15:07 h, on Monday, December 4. 2006 in London. Pedestrian street in front of Covent Gardens.
I suppose, miniTAX, you are against pedestrian shopping areas at all?
Walter Hinteler wrote:Foxfyre wrote:But looking at that picture Walter posted, I shuddered to think about trying to shop in the middle of that enormous crowd. Is that appealing to you Europeans? I'm not saying we don't have some of the same situation here at certain events or even on some of our streets in the larger cities, but it sure doesn't look like fun to me.
But then, due to the distance and time involved, I pretty much have to drive my car to shop anywhere so . . .
I don't think that such is THE aim for any shopper here. But such happens at special occasions, e.g. when Oxford Street becomes pedestrian only for the first time since centuries.
And as I get, it's the same in the USA.
Of course, most - including me - would like to drive in front of ashop and then drive to the next one.
But not only to our medieval city centres that's not what is possible: actually, shoppers don't like cars on pavements or when crossing streets very much.
One of the reasons, we got pedestrian-only shopping areas all over Europe.
The park-and-ride system is a great advantage, especially in bigger cities.
I wonder if the downtown shopping in a city like London will eventually go the way of the dinosaur, except for the shops selling souvenirs for the tourists. Big stores like Walmart and shopping centers in the suburbs are far more efficient.
okie wrote:Walter Hinteler wrote:Foxfyre wrote:But looking at that picture Walter posted, I shuddered to think about trying to shop in the middle of that enormous crowd. Is that appealing to you Europeans? I'm not saying we don't have some of the same situation here at certain events or even on some of our streets in the larger cities, but it sure doesn't look like fun to me.
But then, due to the distance and time involved, I pretty much have to drive my car to shop anywhere so . . .
I don't think that such is THE aim for any shopper here. But such happens at special occasions, e.g. when Oxford Street becomes pedestrian only for the first time since centuries.
And as I get, it's the same in the USA.
Of course, most - including me - would like to drive in front of ashop and then drive to the next one.
But not only to our medieval city centres that's not what is possible: actually, shoppers don't like cars on pavements or when crossing streets very much.
One of the reasons, we got pedestrian-only shopping areas all over Europe.
The park-and-ride system is a great advantage, especially in bigger cities.
I wonder if the downtown shopping in a city like London will eventually go the way of the dinosaur, except for the shops selling souvenirs for the tourists. Big stores like Walmart and shopping centers in the suburbs are far more efficient.
Efficient, ugly, soulless, full of crappy chinese stuff.
You can keep 'em
Cycloptichorn
okie wrote:
I wonder if the downtown shopping in a city like London will eventually go the way of the dinosaur, except for the shops selling souvenirs for the tourists. Big stores like Walmart and shopping centers in the suburbs are far more efficient.
Might well be - but we Europeans do like active and attractive cities.
Foxfyre wrote:But looking at that picture Walter posted, I shuddered to think about trying to shop in the middle of that enormous crowd. Is that appealing to you Europeans?
Actually, yes it is. Part of why I enjoy Christmas shopping in New York...
Why do you ask?
And why I so enjoy the Christmas markets in German towns.
georgeob1 wrote:And why I so enjoy the Christmas markets in German towns.
They're awesome!
(Do you like mulled wine?)
georgeob, I agree again! I was in Europe last month, and visited many of those Christmas Markets in Germany, Austria, and Budapest. It was not only enchanting, but an experience to really feel the Christmas Season again after going through decades of blahs. It's more than just many people mixing in the crowds, but to see the joys of children with their parents looking and eating at those booths selling sausages, chicken, potatoes, hot wine, and other food stuffs. It was grand.
old europe wrote:[
(Do you like mulled wine?)
Only as a remedy for the cold. What I like most is the beauty of the scenes; the enterprise and good cheer of the vendors; and the delightful, colorful variety all around. The mulled wine doesn't top all that, but it does indeed go well with it.
Global warming could devastate European ski resorts within decades, forcing lower-altitude resorts to close and threatening winter sports which now attract up to 80 million tourists a year.
A report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development yesterday heaped more bad news on Alpine ski resorts, which are already struggling against the warmest weather in 1,300 years, according to Austrian climatologists, with flowers still blooming on some slopes and world ski tournaments being cancelled through lack of snow.
Report in The Guardian
OECD press release
Quite warm in the UK as well
Quote:This year will be Britain's warmest since records began, say scientists
· Surge in temperature astounds weather experts
· Man - not nature - is to blame, researchers say
Ian Sample, science correspondent
Thursday December 14, 2006
The Guardian
Britain is on course for the warmest year since records began, according to figures from the Met Office and the University of East Anglia yesterday. Temperatures logged by weather stations across England reveal 2006 to have been unusually mild, with a mean temperature of 10.84C. The record beats the previous two joint hottest years of 1999 and 1990 by 0.21C.
Temperatures in central England have been recorded since 1659, the world's longest climate record, and they indicate the trend towards warming weather across Britain as a whole.
... ... ...
Full report
georgeob1 wrote:old europe wrote:[
(Do you like mulled wine?)
Only as a remedy for the cold. What I like most is the beauty of the scenes; the enterprise and good cheer of the vendors; and the delightful, colorful variety all around. The mulled wine doesn't top all that, but it does indeed go well with it.
In Manchester's Christmas (German/French and assorted European) Market on Tuesday I had some Hungarian goulash from a vendor's stall, and very good it was too.
from the Guardian piece...
damned commie, tree-hugging Swiss banks
Quote:Banks in Switzerland are refusing to lend money to resorts below an altitude of 1,500 metres (nearly 5,000ft) and some small firms are closing, said Shardul Agrawala, who carried out the study.
Germany was most at risk, with the low-lying ski areas in Bavaria threatened. Austria, where winter tourism accounts for 4.5% of the national economy, followed close behind. Also affected were France, where the ski industry had a turnover of 20bn last year, and Italy. The report found that 1994, 2000, 2002 and 2003 were the warmest years on record in the Alps over the past 500 years.
Predictions showed "even greater changes in the coming decades, with less snow at low altitudes and receding glaciers and melting permafrost higher up".
Latest news from the global warming front: a Swiss researcher found there is a very good correlation between the increase of the number of ski resort and the increase of the temperature over the last 100 years. His conclusions were confirmed by the FACT that there was no ski resort in the 1700s, during the Little Ice Age.
His computer models predict that environnemental disasters in the Swiss Alps will happen with future temperature increase because of the explosion in the number of future ski resorts. :wink:
Source: The Guarbagian.
Well, you really are one of the funniest people with blinders I've ever seen, miniTAX.
Walter Hinteler wrote:Well, you really are one of the funniest people with blinders I've ever seen, miniTAX.
Thank you Walter. Even with my blinders, I can see the smile on your friendly face (avatar ?). Glad to bring joy to your life, may it be of some help in a frying world of hardship, famine, pests and NO ski vacations.
On the other hand the Russians are seeing some positive aspects to global warming. They see Siberia as becoming bread basket to the world if current climate trends continue.
miniTAX wrote: NO ski vacations.
I really don't bother about snow, but e.g. my Austrian relatives loose a lot of their income because they can't work as ski-teachers.
(As does the tourits industry in our near-by mountain region - but less Dutch cars on the roads isn't soooo bad either.)
Going up to Scotland tomorrow, might need floats and paddles.
McTag wrote:Going up to Scotland tomorrow, might need floats and paddles.
I thought with your name that you WERE Scottish. Wrong, huh?
