DM Jon going on holiday 20th-27th

[X-DM Jon]

Ah sweet Tenerife, here I come! Away from wet, rainy Denmark.

 All DO's have been commented on and returned (and if yours haven't, let me know tomorrow at the latest!), so you should all be set. If Bjørn has the time, he'll process them during the week and turn 62 will be opening soon.

 Good times guys, good times

[X-IHH/Wallac Isilviere (Kasper)]

Ah sweet Tenerife, here I come! Away from wet, rainy Denmark.

 All DO's have been commented on and returned (and if yours haven't, let me know tomorrow at the latest!), so you should all be set. If Bjørn has the time, he'll process them during the week and turn 62 will be opening soon.

 Good times guys, good times

This is pure disrespect for those of us staying behind getting all wet!

[X-Haelyn's Aegis/RK (Andy)]

Hmm, the golden sands and nightclubs of the south, or the black shingle and old Germans of the north?

Or are you going round the smaller islands?

If the main island, I recommend the dolphin tours in the glass bottomed catamarans and the ice cream place by the beach...

[X-DM Jon]

Never been there before so I couldn't say... I think it's the north. Hotter up there in the desert part of the island. I'll definitely get icecream - and I do believe I'll pick up scuba diving again!

[X-Bellam & BC/TB (Bobby)]

I want to learn to scuba dive.  Is it hard to get certified?

[X-DM Jon]

It's easier to do in the mediteranean countries - and cheaper than in Scandinavia, but everything's cheaper than in Scandinavia.
 Up here I would have to train in a pool first, learning the ropes, but down there I was allowed to get in the water right away and enjoy myself - under careful observation obviously. That was on Ponza... Costa del Sol was also lax on the rules.

[X-IHH/Wallac Isilviere (Kasper)]

Btw. enjoy you holliday 

[X-EOM/SS (Marco)]

It's easier to do in the mediteranean countries - and cheaper than in Scandinavia, but everything's cheaper than in Scandinavia.

In Italy work retributions are far away the worst of all EU....Maybe it's cheaper than Scandinavia  but with a lot of money less to spend I'm not sure life's better than in Scandinavia

[X-EOM/SS (Marco)]

Social Welfare is ruining...More or less 45% of my earnings are due to government by direct taxes (I don't speak of indirect ones like I.V.A.). The result: today my wife tried to get an appointment to an hospital for a visit (she's got little troubles after the birth of our son). She called 3 hospitals: 1 has proposed a day of june, 1 after the summer, the third one (the most difficult to reach) fixed the date to 17th of April.
My wife can't wait so long so we must go privately: more or less € 400-500. In order to have a comparison think that average wage in Italy (for an under 30) is € 1.000

 

[X-Haelyn's Aegis/RK (Andy)]

Hmm, don't get a taxi from the airport - they will rip you off badly (I got charged 50 euro's for a trip to a hotel int he north - I could have hired a car for less)

The beaches on the north are black volcanic rock - expect feet and shins to be cut if you wade, the golden sand is all south where they dumped it after buying it in.

The south is where the younger tourists go (and is avoided like the plague by serious travelors as a result), the north is the reverse - all kaffee und kuchen and kitsch for the older Tourist.

But the food is cheap, the people are pleasant (at least all the ones I met) and a hire car will probably come out less than a couple of taxi fares and leave you much more mobile.

I never got to Loro Park (which is a day trip thing with an insanely early start), the desert is apparently where they shot A New Hope - think Jawa's, there are trips there too.  Went to a parrot zoo in the town in the northeast, if you like birds its fine but otherwise its a bust.

Scube should be good - the water is very clear and there are a lot of shallows.  Again I recommend the dolphins - if I had any organisation I'd put up the photo's on flickr or something...

[X-DM Jon]

Social Welfare is ruining...More or less 45% of my earnings are due to government by direct taxes (I don't speak of indirect ones like I.V.A.). The result: today my wife tried to get an appointment to an hospital for a visit (she's got little troubles after the birth of our son). She called 3 hospitals: 1 has proposed a day of june, 1 after the summer, the third one (the most difficult to reach) fixed the date to 17th of April.
My wife can't wait so long so we must go privately: more or less € 400-500. In order to have a comparison think that average wage in Italy (for an under 30) is € 1.000

 

 I do so hope for you that when Berlusconi is gone, you get someone who can unite the people and get something done to get rid of all the crap, camorra and complete lack of restraint. You had the greatest soccer teams, now they're just a corrupt joke...
 Someone who doesn't keep the sun in his pocket, but lets it shine for all the people! To put it propagandically (if that's even a word...)

 All the best to your wife!

[X-EOM/SS (Marco)]

 I do so hope for you that when Berlusconi is gone, you get someone who can unite the people and get something done to get rid of all the crap, camorra and complete lack of restraint. You had the greatest soccer teams, now they're just a corrupt joke...
 Someone who doesn't keep the sun in his pocket, but lets it shine for all the people! To put it propagandically (if that's even a word...)

 All the best to your wife!

Berlusconi will never go away. In 2013 the current President of Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, will end his office just six months before elections. The parliament, where Berlusconi has the great majority of members in his hands, will nominate him the next President of Republic. It will hold the office for the following 7 years 'till 2020 and he will guide again italian political affairs.
 The worst is a lot of people think him as the the only chance of salvation for italy...

thanks for my wife 

[X-Elinie/RiD (Niels)]

The odd thing is that he is getting away as a "savior" with very little actual change.

[X-DM Jon]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! 

 Chock full of energy and pazzazz! World here I come 

 Loafing on the beach, swimming in the atlantic, drove all the way around Tenerife (including a night trip through the mountain roads  ), survived the barrage of "friendly" bar advertisers, African watch salesmen, beach peddlers etc. etc., got drunk on the 24 hour "happy hour" state of existence in Playa de los Americas (everything is double up and you get a horrible shot of some kind), seeing some real fine culture in the north and best of all - scuba diving with sea turtles! Fabulous.

 Anyway, I'm back and ready if you need assistance.

[X-Tuornen/LF (Geir)]

Welcome back from real life :-)