Tagged With "Olympic games"
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Re: Belgium and Sweden see night-train link
I haven't found a definitive answer to that; the nearest I have come is speculation that DB is concerned about competition with existing conventional trains along the route; DB is the major carrier on the route, but they are clearly not doing much of a job of it as the schedule I've linked here shows. The minimum number of train changes is 2, with some itineraries requiring 8! And the ones with only 2 or 3 changes sell for nearly $200, compared to $70 with 8 changes. I'd think a direct...
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Re: Crashing the geocache
Hello TatToo, I live in Europe especially Germany. I do know Geocaching and of course the game is known here. If you don't have a GPS device with a European card in it you can use your mobile phone as long you have the geocaching app. Before your son goes to Europe just with that mobile phone, make sure he looks for geocaches in areas he will be first and download the map and the cache itself. Even if you don't have an Internet connection they can use it via GPS. I did it in USA and it has...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Is Montreal a French speaking area of Canada or is it multi-lingual ? I've heard that French tourists have difficulty with Canadian French. Any thoughts ?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is multilingual, although most natives speak French as their primary language. You can easily get by here with only English and it's a great city to visit. That's not true in the smaller villages of rural Quebec where you might find it difficult to find someone who doesn't speak French. Canadian French split off from continental French 400 years ago, and the two versions of the language have diverged somewhat over the years. I don't speak much French so I really can't give you many...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal... my hometown!! When visiting the Olympic Stadium/Botanical Garden you should also take the opportunity to visit the Insectarium, the Planetarium rio tinto alcan and my favorite the Biodome. Information to all these can be found on the same website as the Botanical Garden. Enjoy!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Hi Vivie! TravelGumbo loves Montreal! It's such a great city!! Thanks for the tips on other things to see and do in the city. The insectarium is especially cool to see if you have kids who love to look at "gross stuff". These were some of my favorite specimens!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Yes Montreal is great. Wish I could go back more often. The fun thing about these attractions is while they are all near one another, there is also a metro station nearby. Cheaper than the taxi and an experience in itself. This is only the tip of the iceberg...so much more to see and experience.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#313)
Here's the final clue—it almost gives the game away! Where are we?
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Re: Japan gears up icons for 2020 Olympics
Tokyo really can be a confusing city to navigate and it has little to do with symbols or written English translations, which they are getting better at. Just a couple issues I've seen. It's hard to find a street address because it's difficult to find smaller street names posted. And there are very few public trash cans.
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Re: Wandering In and Around Split
Split is amazing! And I love your article, I missed out on some of the things to do. Instead I visited all the Game of Thrones filming locations in and around Split I tried to visit as much as possible early in the morning avoiding the crowds, this place seems to be very popular already...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 24, 2014: Beijing Olympic Park
DrY, I see you've taken several young members of the Canadian Olympic team to Beijing. Their athletic potential is apparent!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 14, 2015: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto
Dark chocolate is good for you Garry I actually don't watch hockey much anymore, although from time to time I'll try to catch a game in person. As with many sports, watching it on the tube doesn't do it justice. You need to see a game in person to appreciate the action, the speed of the sport, the skill in passing and stick handling. Done properly, I think it's one of the world's greatest spectator sports.
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
Everything you say, P, is logical and fair. The problem becomes compliance and enforcement, not a separate issue. A segment of people will always try to game the system and it's impossible to enforce these kinds of regulations in such a complex and populous place. Even here, where I live in a relatively rural place, I suspect I'm the only one in a large county collecting and paying the short-term occupancy tax. I do it, not because I'm honest, but because I don't want to think about possible...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 24, 2014: Beijing Olympic Park
Ha Ha DrFumblefinger, Yep, we're working on it .
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 24, 2014: Beijing Olympic Park
Your son has the "shot put pose" down perfectly!
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Re: On the Beach: A sculptural homage to La Barceloneta (Where Gumbo Was #34)
I love Barceloneta, and I do believe I emailed the correct answer. On to #35.
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Re: On the Beach: A sculptural homage to La Barceloneta (Where Gumbo Was #34)
Jonathan L did indeed identify the location...the e-mail was overlooked while writing the report!
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Re: Snow in your backyard? Wanna host the Winter Olympics?
What's funny is everybody enjoyed the Olympics when they used existing older stadiums too. Time to get back to good sportsmanship ,competition, and people coming together
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Re: Snow in your backyard? Wanna host the Winter Olympics?
There's too much ego on the part of the hosting country, and the games have gotten too expensive. It would make sense to return to those cities who have previously hosted and who have already got the proper facilities in place.
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Re: Too real? Sicily Mafia boss son takes heat for tours
I'm a little surprised he's "talking", which likely means very few details are forthcoming from the young Angelo. Seems someone is always offended by something, but if Angelo wasn't involved in the crimes I think he has the right to speak. The killing of these judges was a huge game changer in Sicily. Before this act the Mafia was not liked much, but tolerated. With the murders, the public turned against them and helped police finger the mob. Many arrests occurred and the mob has faded into...
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Re: Why You should visit Nevada's Valley of Fire
You are correct, GarryRF. There have been a number of movies filmed in the park. Lifted straight from Wikipedia , here is a listing of these: Film History : Valley of Fire is a popular location for shooting automobile commercials and other commercial photography. It has provided a setting for the following films and television shows: The Professionals with Burt Lancaster , Lee Marvin , and Claudia Cardinale was filmed in 1966. As of November 2012 a piece of the movie set is still up for...
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Re: On your marks, get set, get on board!
I just find it hard to envision the reserved Japanese jogging down this airport track....but I, too, like the idea!
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Re: On your marks, get set, get on board!
Sometimes getting to your gate involves walking half a mile. Walkways - when they are working - are a necessity to our ageing parents and less mobile neighbours. I just hope distances in this airport are not extreme.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#327)
The final clues – almost giving the game away! Where are we?
