Holidays??

[Arnie]

Hi Yall, is everyone on holiday? Where does one go on holiday now in the UK? Blackpool looks like a rundown slum, so that's out!!! Europe looks just as bad and what can one say about the US?

I must say the Hawks in Canada chose a great place, for me ruined by the cold and the Trudeaus!! Bill you seem to have chosen a good spot.
Let us know where the best place for your holidays are. Don't say NZ cos I will disagree.

Keep safe, well, and prosperous.

[Pinky]

Howdy,
My folks moved from Salford to Blackpool about 15 yrs ago. I love visiting Blackpool on our holidays......there are run down slums everywhere but that doesn't make it a bad place. This year the wife and I were in Lancashire in May and Las Vegas in September. We've never had a bad Mexican holiday, the
Dominican Republic was ok but Cuba was a bit disappointing. We live about 1.5 hours north of Montana and enjoy that state. Never had a bad experience in the USA either. Would never visit Australia - hate the accent and not enough room for all that testosterone and ego's plus me!!
Bucket List:
Graceland
Greece
A cruise (again)
New York (again)
Hawaii (again)
All the best
Pinky

[Bill Bentley]

l guess it won't surprise many, but l have only ever been on one 'arranged holiday' to Gran Canaria and it was fine for a young family way back when.
l spent most of my free time on self arranged 'Lonely Planet' type trips, hitch hiking or using public transport to get to meet the natives.
Chile and Patagonia will always stick in my mind.
Zimbabwe was another favourite haunt, but all of Africa is, or rather was, to be highly recommended.
I found Taipeh great but had the advantage of having friends living there.
And of course even Europe has it's gems: l spent ages up in the Pyreneese Mountains looking for the few still wild bears, but had to content myself with wolves.
I used to get around on my various motorbikes which grew into a serise of caravans as my age caught up with me.
l won't fly any more for environmental reasons, my only ships cruise was to the South Atlantic, don't want to do that again !

As l write this we are about to hand over our flat in Germany and leave this crazy land, after almost 35 years, ... forever !

You right Arnie, we have found a great spot 200m above the Mediteranian in a remote valley with sea views. Only one neighbour in sight, almost perfect !

Thanks for reminding me ...

[Arnie]

Hi Yall,

Pinky,
at my age don't have a bucket list but regret that I didn't get to see some places in the world.
Yours sounds super and I wish you all the luck in the world ticking the items off, one by one.

Bill,
you have packed more holidays into your lifetime, even if they weren't 'arranged'. Your spot sounds like 'retirement paradise', which many people in the world would want to visit, but then it wouldn't be a paradise anymore. Though I have seen in the not-too-distant past, (3/4 weeks ago on Youtube) a rumour that the Spanish Government intends to bring in stringent rules regarding "foreigners" claiming permanent residence in that paradise of yours!

I took out Citizenship of Australia many years ago so in the limited time left to me I needn't worry!!!! I had such a good time on that cruise Brenda and I took, calling at Bali, Penang, Thailand, Bangkok, somewhere in Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It was brilliant, 26 nights and days of eat, drink, sleep and enjoy oneself. But enough is enough.
Anybody else got a 'bucket list' or travelled as much as Bill and Pinky.

Stay safe and well.

[Arnie]

Adden(dum)

Ignore those underlines!!!!

[Bill Bentley]

Pinky, Arnie & all,
l worked in some of the places that you mentioned: Maui, one of the Hawian Islands, which was really nice. Especially horse riding up in the mountains. They have a special breed of their own, tougher than a Mark 1 VW Golf .

I was also in New York which l remember as a cesspit of humanity. Our grand son has just returned from there and was taken aback by the poverty of so many amongst such wealth. So nothing has changed there then.

Once on my way to a Greek Island, Zakinthos, we were forced to land in Athens because of a storm. l spent all night in a taxi doing the Akropolis etc. etc. etc. (adding to their air pollution problems). Later to discover that the film in my camera had not been loaded properly ... so no pic's from there .
Just after my arrival on Zakinthos l experienced my first considerable earthquake. lt's as impressive as standing on the rim of an active volcano and every bit as dangerous. Not for the feaint hearted l assure you !

As for cruises, guys, lounging around between scrumptious meals and resting ... would be Hell for me. On days when l don't have enough work to do to burn off the calories that l eat, l just pile on the kilo's. lt's a real battle to stay around 80 kg's, if l weigh much more my whole body protests and hurts like hell.
I/ we already do the 16-8 diet, which basiclly just means not eating supper too late and missing breakfast. This is supposed to give your organs a rest and a chance to regenerate. lt certainly reduces my pain levels ... were it not for well meaning friends and BBQ's, Beer etc. etc. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions !

[Pinky]

Thanks Bill, that's me told.......
LOL

[Bill Bentley]

Hi Pinky,
it was not my intention to tell others how to live or what to do on holiday, just to relate my own situation and experiences.
No offence intended !

Arnie,
l am all for having strict immigration rules, what's going on in the UK and Europe is nuts !

I don't see any country not wanting wealthy pensioners, with international health insurance, spending our pennies in their country.

Spain also has strict inheritance laws and if a foreigner has not 'followed the rules', land owned falls back to the state after 10 years, for resale.

ln Germany there are still prime plots of land unused for over 100 years (pre WW1) because they are still looking for the owners descendants - world wide. Bearing in mind that WW2 and the DDR happened, not to mention the de-throning of the Kaisers clan this smacks of first grade stupidity to me.

[Arnie]

Hi Yall,
Bill,
some German characteristics have been the subject of extensive studies, which causes me to be surprised that they are still searching, after 100 years plus, for the owners of what property! What with their penchant for keeping immaculate records of deaths, temporary inmates, etc., etc., in the concentration camps they surely kept immaculate records of who owned what in the country, who served in the Services, and died in what battle and where!!
Talking of who owns what is brought home by the current interminable Israeli/Palestine quarrel. Is it Israel(Judea, if you want to go back far enough) or Palestine????? I would imagine ALL countries and peoples could lay claim to ALL lands of the World if you went back far enough. To my mind, the Israelis have a more legitimate right to the shitting place than the Palestinians.
Just my opinion
Which way does the prevailing wind blow in Spain? Just in case either of these intransigent b.....ds press "the" button.

[Bill Bentley]

Our wind comes mostly from the West, the Atlantic, so we should be ok.

Although once a fan of lsrael, l grew to be appauled by the way they treat their fellow people - neighbours. l spent some time there in '81 with some mates ... it's a long story ... we caused a serious firefight between Jordan and lsrael and landed in prison in Jericho. We were later exhonorated of all blame and freed .

We later actually spent xmas eve in Bethlehem, no room at the inn, as the story goes. So, in pouring rain, we dossed in a wrecked car on a rubbish dump. The next morning we were invited to breakfast with a Palastinian family, such generosity from people who themselves had so little.

The continued illegal building of Jewish settlements on Palastinian land, in my eyes, make lsrael the the main cause of the current problems. This illegal occupation of land has been condemned by the UN, but lsrael continues to dominate and opress their neighbours with impunity ... supported by the USA and Europe.

lf you force people into a corner you should not be surprised if they come out fighting !