trousers

I want/need to go the quickest route regardless of which countries that entails. Is there a quicker route than the one that the online map sites come up with? Will happily look into any viable alternatives. Cheers

Cheers :-)

There's another country where they do the same.....might be Malta IIRC. Does take a bit of getting used to, especially the remembering not to do it when you get back to the UK bit...! :-) I must admit that I'm torn between getting from A to B as quickly (and safely) as possible versus making as many stop offs as possible. As I'm not familiar with any alternative routes I'm inclined to stick with what ViaMichelin and Google Maps are telling me (hence plucking Lucerne and Lugano out at random as places to stay overnight enroute). But will certainly play it by ear along the way if we're making good time. I tend to find that the online route calculators tend to over estimate the time it takes so hopefully that'll buy us some time (sod's law aside) Now, that reminds me of drivign on the autobahns in Germany. It's surprising how quickly one gets used to re-calibrating one's anticipation of approaching vehicle speed when there's no limit! But, as you say, even though they get right up your bumper there's no aggression involved per se, it's just the way they drive and everyone seems to respect lane disipline more as a result of the high speeds. No middle lane hoggers in Germany! Will do. I'll just address it to: "Nutjobs, Saints Web Forum, Southampton"....I'm sure it'll get here OK.... :-) Thanks for the advice SB

Cheers DP....a few follow up queries below if I may be so bold.... Do they take bank cards as well as cash? If yes, would you still recommend sticking with cash? (maybe crap exchange rate on the card?) Is it obvious which stations are self-service and which aren't as you approach them? I assume the motorway service stations are all self-serve? And, what's with the painful fingers....?! Sounds the complete opposite to German service stations then. I couldn't quite believe the excellent quality of the fresh food on the autobahns. Still, it sounds like a slight improvement on the grease laden excuse for food you get on UK motorways! Hmmm....interestign one that. I tend to rely on the damn thing especially when travelling around Europe as the rest of the family are useless map readers and navigators! Are you recommending that because they tend to be inaccurate in Italy or just a personal preference? Cheers It's funny you should say that....I've been stung numerous times before (lack of planning and poor use of the 'data off' control on the phone, but I got a text through from O2 last week saying that, as from July, they are going to start capping Europe data charges at £1.99 per day which, given they used to charge £3 per MB, is a pretty hefty change in favour of the customer. Some EU directive I believe.... Whereabouts did you park to pick up the metro? We've been recommended the mainline train as we're about 50 miles north of Rome but would entertain driving in closer to the outskirts of the city if it was no bother. Are there 'safer' places to park than others? For example, I assume parking in a mainline train station car park would probably be as safe as it gets. Cheers again

Cheers for the oodles of advice guys and gals - much appreciated. I'm a little intrigued by the requirement to carry breathalysers though.....is this some kind of government cut back whereby the police have run out of cash to carry their own? Or is there some other no doubt obvious reason why? I seem to remember this idea was mooted in the UK a few years back but it was discarded because people thought that it might ENCOURAGE more people to drink and drive (just under the limit) if they had easu access to breathalyser kits....

Just thought of another dumb question.....! Should I go clockwise or anti-clockwise around Milan?

Looking at the map again, it doesn't look like my 'natural' route takes me near to the Gt St Bernard or Mont Blanc tunnel areas. I'm looking at Basel -> Lucerne -> Milan Anyone know how clogged up that particular trans-apline route can get compared to the other options? (the route is labelled E35 on the map) Sorry for all the dumb questions!

Hi Sue - is that something I need to buy in advance or do I simple buy it at the Swiss border on the way through - cheers Does that route add much time to the route that the likes of Google Maps recommend? cheers

Excuse my ignorance but what is the GSB tunnel? We only chose Luzern and Lugano as stoppover points as they happened to be on the route that the online route finders came up with. Do you think there's a better way to get from France to Italy that might not seem so obvious via the online searches? Given the length of the journey the most important factor for us is 'shortest time' rather than 'most scenic' cheers - will look out for the sticker :-) Edit: ah, got it I think....GSB = Great St Bernard?

Hi Jason.....nice one....great minds thinking alike.... :-) Have you tried the Via Michelin site for working out routes etc? I find it a bit more informative than Google Maps - for example it'll give you a fuel cost estimate if you tell it what type of engine you've got etc. I also find the print-outs a little easier on the eye. Just a personal preference though. The site is here: http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/ cheers

You'd like to think so.....I have my theories on that one but won't air them in public in case there are any company lawyers looking in....

Cheers - yep, I've read some similar hairy stories about avoiding Italian city centres in general. The Italian owners of the house we are staying in north of Rome have told us we shoud drive 15kms to the nearest mainline station and get a train into the city from there. I went to a conference in Rome in the late 90s and our hotel was up on one of the hills surrounding the city. I remember 4 if us getting a cab back up to the hotel one evening - the time of day where they turned all the traffic lights at cross roads to flashing orange rather than red/green - and we literally feared for our lives with the speed that the taxi driver went through these junctions. I'm sure they knew what they were doing and had a mutual understanding with their fellow drivers but we didn't know whether to laugh or cry (one chap ended up doing both!).

I'm with saintjay.....I think the "clubs like ours" is referring to the size of the club (i.e. 'medium' sized, never really won much) rather than comparing the levels of investment. Needs a comma after 'ours' I think :-)

Greetings fellow forum stalwarts, 6 of us are driving down to Italy in August for our 2 week summer holiday. The first week we are staying 50 ish miles north of Rome (near Viterbo) and the second week we are staying 60 ish miles south of Naples (near Sassano). On the way down we've got an overnight stay in Switzerland for the outbound and return trips (Luzerne and Lugano respectively). Anyone got any travel tips for the journey? (e.g. routes to avoid, driving tips, etc). I've done plenty of driving around France, Germany and Denmark but never Italy. Also, any tips for places to visit whilst there (the obvious Rome and Naples/Pompeii tourist traps aside)? Cheers me dears, Lord Trousers and family

...

From the comments sections of the Guardian article:

See below.....

It's taken more seriously than it once was but it's still the part of a project that people begrudge spending money on. Re: independence...not sure in this case as the company concerned are not one of our accounts but it varies. This all comes down to the 'calibre' of employee working in testing and the front line support roles of IT depts these days. And, yes, the exec management are ultimately responsible for pursuing aggressive cost cutting models that don't actually end up saving any money. All IMHO of course...

This is nothing to do with hacking (AFAIK)

This is the industry I work in. Can't say much but this was a problem waiting to happen

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/25/how-natwest-it-meltdown?newsfeed=true If only they'd listened to me 10 years ago....

Indeed......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/18554519 In other semi-related news.....Bradford Bulls have just gone into administration with "only 10 days to save the club from liquidation"....only 10 days between administration and liquidation....? Blimey.....Carlsberg don't do swift administrations but if they did....

That thought occured to me too. Why would an administrator who's trying to avoid a points penalty go out of his way to highlight that a points penalty could now be on the cards. It's almost as if he knows what is about to happen and is trying to break it gently....