was that (the whole import "scene" seems very different from the American muscle car scene).  Is this all wrong though? It just struck me as odd that this kid couldn’t decide between import or Mustang.  I likened it to apples and oranges, and he wasn’t even deciding from a practicality standpoint, either (it wasn’t like he was deciding between a nifty, fast Corvette that he always wanted, or being able to take the kids to school in a minivan — I think this kid just wanted a cool, fast car that he could race). I found this first-hand experience with one of "today’s kids" pretty interesting (and I thought of this NG immediately, too!).  Just thought I’d share! -Kirk

Response:

Good experience in NWA/KLM flights

Question:

                   not-so-good flights with them                    too — Detroit – Amsterdam Ouch…this is the third incidence of someone I know complaining about this particular flight. I am beginning to wonder what the heck is going on with NW in DTW that is prompting so many unhappy customers on this route. Maryanne

Response:

                   not-so-good flights with them                    too — Detroit – Amsterdam Ouch…this is the third incidence of someone I know complaining about this particular flight. I am beginning to wonder what the heck is going on with NW in DTW that is prompting so many unhappy customers on this route. Maryanne

–Sorry to say I know someone who flew NW DTW-AMS last month and guess what, complained that it was one of the worst flights she had ever had! If you intend flying that route, try and get on the KL operated flight, KL 618/NW 8618. –==++AJC++==–

Response:

<snip Although, I am not a frequent flyer, I have flown a fairly large number of times so I am fairly experienced in such matters. Usually, I regard air travel is an unpleasant necessity and I try to avoid air travel if at all possible, but it was the best way to get to Italy from Philadelphia for a two week vacation.

Just out of curiosity, could I ask why you didn’t take the nonstop US flight PHL-FCO?

Response:

<snip Although, I am not a frequent flyer, I have flown a fairly large number of times so I am fairly experienced in such matters. Usually, I regard air travel is an unpleasant necessity and I try to avoid air travel if at all possible, but it was the best way to get to Italy from Philadelphia for a two week vacation. Just out of curiosity, could I ask why you didn’t take the nonstop US flight PHL-FCO?

Maybe "best way" to him meant least expensive way for his travel dates. He said he bought his ticket from a consolidator.  Is there any reason, other than price, to buy through a consolidator?

Response:

If only Northwest could be consistent.  I have had some of my best flights with them, including Minneapolis – Hong Kong and Seattle – Honolulu last year.  But I have had some distinctly not-so-good  flights with them too — Detroit – Amsterdam and Bombay – Amsterdam for example.  Perhaps if they could get their crew from the good flights train those from the bad ones…??? Overall, though, I agree that their image is probably a lot worse than their reality, even taking the Detroit fiasco into account. – Sana.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have seen a lot of disparaging commens about NWA on this newsgroup over the past few months, much of it probably well-deserved. I thought I would post my favorable review of my recent (today) experience. Two weeks ago, I left from PHL to Rome. The NWA leg of the trip was a flight to Amsterdam then KLM from there to Rome. The flights to Europe left on time. The food was decent. The service from the flight attendants (except for one cranky FA on KLM) was superb. The tourist-class tickets reasonably priced at $700 which I bought via a consolidator’s Web site a few months ago. Although, I am not a frequent flyer, I have flown a fairly large number of times so I am fairly experienced in such matters. Usually, I regard air travel is an unpleasant necessity and I try to avoid air travel if at all possible, but it was the best way to get to Italy from Philadelphia for a two week vacation. The return trip home from Amsterdam was the best air travel experience I have ever had. The food was quite good, drinks were plentiful, even wine was served at no charge. The movie was actually interesting and the seats in coach class were fine for a change. The flight attendants were all professional, efficient, and very polite. All segments of the flights to and from Rome were also on time and my luggage arrived in full and intact. This was my first flight on NWA, and certainly not my last.

Response:

I have seen a lot of disparaging commens about NWA on this newsgroup over the past few months, much of it probably well-deserved. I thought I would post my favorable review of my recent (today) experience. Two weeks ago, I left from PHL to Rome. The NWA leg of the trip was a flight to Amsterdam then KLM from there to Rome. The flights to Europe left on time. The food was decent. The service from the flight attendants (except for one cranky FA on KLM) was superb. The tourist-class tickets reasonably priced at $700 which I bought via a consolidator’s Web site a few months ago. Although, I am not a frequent flyer, I have flown a fairly large number of times so I am fairly experienced in such matters. Usually, I regard air travel is an unpleasant necessity and I try to avoid air travel if at all possible, but it was the best way to get to Italy from Philadelphia for a two week vacation. The return trip home from Amsterdam was the best air travel experience I have ever had. The food was quite good, drinks were plentiful, even wine was served at no charge. The movie was actually interesting and the seats in coach class were fine for a change. The flight attendants were all professional, efficient, and very polite. All segments of the flights to and from Rome were also on time and my luggage arrived in full and intact. This was my first flight on NWA, and certainly not my last.

