Somewhat of an adventure

[John Hill]

Pack of puerile trolls.

[Sisemen]

Bad day today John?

[John Hill]

Any chance you could scrape together ten quid and go home?

[Sisemen]

Worse than that. I’m headed to your island to spread a little lurv and use some of my hard earned to help your economy. How much to get into the Ashburton museum?

[Cacophonix]

Worse than that. I’m headed to your island to spread a little lurv and use some of my hard earned to help your economy. How much to get into the Ashburton museum?

You blokes should meet up for lunch at the museum. It could the start of a real bromance!

Stranger things have happened, I mean, look at me and Capetonian!

Caco

[Capetonian]

I am thinking of a trip to NZ and would like to visit Ashburton. I don't suppose JH would like to be my guide by any chance?

[Slasher]

Long way to NZ from here but wouldn't mind meeting up with Sise and Cape at the Ashburton for a formal parley with Mr Hill. There's safety in numbers in case he wants to...'bury the hatchet'!

[Sisemen]

Suspect that we’d all get along quite well in real life!

[John Hill]

The acticipation is killing me!
Lunch at the museum will be frozen meat pie put in the microwave.

$10 for adults, children free but you must not leave them there. 1300-1500 7 days and early opening 1000 on Wednesday and Saturday.

[Cacophonix]

The acticipation is killing me!
Lunch at the museum will be frozen meat pie put in the microwave.

$10 for adults, children free but you must not leave them there. 1300-1500 7 days and early opening 1000 on Wednesday and Saturday.

A museum that tends to put children in the microwave for free. A capital idea and a practice that should immediately be introduced in the UK. In fact I would willingly pay a fee for that!

Caco

[Capetonian]

Since Romania has had mention in this thread, I thought posting this here would be appropriate :

Thirty years on: the brutal Christmas Day downfall of Ceausescu, Romania's communist dictator
Most of the communist regimes in East Europe fell peacefully. One did not. The dictator of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, would not go without a fight – he had to be forced from power by popular revolt. His flight from Bucharest was blackly comic; his capture and execution 30 years ago on Christmas Day 1989 was brutal. It was also exactly what he deserved. The story of Ceausescu’s fall is a reminder of just how ghastly communism was, especially when in the hands of a true believer.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-fil ... -romanias/

The Ceausescu regime may have been one of the most brutal to have ever blighted any European country. Its fall, and the public execution of Nicolae and Elena, were celebrated by millions. It serves as a good lesson in history which people who still espouse Communism would do well to take heed of. Romania, despite the beauty of some of the villages and areas, was a miserable and sinister place under that regime. I felt more uncomfortable and threatened there than in any other Soviet satellite during those dark days.

[Rwy in Sight]

Capetonian, I thought Albania was worst than Romania as far as communism, deprivation and tremendous social difference between the government and people?

Since you have a worldwide experience are girls from Romania as good-looking as they are rumoured?

[OFSO]

Break..break.....yes they are. My oldest Godson has one. She's a stunner.

[Capetonian]

I thought Albania was worst than Romania as far as communism, deprivation and tremendous social difference between the government and people?

I don't think that the leaders of Albania lived in the lap of luxury whilst the people lived in abject poverty, but your point is probably valid given that most of us know more about Romania, which was relatively open compared to Albania.

are girls from Romania as good-looking as they are rumoured

Many are, but overall I would say they do not match the Polish girls. However, a very subjective opinion.

[Alisoncc]

I felt more uncomfortable and threatened there than in any other Soviet satellite during those dark days.

Found the exact opposite, Cape. Spent considerable time in Bucharest working with Tarom. One of the requirements for them operating into Europe in the late sixties was that their Ilyushins were fitted with weather radar. They had purchased RCA kit, and and as a field eng with RCA I was tasked with supervising the installs and the training of their people. I was told to go down there and only come back when they were happy. No time constraints.

Admitted I didn't mix with the hoi polloi, mixing solely with their engineers and aircrew, and I found the quality of their food and drink easily surpassed anything you could get in London at the time. Occasional caviar from the Danube Delta washed down by their home made champaign and plum brandy, yup I could do that again. Their roast venison was worth having too.

[Rwy in Sight]

Capetonian, your comparison between Romania and USSR is inside which time frame? 60's or80's?

Alisoncc you were a Westerner and they were privileged bringing hard currency in the country thus there was a special treatment (positive this time) for you.

[Alisoncc]

Alisoncc you were a Westerner and they were privileged bringing hard currency in the country

Not so. They had bought RCA kit, and their purchase price included an RCA engineer to supervise the installs and to train them. I didn't get to spend any money at all.

[Rwy in Sight]

Alisoncc you were a Westerner and they were privileged bringing hard currency in the country

Not so. They had bought RCA kit, and their purchase price included an RCA engineer to supervise the installs and to train them. I didn't get to spend any money at all.

Sorry Alisoncc for the poor English syntax here: you were a foreigner and the Administration needed to impress you how good the standard of living is. And the people you mixed well were among the privileged few maybe because their job brought hard currency to the country by exporting something expensive.

[Capetonian]

I have visited Romania several times both before and after the downfall of the vile Ceausescu regime. When I referred to feeling uncomfortable and threatened, that was on visits from the mid 70s until mid 80s. If you had western cash to splash, the quality of food and wine were excellent and I saw some of that side of it, but in those days, I didn't really have much to spend. Walking around, staying in hotels and using public transport, I felt very uneasy. Oddly perhaps, I felt more comfortable in other Soviet sphere countries despite have only a minimal knowledge of the languages and facing the Cyrillic alphabet, which although I could read the words, didn't know what they meant. In Romania, thanks to learning Latin at school and speaking Spanish, I was quite comfortable with the language, particularly written.

On subsequent visits, and funnily enough I was also doing some work for Tarom in about 2005, I was treated royally and enjoyed the most wonderful hospitality by the people I was working with and elsewhere.