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Re: Hound Tor, Dartmoor, Devon
Location of Sherlock Holmes' Hound of the Baskervilles. The Game is ON!
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#167)
Two of our readers have successfully identified this location! Let's see if these clues help you....
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? (11/20/13)
It's been a great game, Gumbo fans, and you've now pinned it to the wall. Tuesday morning's post will confirm your correct answer, with more details. It was fun playing with the group. In answer to the question: I've only been to Kaliningrad twice, both times on paper. Most recently, I was reading Tatiana, and was struck by Smith's comments on the rebuilding of churches, partly as vanity projects of the new capitalist class. When I came to the chapter in which Renko is attacked at the...
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Re: Olympic Ski Jump, Calgary, Alberta
BEST WISHES TO ALL OLYMPIC ATHLETES, PEACE AND SUCCESS!
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Re: Bayfront Stadium, Pensacola: As Good as it Gets
Nice touch, having a chance to catch a ball while swimming! Seriously, maybe the best thing about the revival of minor-league ball (besides the training opportunities for future big-leaguers) is the affordability that makes it possible for families to enjoy and learn the game now that most major league tickets (and concessions) are out of range! There's no way you can really understand baseball from TV watching, where you don't really see the game, only the camera angle chosen at that...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#63)
Looks like its some kind of park. Still favor a flag being raised over a bat held up -- maybe the gamekeeper can clarify with a clue. If a flag, it has overtones of a revolution and I'd favor France then, probably Paris. The minibleacher invites the tykes to come -- play along with the French Revolution game. PHeymont has not shown us the mock-up of the guillotine beside this display (if it exists).
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
Another brilliant post, HistoryDigger! Thanks. I think you've described the situation many young German men were in, and it's a lesson for all of us to fight tyranny at every step and with all we have. It is also a reminder to me how a government that is "a friend of the people" can crush those same people if their power isn't checked. After the Nazis had seized power, there was no tolerance for dissent. You were either with them -- or you were in big big trouble (possibly even fatal...
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Amazon to enter the travel booking business
First Google, now Amazon. When will Apple get into the game (or have they and I just don't know about it)? Amazon is looking to start a hotel booking travel service, to compete with the likes of booking.com. It carries with it a...
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Lufthansa: Name your own upgrade...
Lufthansa has come up with a unique new...well, not sure if I should call it an offer, a game, a fee or a lottery! Economy passengers on Lufthansa's 747-8s is offering passengers in economy to bid on an upgrade to premium economy, or from economy to...
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Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Quebec, like New York, is both a city and a state (or rather, a province). It’s an island of French heritage and culture within our Anglo-North American continent. We combined this visit with stops in Montreal and...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is one of Canada's great cities and one of North America's oldest. It offers many fun things to see and do and, of course, wonderful food to be enjoyed as Montreal is Canada's capital of cuisine. One of the more interesting...
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ET, Call Home: A visit to the Arecibo Observatory
On our recent visit to Puerto Rico, we took an unplanned side trip to what might be called ET’s phone booth—a vast radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory that “listens” to space both for astronomical information and any...
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Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs
It's a great time of year to be visiting the desert regions of the Southwestern USA. The weather is warm and pleasant, the wildflowers are starting to bloom, and the oppressive heat of summer is a distant...
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Super Bowl crowds the skies
U.S. airlines are adding dozens of extra flights, and even some temporary routes, to get fans to next week's Super Bowl game in Phoenix. United's added the most, with 55 extra flights, both others are not far behind. As well, some airlines are using...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 14, 2015: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto
It's hard for non-Canadians to understand just how beloved ice hockey is in Canada. Do you think football is popular in the USA? Soccer in Ireland? Cricket in India? Well, hockey is comparatively bigger than that in...
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Booking.com Changes as Travelers Change : Interview With Stuart Frisby
One of the biggest stories in travel over the last 20 years has been the growth of accommodation website, Booking.com. It was founded by a computer scientist, Geert-Jan Bruinsma in 1996 and is based in Amsterdam. Priceline bought Booking.com in 2005...
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Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#109)
Gumbo loves old architecture but every once in a while a newer building, like this one, catches his eye. Play along, have fun! There will be more clues as the game continues . THE RULES Share your suggestions, hints and discussions with...
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Samsung/Samsonite join "smart bags" parade
Could the age of standing in long baggage-drop and baggage-claim lines be over? New "smart luggage" may make it possible. While there are already a few self-tracking suitcases out there from small companies, now it's time for the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 10, 2015: Northern Ireland
I recently came back from a 3 day trip to Northern Ireland, and loved it. The weather was unusually sunny (but very cold) while I explored one of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe. Northern Ireland has become quite...
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The Colby Trophy Room, Museum of Science, Boston (Where Gumbo was #116)
Gumbo was visiting the interesting Museum of Science in Boston. It's especially a great museum to explore with children, but fun for everyone! There are many fascinating exhibits and demonstrations that take a full day to...
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OpenTable "re-brands" and spreads its reach
OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation service acquired 9 months ago by Priceline, is starting to show off its new directions and ambitions. First up, a new logo and slogan. The logo is a stylized round table and seat; the slogan gives a broad...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 5th, 2015: Puerto Vallarta Mexico
This is Puerto Vallarta in Mexico...One of its many "squares" or plazas. In Spain, or where they have a Spanish colonial history, these squares have retained their original use as an important part of the local community. A place where...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 8, 2014: Hudson Bay Blankets, Banff
This past summer I'd spent a day wandering the streets of Banff with my dear friend, LestertheInvestor, and our lovely wives. Sylvia and I stopped by the Hudson Bay Co (HBC) store and spotted this clever display of blankets drapped over a canoe....