Response:

Malaysian Airlines

Question:

I’m going to take a trip from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and on to BKK with this airline. Any comments about this flights, inflight entertainment, if they give you screwdriver as fast as you want etc.. //magnus

Response:

I’m going to take a trip from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and on to BKK with this airline. Any comments about this flights, inflight entertainment, if they give you screwdriver as fast as you want etc.. //magnus

–As far as I remember they only give out screwdrivers to those trained to use them. :-) –==++AJC++==–

Response:

I’m going to take a trip from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and on to BKK with this airline. Any comments about this flights, inflight entertainment, if they give you screwdriver as fast as you want etc..

Have done this route several times….musn’t miss transiting at KLIA.Sure is a great sight! As far as service, they’re better than KLM with much more friendly flight attendants.

Response:

Hello,         Anyone knows if Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flies direct to Holland from Kuala Lumpur?  Thanks Janice —

MH009 Amsterdam – Zurich – Kuala Lumpur. Lauri

Response:

From memory the flight is via VIE or ZCH Steve – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello,         Anyone knows if Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flies direct to Holland from Kuala Lumpur?  Thanks Janice —                                                              \|//                                                              (O-O)               I keep my ideals                       because in spite of everything                               I still believe                                       people are good at heart.

Response:

Hello,         Anyone knows if Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flies direct to Holland from Kuala Lumpur?  Thanks Janice — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –                                                              \|//                                                              (O-O)                    I keep my ideals                    because in spite of everything                            I still believe                                    people are good at heart.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello,         Anyone knows if Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flies direct to Holland from Kuala Lumpur?  Thanks Janice —                                                              \|//                                                              (O-O)               I keep my ideals                       because in spite of everything                               I still believe                                       people are good at heart.

3 times a week i think. the last time i checked, they were flying KUL (kuala lumpur) – ZRH (zurich) – AMS (amsterdam) with no change of aircraft. should be more flights than that if the MAS-KLM codeshare has begun. good luck. regards.

Response:

I used to fly them (and SIA as well) quite a lot between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Usually inflight service in Economy class on the 50-minute flight consists of a drink (juice/tea/coffee), and sometimes a muffin. Your flight to Langkawi (assuming it will be a non-stop) is not much longer, most likely on a B737. Expect the service to be polite but otherwise uneventful. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Apart from flying to London without the required fuel, are MAS an OK airline? I’m meant to flying with them from Singapore to Langkawi in July. Any experiences you can share? Thanks

Response:

beautiful airline..go for it..take me with u ok..Jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Apart from flying to London without the required fuel, are MAS an OK airline? I’m meant to flying with them from Singapore to Langkawi in July. Any experiences you can share? Thanks –I have flown them from Europe to Australia/NZ and on regional and domestic services including Singapore-Langkawi. They are very good, operate modern aircraft and good on-board service but not quite up to the standard of Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines. Enjoy the flights, and enjoy Langkawi! –==++AJC++==–

Response:

Apart from flying to London without the required fuel, are MAS an OK airline? I’m meant to flying with them from Singapore to Langkawi in July. Any experiences you can share? Thanks

Response:

Apart from flying to London without the required fuel, are MAS an OK airline? I’m meant to flying with them from Singapore to Langkawi in July. Any experiences you can share? Thanks

–I have flown them from Europe to Australia/NZ and on regional and domestic services including Singapore-Langkawi. They are very good, operate modern aircraft and good on-board service but not quite up to the standard of Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines. Enjoy the flights, and enjoy Langkawi! –==++AJC++==–

Response:

Tips for my trip to Amsterdam ?

