SirTK's activity

Questions Asked

I travelled via Belgium last week and decided to stay overnight at Dinant, where I have stayed previously and found to be marginally less bad than most towns in Belgium.To anyone contemplating a similar stop - don't.The whole of the town is being

Tue, 04/09/2013 - 08:23

My wife and I want to boost our Italian learning with a short intensive course in Italy.

Wed, 08/22/2012 - 05:57

At La Dolce Vita exhibition at Olympia this year I bought a jar of garlic cloves preserved in a pizzaiola type oil and vinegar mixture.It is just amazing for snacking, the whole cloves are really crunchy with a fairly mild flavour of the garlic an

Tue, 08/25/2009 - 03:05

I need to buy a tyre for my car. I googled all the usual words but came up with nothing. Back in UK I would simply go to Kwikfit, or ATS etc and it would be done on the spot.

Thu, 08/06/2009 - 15:30

Does anybody have a contact for a sun blind maker?Think of a conventional, rather old-fashioned roller blind with the roller fixed at the top of the window and the blind hanging vertically down.

Mon, 07/06/2009 - 13:18

Comments posted

Fri, 01/08/2010 - 03:39

Assuming your students want to spend their money on booze etc rather than on French road tolls :P, I would recommend ferry to Dunkerque and travel down through Belgium and Luxembourg (cheap fuel), re-entering France at Metz. Then down the wine route to Molsheim on the way to Basel and Gotthard (avoid weekend, when there probably will be a queue), after which it's downhill all the way to Italy. Municipal campsites are very inexpensive and can be extremely good, but probably won't show on commercial websites. Local tourist office is probably the best way to find them. Terry

Thu, 12/17/2009 - 02:27

From the HSBC website for Italy; Personal Banking / Commercial Banking HSBC regrets to inform that it does not offer personal or commercial banking services in Italy, at this moment in time. which is what my local Premier branch manager told me as well. Be interesting to see how you get on. Terry

Sun, 12/13/2009 - 06:45

...at the Facebook comments claiming the verdict was biased because Italy doesn't like the USA. Why single out Italy?

Fri, 12/11/2009 - 13:04

I came up through Switzerland on Tuesday. There was a bit of snow just before Gotthard but it had been well cleared earlier. There are a few roadworks but it was a breeze, as usual. I would still avoid weekends if you can. I have taken to going through Belgium just to ring the changes (and save on tolls!) and have had no problems at all. I resent doing the Mont Blanc route just because they charge 30 odd euro each way, whereas Gotthard is free once you have your vignette.

Answer to: Calendars
Fri, 12/11/2009 - 03:11

If you look at the bibliographic data, it says Format: Calendar Number of pages: 640  Width: 155.00 mm Height: 133.00 mm Thickness: 46.00 mm Weight: 363.00 g that's some book - all that and a CD thrown in for £7.95! But how does it work as a calendar?

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 06:30

For me the reporter displays the usual sneery contempt for any legal system that is not British. It's like he considers Italy to be some backward, corrupt, inept, third world nation.I wonder what the report would have said (on Meredith's behalf) if the trial had been held in USA and a not guilty verdict returned.So no matter what spin the Guardian reporter wants to apply, the fact is a lengthy trial was held and all evidence considered. Whilst over the course of the trial it seems the prosecution convinced the judges to convict, the couple and their lawyers seemingly did nothing to convince the judges of their innocence. Which is what you have to be able to do.

Thu, 11/19/2009 - 05:48

 The 7 year thing may be a red herring.In UK a gift is deemed full and final the instant the gift is made. Tax on the gift is potentially liable for 7 years following the gift, so would take effect if the donor died during that period, but the gift is not affected.(Italy may have a totally different law, of course, so I could be totally wrong!)

Thu, 11/19/2009 - 05:18

 "Monthly food bills: meat is quite expensive now, for fillet steak, T Bones etc circa 18.00 per kg for good quality."I'm just being picky, I know, but where I am we pay around €37 for fillet and t-bone....T  

Sun, 11/08/2009 - 05:01

I rang around the brokers too, but found my own bank was slightly better.Remember the brokers are direct sales operations, so each commission-only broker operative will have his commission included in the total deal. Your bank is staffed by employees so their fee is likely to be less than the amount a salesman will be trying to make.However, you do have to get to the foreign exchange back office of your bank, as the front desk will not get you the best rate.

Mon, 10/26/2009 - 03:57

We recently got a dish for UK channels and I really regret it. I'm reminded that money-based production values have reduced UK TV to mainly portraying some of the very worst aspects of UK society and now it's being sent to my home in Italy.Problem now is how to convince 'er indoors that that's the case. We just might have to develop a fault with the connection........