alan h's activity

Questions Asked

Tesco and Eurotunnel[Copied from another Forum]If you shop at Tesco you'll probably be rewarded with Cash Vouchers.  What you may not know is that you can exchange these for 3x their value with Eurotunnel.

Sun, 03/18/2018 - 16:50

ITALIAN GENEALOGYI am researching my family tree [all UK based], and belong to a Genealogy Group here in the UK - its part of the U3A [an organisation for 'retired persons who want to do things rather than sit at home all d

Wed, 01/04/2017 - 05:24

Cancelling a Eurotunnel Booking I have had to cancel a return trip on Eurotunnel [Car + 2 + Dog], as I have to go into hospital for an op.The booking was 'non-refundable'.I rang them to cancel and they confirmed it was non-

Thu, 05/26/2016 - 08:00

IMU - Its still around I thought this had disappeared in the new tax system, but my Comune website says the first payment for 2014 is due by 16th June Paid it via my bank today - emailed them the F24

Fri, 06/13/2014 - 08:56

Looks like the days of the easy/cheap trip to italy through Switzerland are numbered. Apparently, the Swiss government has decided to raise the cost of the vignette to 100 Swiss Francs for 2015. They are introducing a two month vignette for 40SF,

Sun, 09/01/2013 - 15:58

Petrol prices in France are now comparable with the UK, except on the French Autoroutes.One option is to fill up at the L'Eclerc superstores with their SP95 E10 petrol [its a petrol with some ethylene in - generally used in France - which is OK fo

Thu, 07/11/2013 - 04:25

For a change this year we drove down to Italy via Besancon  [avoiding most tolls by taking some good french non-motorways.]However - Besancon roads are in total chaos as they are digging them up to lay tram routes - this will take about 2 more yea

Wed, 07/10/2013 - 16:44

Can you help?I've just completed making a 'variation' of Limoncello. The only change is that I dispensed with the lemons, I and substituted Sloes that I picked here in the UK at the end of last year.

Sun, 01/20/2013 - 09:10

In today's GuardianRyanair have announced their credit card will now be liable to the same charges as other credit cards - so the end of no charge bookings

Sat, 11/10/2012 - 09:07

Comments posted

Wed, 02/22/2012 - 04:31

"St Gottherd tunnel in our experience only has long queues in the summer and at Easter. It is very likely when you travel that the pass will be closed because of snow. " The pass may well be closed when you travel in March.  Its status [Open/Closed] will be well sign posted before you get to the 'turn-off'. About the long queues - these happen, but this can be when its quicker to take the pass, as the inside lane of the motorway is, for the last couple of miles or more, set aside for people going over the pass - so you can fly past the queues.  [I suppose you could use the inside lane to cut back into the tunnel traffic near the tunnel [lights stop cars queueing in the short tunnels on the approach], but that's probably illegal and I'd bet they have cameras checking on that]   "I have only once been over the top and found it terrifying." I can't believe that - its fantastic, and not a difficult drive, as long as you take it easy on the downhill bit

Answer to: censured posts
Tue, 02/21/2012 - 17:31

I 'set up the "Items For Sale or Free " Group , so I have an editing facility on postings in that Group, but [to date] have never used it. I can only assume that 'someone up there' doesn't like postings about houses for sale, as they might hit income from Agency adverts [but that is only supposition].  If that is the case, I can understand why postings are removed, but can't explain why it may not be universally applied [unless other adverts just 'slipped through'] Also, I would have hoped that Posters falling foul of any rule would get a message from 'them what removed the posting'

Mon, 02/20/2012 - 13:19

Can you tell us what it says on the 'demand' - then perhaps someone can translate it and advise you   Alan

Sun, 02/12/2012 - 10:30

"Seems strange that you cannot 'delete' a post !"  You can't - but you can edit it - say by deleting everything and just putting 'Duplicate post removed' in its place

Wed, 02/08/2012 - 10:22

"It is said that those wonderful rescue dogs, the Saint Bernards, used to carry either grappa or genepy in their barrels to help people in trouble in the snow." They never carried brandy.  According to Wikipedia "The monks of the St. Bernard Hospice deny that any St. Bernard has ever carried casks or small barrels around their necks; they believe that the origin of the image is an 1820 painting by Edwin Landseer, perhaps Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (which became a popular engraving in 1931 by Charles Landseer).  The monks did keep casks around for photographs by tourists" Nice story though

Wed, 02/08/2012 - 04:46

"......... then it cut out and now won't start, battery is fine,..............I assume the diesel is 'frozen' ? No idea what to do when I do try again !!!" You could try warming the fuel tank - not by the 'traditional' method of lighting a [small] fire underneath it, but a fan heater might work

Answer to: Breathalysers
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 04:40

Ferry companies will sell them on board - but you can get cheap ones in French pharmacies [but you'd have to drive there to get one, and S*d's Law says you'd get stopped on the way] I assume that they'll soon be available on the web

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 18:08

"......  but you can prepare a great bread-and-butter pudding with panettone leftovers!!! ..........." It makes the best bread-and-butter pudding  ever - we sometimes buy pannettone just to make bread-and-butter pudding

Answer to: Italian Time
Wed, 01/18/2012 - 06:55

How easy was it to get the necessary approvals from the Comune?

Mon, 01/16/2012 - 14:32

  It may vary by area, but for Lombardia/Milan;-   School year 2011-2012 School year begins 5 September 2011(infant/nursery schools) 12 September 2011(primary/secondary schools) All Saints' Day (festa di tutti i Santi) 1 November 2011 Immaculate Conception (Immacolata Concezione) 8 December 2011 Christmas Break (vacanze Natalizie) 22 December 2011- 8 January 2012 Easter Break (vacanze Pasquali) 4 April - 11 April 2012 Liberation Day (Anniversario Liberazione) 25 April 2012 Labor Day (Festa del Lavoro) 1 May 2012 Republic Day (Festa della Repubblica) 2 June 2012 School year ends 9 June 2012(primary/ secondary schools) 29 June 2012