Question:

    I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Response:

   I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Take a look at my 18-page Amsterdam Web Guide, which has annotated links to all sorts of travel sites in and about Amsterdam–among them, the Hippyland Amsterdam site, which ought to be perfect for an old (or young) hippie. :-) URL: http://goeurope.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa980416.htm FWIW, the links were checked and updated (where necessary) about three weeks ago. – Durant Durant Imboden Europe for Visitors, http://goeurope.miningco.com Venice for Visitors, http://goeurope.miningco.com/mmore.htm

Response:

   I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

http://home.sprintmail.com/~guyute/page3.html

Response:

No need to worry…. most others in the coffee shops are toursits too with the same questions.  All the Nederweed is very good. Try the Amsterdam Channles site for very good cup and smoking feed back from others who have been to Amsterdam. http://www.channels.nl/ AVOID the CUP!  A waste of money.  plus, all the coffee shops are like sardine cans with wall to wall Americans. So crowded you cannot find a seat.  Having visited A’dam many times and visited the Cup 3 times, I can tell you it is not worth the  US $150. to 200. fee.  The Dutch coffee shop people snikker at these silly, dumb rich Amercans walking around with their silly plastic laminate Cup ID tags.  The Cup is the a hopelessly disorganized event. A High Times media event. Go to Amsterdam in early  November for Low season rates.   I no longer visit A’dam during the cup due to very crowded shops. To look like a real stupid American, wear white tennis shoes,  plastic hi tech clothing, and very bold colors.  Everyone will instantly know, a mile away, this person is an Amerikanzer. :-) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Response:

Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with asking "what’s good?" Some of the better shops will have choices with "cute" names, so you’re better off asking. I love indica so I always ask for it. As long as you don’t spend all your waking hours inside the shops, you shouldn’t be mistaken for a stupid american. A’dam is really a great city to wander around in. Smoke a little herb and just wander the strets and canals taking it all in. Pop into stores that seem interesting, check out a museum, visit a brown cafe and enjoy a beer. Damn I wish I was heading there myself.

Response:

If you must attend the Cannabis Cup, simply buy a day pass at the door.  Usually these go for about 5 guilders.  You can see all there is to see at the Cup exhibition in 2 hours or less.  The Cup people in US will tell you day passes are not issued, but in fact they are. When you get at the Cup entrance, just tell em  you are only in Amsterdam for a day.  One could easily  "sneak" in if done late in afternoon…..  as I said, it is hopelessly disorganized.  Enough said. :-) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

   As an Amsterdammer, may I suggest some of our other attractions?? (it makes me a bit sad to see so many foreigners come here with one thing on their mind only) Go to http://www.netland.nl/~jwest/ for lots of links for Amsterdam. Have a nice time here. (by the way, I am 37 and have not used any of the substances mentioned above since I was 23. Probably, because I know it is available at any moment  should I want it, I don’t need it anymore) Sjoerd

Response:

To look like a real stupid American, wear white tennis shoes, plastic hi tech clothing, and very bold colors. Everyone will instantly know, a mile away, this person is an Amerikanzer.

And what would be the point of this statement?  Europeans tend to think that they can blend in in NYC or any other part of the US, but we can usually tell by the little round eyeglasses, clothes, the way they walk and their haircuts that they are European.  So you see, it goes both ways. When I go to Europe, I dress the same way I do when I am in the US. So what if it pegs me as being "American."  It seems that people tend to go to great lengths to not look like a tourist or an American. Why?   </sarcasm

Response:

    I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Response:

   I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Take a look at my 18-page Amsterdam Web Guide, which has annotated links to all sorts of travel sites in and about Amsterdam–among them, the Hippyland Amsterdam site, which ought to be perfect for an old (or young) hippie. :-) URL: http://goeurope.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa980416.htm FWIW, the links were checked and updated (where necessary) about three weeks ago. – Durant Durant Imboden Europe for Visitors, http://goeurope.miningco.com Venice for Visitors, http://goeurope.miningco.com/mmore.htm

Response:

   I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

http://home.sprintmail.com/~guyute/page3.html

Response:

No need to worry…. most others in the coffee shops are toursits too with the same questions.  All the Nederweed is very good. Try the Amsterdam Channles site for very good cup and smoking feed back from others who have been to Amsterdam. http://www.channels.nl/ AVOID the CUP!  A waste of money.  plus, all the coffee shops are like sardine cans with wall to wall Americans. So crowded you cannot find a seat.  Having visited A’dam many times and visited the Cup 3 times, I can tell you it is not worth the  US $150. to 200. fee.  The Dutch coffee shop people snikker at these silly, dumb rich Amercans walking around with their silly plastic laminate Cup ID tags.  The Cup is the a hopelessly disorganized event. A High Times media event. Go to Amsterdam in early  November for Low season rates.   I no longer visit A’dam during the cup due to very crowded shops. To look like a real stupid American, wear white tennis shoes,  plastic hi tech clothing, and very bold colors.  Everyone will instantly know, a mile away, this person is an Amerikanzer. :-) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

Response:

Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with asking "what’s good?" Some of the better shops will have choices with "cute" names, so you’re better off asking. I love indica so I always ask for it. As long as you don’t spend all your waking hours inside the shops, you shouldn’t be mistaken for a stupid american. A’dam is really a great city to wander around in. Smoke a little herb and just wander the strets and canals taking it all in. Pop into stores that seem interesting, check out a museum, visit a brown cafe and enjoy a beer. Damn I wish I was heading there myself.

