What do you on the weekends when you are not trading?

[Oscar Reed]

A beautiful day in paradise. I do not know why anyone would want to live anywhere else.

No thanks

 

[Erasmus]

No I live north of London actually, but you have to account for a few things about what you've assumed from Google:

1. Google's estimate is not only generous in my opinion, but it also doesn't account for any rest stops. I for one don't enjoy driving for 8+ hours solid without stopping for food/toilet/rest etc. That adds at least an extra hour to the journey as opposed to just going all the way in one go.

2. Once you cross the forth road bridge and get further north in Scotland, Google are probably estimating average speeds on the motorways and A roads as they do for further south. Maintaining even 60mph as you get further north when there is heavy snow fall would be a death wish.

3. Google's estimate of $103 for a flight from London to Inverness on a weekend is also an eye opener, and that's before we've been hit with ridiculous extra baggage charges for the heavy ski gear.

4. With 4 or 5 of us in the car it works out by far the cheapest and most convenient way to get there.

5. Unfortunately I've never been to the states, but I'd imagine that the drive from CA to San Francisco on nice straight, wide free ways with clear, hot weather would be quite a different story from the drive I have to endure. It's all worth it when we get there though.

From the south of England why don't you ski in France? The drive is hardly any longer but the mountains and ski conditions are in a different league. Living in London in my youth a group of us would regularly drive down to Dover after work on Friday (this was pre-tunnel), take turns driving through the night and be at the Chamonix lifts for when they opened on Saturday morning. Leave as dark fell on Sunday night and be back in London in the early hours. Knackering but great fun!

 

[hhiusa]

From the south of England why don't you ski in France? The drive is hardly any longer but the mountains and ski conditions are in a different league. Living in London in my youth a group of us would regularly drive down to Dover after work on Friday (this was pre-tunnel), take turns driving through the night and be at the Chamonix lifts for when they opened on Saturday morning. Leave as dark fell on Sunday night and be back in London in the early hours. Knackering but great fun!

Do people in Europe like driving more than flying that much?

 

[hhiusa]

A beautiful day in paradise. I do not know why anyone would want to live anywhere else.

No thanks

Considering you got those pictures from the internet, I find that a bit amusing. Why don't you post some pictures that you took yourself of where you live?

I posted my picture because I am steps away from the sand where I live. I would very much like to see some photos taken by you from around your house. :cheesy:
Where exactly were those pictures taken by the way?

 

[Erasmus]

Do people in Europe like driving more than flying that much?

We were later to have budget airlines than in the US, so back in the day when we were young and not so well off, piling into a car and driving off was by far the cheapest way of doing it. And all part of the fun. And for a short weekend you're not hostage to airline timetables, and in Europe the airports are generally still quite a way from the ski-stations. By the time you're off the plane, through customs with luggage, picked up a hire-car, and driven to the resort, that's a good couple of hours at least.

 

[hhiusa]

We were later to have budget airlines than in the US, so back in the day when we were young and not so well off, piling into a car and driving off was by far the cheapest way of doing it. And all part of the fun. And for a short weekend you're not hostage to airline timetables, and in Europe the airports are generally still quite a way from the ski-stations. By the time you're off the plane, through customs with luggage, picked up a hire-car, and driven to the resort, that's a good couple of hours at least.

I was only noting that it seemed like a lot of people choose to drive instead of fly. I just figured there had to be a reason for it. Those couple of good hours aside I'd still imagine that it takes you a great deal more hours to drive to friends from London then it does to fly. You spoke about getting budget airlines after the US. In the 1980s and East Coast to West Coast ticket was around $100 and a US to Europe ticket was about $600. In today's money adjusted from 1986 to 2016 that would only be $200 for a coast-to-coast ticket and $1200 for ticket on way to Europe. Even with the price adjusted for inflation it doesn't seem that expensive to me. Nowadays I could get a ticket to France for around $1400 all the way from here so it must be much cheaper for you guys.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/822717-airfares-past.html

 

[Oscar Reed]

Considering you got those pictures from the internet, I find that a bit amusing. Why don't you post some pictures that you took yourself of where you live?

I posted my picture because I am steps away from the sand where I live. I would very much like to see some photos taken by you from around your house. :cheesy:
Where exactly were those pictures taken by the way?

Stick some photos up at the weekend.

Have a unit weekender right on the beach and live in a house in the suburbs during the week. About 1 mile from the beach and waterfront at the end of the street.
Gold Coast
No hot dog vendors.

 

[hhiusa]

Stick some photos up at the weekend.

