h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ooh, I've sailed into Turku. Awfully smelly place - all that papermilling. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but we landed and scooted off to N Keralia as fast as we could

Fb

Papermilling? Sounds like you sailed to Rauma. I can't think of a single papermill in Turku.

But they both have pretty smelly harbours and they're not so far apart.

Karelia was probably a much better bet!

I wrote that too late last night! I meant Kotka

Karelia was fantastic.

Fb

I just finished the first draft of my first entry, and would appreciate any feedback you would care to offer.

The entry is at A2628948

Thanks,
Don

Excellent work

The only things I'd suggest are perhaps including a little pointer as to where it is ('The MoPac Bike Trail, Nebraska, USA' perhaps?) and I spotted a typo ('extreem').

I recommend submitting it to PeerReview right away, if you'd like to get it in the Edited Guide - it should have no problem getting in.

Well, I don't know about youse guys, but it seems to me the travelling season's shortly to be upon us...

Or to put it more simplistically, are you going anywhere exciting on your holidays?

My main one's going to be spending a week in a villa in Tuscany with seven of my mates. I'm trying to do something in the couple of days before the rental starts - three of us are considering either flying out early and doing a bit of a cycle tour, or else driving down and making a bit of a road trip out of it.

I'm lucky enough to have a freebie next week, too - I'm off to spend a week with my parents on a French barge that they've got a share of. Should be really nice and relaxing, and I've always loved being around boats.

But what I find potentially most exciting is the journey that might happen after it. I still get on well with my ex-girlfriend, who comes from near Venice. And I always fancied going there by train, but in the six years we were together I never did - compared to flying it was always too expensive, both in financial and time terms.

She's going back home for a few days before she goes to Mexico next month to be an English teacher, and they've moved to a new house and her Mum's asked if I'd like to come out and see it. Which I would, quite. The thing is, she's flying out while I'm still in France.

So I thought - I can try and change my Eurostar ticket back from Paris, and in the meantime take the train to Venice for a couple of days. Change in Milan and so on. It sounds like a proper journey, the kind I've not done for years...

Ooh a proper journey I long for one of those

Hello Six: I thought it might be you propping up the bar. I thought this one had closed a while back...

*blows the dust off the seat and puffs up the comfy cusions before sitting down* Mine's a

I'm off to London tomorrow - which, for us country folk, is a journey I promise

Then next week to Iceland, about which there is already an entry But I might find something to write about I guess. Trouble is, I'm only there a few days and am going with my mother, who is elderly and not up to much exercise She sleeps most afternoons though, so I'll be able to go out to play

*drifts off into a dream about a real journey.... aaaaaaah Samoa *

Fb

Err, I went to the New Forest last month . Having said that, I also took a skiing trip earlier in the year. Potential entry coming up- I've been going to the same village in Austria for years...

Going for a week walking in the Eastern Pyrenees end of July. The Cathar trail, finishing in the Med.

Should be good, and frankly I'd do anything to get away from the terrible Belgian weather we're having at the moment.

sprout

I think I'd like to go to all those places...

sprout, is it me or does terrible Belgian weather sound worse than terrible weather from anywhere else?

I suppose terrible Siberian weather would beat it, but terrible Belgian weather sounds a lot worse than, say, terrible Dutch weather or terrible French weather.

The terrible thing about terrible Belgian weather is that it is terribly unpredictable.

I cycled back from a meeting in town last week and had to empty water out of my shoes when I arrived back at the office. Not conducive to further work.

Today I left home in full waterproofs and it's now quite warm.

To be honest it's probably the same weather as London. Apparently it's there too.

sprout

how's the weather now? I'm feeling awfully lonely, one girl in a big bar all by her lonesome...

Hey, anyone been to Belize? It has what I was about to call very nice weather, but really it has humid occasionally rainy weather in July... Still a good visit though.

hm... suppose I'll get a and .

Oh
Hello again!


Where's everyone else gone? The bar does seem a bit deserted doesn't it.
I'll have an please.

Never been to Belize. What's it like?

I'd love to go Belize - an acquaintance went early in the year. Apparently it's the only South American country where English is the native language. Is this true?

I think I remember reading that somewhere...

On the weather front, I went to Mexico last September (still meaning to write Guide Entries on the places I went) which was during the rainy season and it was so hot it didn't really make a difference.

It would start teeming down at about half past three every day, and rain stair-rods for about two or three hours, but it was always so hot before that that it came as something of a relief. Also, as it was warm rain, it was perfectly possible to swim throughout the rain and not get any wetter! Or you just took your siesta then.

Ah, siestas!

How I wish that habit would catch on in northern Europe.
The 'kip' doesn't quite have the same reassuring regularity about it.

I constantly wished siestas were part of the school curriculum...

Belize was great, we caught it at the beginning of the rainy season, so it only rained about two days in the week we were there. Very manageable. The food's interesting, and most people spoke English and Spanish- some spoke a Mayan dialect too. I'm not sure it's the only English- speaking country in Central America, but that sounds plausible...

I'd have an , but I'm not drinking age... stick to !

Quite right.

Very medicinal and relaxing.