Response:

If you must attend the Cannabis Cup, simply buy a day pass at the door.  Usually these go for about 5 guilders.  You can see all there is to see at the Cup exhibition in 2 hours or less.  The Cup people in US will tell you day passes are not issued, but in fact they are. When you get at the Cup entrance, just tell em  you are only in Amsterdam for a day.  One could easily  "sneak" in if done late in afternoon…..  as I said, it is hopelessly disorganized.  Enough said. :-) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam probably around November (Cannabis Cup).  I want to know some opinions on where to get the BEST mushrooms, the best smoke bars for an old hippy, and some general info so I don’t act like a stupid American everywhere I go, because I plan on taking in a performance (NOT the red light stuff, either).  I don’t want to sound like an idiot when I go into a shop and say "what’s good?".  This is obviously my first trip and I don’t want it to be a drag. Thanx in advance  . . .   Jo MoMMa

   As an Amsterdammer, may I suggest some of our other attractions?? (it makes me a bit sad to see so many foreigners come here with one thing on their mind only) Go to http://www.netland.nl/~jwest/ for lots of links for Amsterdam. Have a nice time here. (by the way, I am 37 and have not used any of the substances mentioned above since I was 23. Probably, because I know it is available at any moment  should I want it, I don’t need it anymore) Sjoerd

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To look like a real stupid American, wear white tennis shoes, plastic hi tech clothing, and very bold colors. Everyone will instantly know, a mile away, this person is an Amerikanzer.

And what would be the point of this statement?  Europeans tend to think that they can blend in in NYC or any other part of the US, but we can usually tell by the little round eyeglasses, clothes, the way they walk and their haircuts that they are European.  So you see, it goes both ways. When I go to Europe, I dress the same way I do when I am in the US. So what if it pegs me as being "American."  It seems that people tend to go to great lengths to not look like a tourist or an American. Why?   </sarcasm

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Sth Italy – Mt Vesuvius

Question:

Hi – we’re new to this newsgroup. Aussies who have lived in Europe (Amsterdam) for a year. Can anyone share their experience on accomodation in Italy? We plan to drive to Pompei/Vesuvius/Naples/Rome – it’s hard when you can’t prioritise!!! We could be in Nth Italy (Milan?) first day of 2 weeks. Specifically – any experience with Positano etc? But we want to make the most of our time. Would love to hear "don’t miss…" Thanks Tony and Sharon

Response:

You can find Italy travel info at Travel World Italy links and if there is anything missing, why not post a message at the billboard there. http://www.welcome.to/travelworld http://members.xoom.com/hogberg/index.htm Best wishes on your trip Jan Hogberg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi – we’re new to this newsgroup. Aussies who have lived in Europe (Amsterdam) for a year. Can anyone share their experience on accomodation in Italy? We plan to drive to Pompei/Vesuvius/Naples/Rome – it’s hard when you can’t prioritise!!! We could be in Nth Italy (Milan?) first day of 2 weeks. Specifically – any experience with Positano etc? But we want to make the most of our time. Would love to hear "don’t miss…" Thanks Tony and Sharon

Response:

Hi – we’re new to this newsgroup. Aussies who have lived in Europe (Amsterdam) for a year. Can anyone share their experience on accomodation in Italy? We plan to drive to Pompei/Vesuvius/Naples/Rome – it’s hard when you can’t prioritise!!! We could be in Nth Italy (Milan?) first day of 2 weeks. Specifically – any experience with Positano etc? But we want to make the most of our time. Would love to hear "don’t miss…" Thanks Tony and Sharon

Response:

You can find Italy travel info at Travel World Italy links and if there is anything missing, why not post a message at the billboard there. http://www.welcome.to/travelworld http://members.xoom.com/hogberg/index.htm Best wishes on your trip Jan Hogberg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi – we’re new to this newsgroup. Aussies who have lived in Europe (Amsterdam) for a year. Can anyone share their experience on accomodation in Italy? We plan to drive to Pompei/Vesuvius/Naples/Rome – it’s hard when you can’t prioritise!!! We could be in Nth Italy (Milan?) first day of 2 weeks. Specifically – any experience with Positano etc? But we want to make the most of our time. Would love to hear "don’t miss…" Thanks Tony and Sharon

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