Have a unit weekender right on the beach and live in a house in the suburbs during the week. About 1 mile from the beach and waterfront at the end of the street.
Gold Coast
No hot dog vendors.

There is a huge odor of overcompensation coming from you right now. :cheesy:

I would love to see some real photos from you.

btw
You quoted yourself as saying what I said by accident.

 

[itspossible]

there is no place like home-my humble abode

 

[hhiusa]

What city is that in? Liverpool? Birmingham? Slough? It reminds me of a scene from "How Green Was My Valley". Why are all the houses the same?

 

[FXchedda]

From the south of England why don't you ski in France? The drive is hardly any longer but the mountains and ski conditions are in a different league. Living in London in my youth a group of us would regularly drive down to Dover after work on Friday (this was pre-tunnel), take turns driving through the night and be at the Chamonix lifts for when they opened on Saturday morning. Leave as dark fell on Sunday night and be back in London in the early hours. Knackering but great fun!

We have flirted with the idea of this before and it's probably only a matter of time before we give it a go. Especially with the poor coverage up north the last 2 seasons, it's becoming more and more of a lottery.

 

[Oscar Reed]

There is a huge odor of overcompensation coming from you right now. :cheesy:

I would love to see some real photos from you.

btw
You quoted yourself as saying what I said by accident.

Unit ocean views in front and mountain views in the back.
great for watching thunder storms and sun rises over the ocean, up 4am in summer.
House is 5km from the unit.

Gold Coast is a subtropical climate.
North to south is 100km always able to find a quiet beach area.

Some years no winter about 18 to 20 in the day.

Get 2 months of the year where can be very humid but always nice coastal breeze.

Great life style for running and water sports.

 

[hhiusa]

What neighborhood is that in? Why are there so many parking spots on the beach? In California, that would all be private property. One of the beaches that you can park like that in California, is the state beach in Huntington Beach. It is run by the state and you have to pay to park there. I do not know why some developper has not capitalised upon that. Does the government run that beach?

I like the trees on the beach there.

 

[Oscar Reed]

What neighborhood is that in? Why are there so many parking spots on the beach? In California, that would all be private property. One of the beaches that you can park like that in California, is the state beach in Huntington Beach. It is run by the state and you have to pay to park there. I do not know why some developper has not capitalised upon that. Does the government run that beach?

I like the trees on the beach there.

Burleigh Heads.
Not every beach has that much parking.
You have to pay to park there from 9 to 5
We have meter maids.
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...ved=0ahUKEwiS4KD5r_PKAhWDpJQKHSBmBFIQ_AUIBigB
There is parking under the unit.
Only two suburbs on the Gold coast where there is house's on the beach side.
Developers would love to build there, but would never happen, there would be public uproar.
Australia tries to keep the green space(parks) next to the beach.
Council runs the beaches.

Norfolk Island Pine Trees.

 

[hhiusa]

Burleigh Heads.
Not every beach has that much parking.
You have to pay to park there from 9 to 5
We have meter maids.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise_Meter_Maids
There is parking under the unit.
Only two suburbs on the Gold coast where there is house's on the beach side.
Developers would love to build there, but would never happen, there would be public uproar.
Australia tries to keep the green space(parks) next to the beach.
Council runs the beaches.

Norfolk Island Pine Trees.

Public access to the beach is not guaranteed here. In Malibu there are very few spots for you can actually get on to the main beach because there is private property literally sitting on the sand. To get onto the beach there requires no less than trespassing even though the beaches are not private except with few exceptions. Seal beach Newport Beach Laguna Beach and Dana point all have private property along the sand. Some beaches are inaccessible unless you own property there.

The beaches all belong to individual cities here which is why the beach that is part of Huntington Beach is called the state beach because it belongs to the state.

Public out roar doesn't seem to stop developers here although there is the California Coastal Commission. As long as the development doesn't affect the environment they don't care. Many people don't seem to care either as it usually adds to their property value when it comes with secluded beaches.

By the way why is it called the Gold Coast in Australia? It is called the Gold Coast here because California is the Golden State.

 

[Oscar Reed]

Public access to the beach is not guaranteed here. In Malibu there are very few spots for you can actually get on to the main beach because there is private property literally sitting on the sand. To get onto the beach there requires no less than trespassing even though the beaches are not private except with few exceptions. Seal beach Newport Beach Laguna Beach and Dana point all have private property along the sand. Some beaches are inaccessible unless you own property there.

The beaches all belong to individual cities here which is why the beach that is part of Huntington Beach is called the state beach because it belongs to the state.

Public out roar doesn't seem to stop developers here although there is the California Coastal Commission. As long as the development doesn't affect the environment they don't care. Many people don't seem to care either as it usually adds to their property value when he comes with secluded beaches.

By the way why is it called the Gold Coast in Australia? It is called the Gold Coast here because California is the Golden State.

Had to wiki that one.

Lieutenant James Cook became the first European to note the region when he sailed along the coast on 16 May 1770 in the HM Bark Endeavour. Captain Matthew Flinders, an explorer charting the continent north from the colony of New South Wales, sailed past in 1802. Escaped convicts from the Moreton Bay penal settlement hid in the region. The region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach, which was named after seeing a cutter named Mermaid. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century. The western suburb of Nerang was surveyed and established as a base for the industry. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established. Southport quickly grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents.

Gold Coast was originally known as the South Coast (because it was south of Brisbane). However, inflated prices for real estate and other goods and services led to the nickname of "Gold Coast" from 1950.[4][5][6][7][8] South Coast locals initially considered the name "Gold Coast" derogatory.[9] However, soon the "Gold Coast" simply became a convenient way to refer to the holiday strip from Southport to Coolangatta.[10][11][12][13][14] As the tourism industry grew into the 1950s, local businesses began to adopt the term in their names, and on 23 October 1958 the Town of South Coast was renamed Town of Gold Coast.[15] The area was proclaimed a city less than one year later.[16]

In 2007, Gold Coast overtook the population of Newcastle, New South Wales to become the sixth largest city in Australia and the largest non-capital city

 

[hhiusa]

Had to wiki that one.

Lieutenant James Cook became the first European to note the region when he sailed along the coast on 16 May 1770 in the HM Bark Endeavour. Captain Matthew Flinders, an explorer charting the continent north from the colony of New South Wales, sailed past in 1802. Escaped convicts from the Moreton Bay penal settlement hid in the region. The region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach, which was named after seeing a cutter named Mermaid. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century. The western suburb of Nerang was surveyed and established as a base for the industry. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established. Southport quickly grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents.

Gold Coast was originally known as the South Coast (because it was south of Brisbane). However, inflated prices for real estate and other goods and services led to the nickname of "Gold Coast" from 1950.[4][5][6][7][8] South Coast locals initially considered the name "Gold Coast" derogatory.[9] However, soon the "Gold Coast" simply became a convenient way to refer to the holiday strip from Southport to Coolangatta.[10][11][12][13][14] As the tourism industry grew into the 1950s, local businesses began to adopt the term in their names, and on 23 October 1958 the Town of South Coast was renamed Town of Gold Coast.[15] The area was proclaimed a city less than one year later.[16]

In 2007, Gold Coast overtook the population of Newcastle, New South Wales to become the sixth largest city in Australia and the largest non-capital city

Do you surf at all? Surfing is a big deal here. Funny that you mention James Cook. He was one the first non-natives to see surfing in Hawai'i and Tahiti.

 

[Oscar Reed]

Do you surf at all? Surfing is a big deal here. Funny that you mention James Cook. He was one the first non-natives to see surfing in Hawai'i and Tahiti.

Little bit not very good, more of a swimmer.

The Amercian Kelly Slater is a big name here and spends time on the coast.

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...h/news-story/88ab0736a7148fce62242673b66fe759

 

[NVP]

What neighborhood is that in? Why are there so many parking spots on the beach? In California, that would all be private property. One of the beaches that you can park like that in California, is the state beach in Huntington Beach. It is run by the state and you have to pay to park there. I do not know why some developper has not capitalised upon that. Does the government run that beach?

I like the trees on the beach there.

Hey USA

Why not treat yourself and see the world......it's money well,spent and the experiences will live with you forever ?

I lived in aus for a,while so I know where Oscar is......the wet season can drive you a little. Troppo. . but otherwise superb place to live

Shame they threw me and thousands of other Brits out for visa breaches ......a little,ironic given the countries heritage ???? .

N

 

[hhiusa]

Hey USA

Why not treat yourself and see the world......it's money well,spent and the experiences will live with you forever ?

I lived in aus for a,while so I know where Oscar is......the wet season can drive you a little. Troppo. . but otherwise superb place to live

Shame they threw me and thousands of other Brits out for visa breaches ......a little,ironic given the countries heritage ???? .

N

A visa breach sound like a good reason to deport somebody. They should do more of that here.

I have travelled and will continue to travel. If you have travelled abroad, do you speak any foreign languages? I almost always make it a point to learn the language of the country that I travel to.