Strong pound a bonus for holiday makers

The recent strength of the British pound against the Euro is proving a bonus for British holidaymakers heading to Europe.

Also noticing it myself has have been in Italy for the last 2 months.

"British graduate Alexander Troop has the Bank of England to thank for making his last vacation before starting work a memorable one.

The 24-year-old trainee lawyer joins an upswell of holiday makers taking advantage of a surge in the pound as higher U.K. interest rates loom. Sterling’s near the strongest level since 2007 versus the euro and has climbed against every major currency this year except the Swiss franc."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-05/drinks-are-on-carney-as-britons-abroad-embrace-pound-s-strength

Immigration/refugees in to Europe a big issue

Hi

An issue that concerns several EU countries.

In Italy an anti immigrant stance by the  Italian right wing Northern Leagues political party helped them sine more votes.:

"He is virulently anti-immigrant, has called for Roma camps to be razed and once referred to the euro as a “crime against humanity”. Matteo Salvini, the bombastic rightwing leader of Italy’s xenophobic Northern League, has even accused Pope Francis of doing a disservice to Catholics by promoting dialogue with Muslims.

None of this appears to be doing him any harm at the ballot box. On the contrary, in the divided and economically battered Italy of 2015, it seems to be a winning formula. The 42-year-old is riding high after his party made significant electoral gains in central and left-leaning parts of Italy, results that reflect growing opposition to the EU and concern over the thousands of migrants landing on Italy’s shores each week."

Quite an extreme view.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/01/northern-league-gains-italian-elections-matteo-salvini

Converting shipping containers in to homes

Hi

It says something about just how expensive property has become in some areas when there is a business that converts shipping containers in to residential accommodation.


"Luke Iseman has figured out how to afford the San Francisco Bay area. He lives in a shipping container.

The Wharton School graduate’s 160-square-foot box has a camp stove and a shower made of old boat hulls. It’s one of 11 miniature residences inside a warehouse he leases across the Bay Bridge from the city, where his tenants share communal toilets and a sense of adventure. Legal? No, but he’s eluded code enforcers who rousted what he calls cargotopia from two other sites. If all goes according to plan, he’ll get a startup out of his response to the most expensive U.S. housing market."

More here :

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-30/wharton-grad-s-got-a-tiny-illegal-solution-to-bay-area-housing

Summer Palace Vienna

Hi

Summer Palace ( Schonnbrunn ) Palace is one of the top tourist attractions in Vienna,with magnificent garden grounds.

Built in the Baroque style Emperor Franz Joseph was born here in 1830.

It is on Unesco`s World cultural heritage list

Como Italy 2015

Hi

Spending a couple of months just outside Como, one of my favourite cities.

Very pretty by the Lakeside,with a nice selection of bars/cafes and restaurants to relax at


Picture of the sign to a walkway/entrance to a public park

Glitterman ?

Nice view out to the Lake

Popular mooring spot for boats

All in all pleasant place, the green area very popular on this day

Campione -Little Italy in Switzerland

Hi

 Campione is a small Italian enclave within Switzerland.

A part of Italy yet surrounded by Switzerland.

It uses the Swiss Franc ( although the Euro is acceptable ), Swiss telecom & postal  system

Only a small place, one of it`s main features seems to be it`s large Casino which brings in a lot of revenue to the enclave.

Lovely views out to Lake Lugano.

A mini tax haven

The arch, commissioned by Mussolini

 You can drive through in minutes, population small with a high proportion of foreigners due to it`s favourable tax regime.





Lovely surrounding area

Australian rider wins Tour de France Prologue time trial with fastest speed in history

Hi

Australian racing cyclist Rohan Dennis won yesterdays opening Tour de France stage with the fastest speed the race has seen.

He covered the 13.8 kilometre course at an average speed of 55.44 kilometres per hour.


Link for more


http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB11301772451238044816904581088072307464748?mod=WSJ_article_EditorsPicks_6

Cernobbio Part 2

Hi

Despite it being a quiet town,parking is hard to find, many spots are for residents only

Coming by boat or road public transport a fairly good idea.

Motorbikes also popular

Fairly quiet in the main town square

Road quiet but nowhere to park

Cernobbio North Italy

Hi

Cernobbio is a small quiet town located about 10 minutes from Como by boat, a few minutes more by road.

A sleepy little town.

The boat pier

The boats are an excellent way of getting around, you can by an all day pass for 25 Euros, an extra 5 Euros to include the high speed boats

The view as you walk away from the boat pier

View back out to the lake

Pretty place

Bit of a bric a brac market on Saturdays

One of the Lakeside hotels, with another part shown to the left

The sign obscured by the canopy but the bar/restaurant is simply called harry`s bar, been there, quite nice, not the cheapest but you`re part paying for location and view.

Food & service fine.

Bratislava beer stop

Hi

I recently visited Bratislava the Slovakian capital.
Flew Ryan Air from London Luton, uneventful flight.

I chose to stay in the Park Inn Danube Radisson hotel which is very centrally located and found a good price of 50 Euros through a booking agent.

Room and service fine

A nice glass of Slovak beer once out and about, quite cheap IMO, at just 2 Euros

Nice meal of beef steak with chopped bacon on top as well as roast potatoes, that came to 10 Euros, quite good value for a European capital city.

Great rack Vienna Austria

Very popular beer garden/restaurant in Vienna

Enormous portions, about 16.90 Euros for the tray in the picture.

Good quality and service.

Recommended if you are hungry

1130 Wien Am Platz 5 

Tel:   8795970

www.bierig.at

soi Rambuttri Bangkok

Hi

I recently stayed a couple of nights at a hotel on soi Rambuttri, in the Phra Nakorn area of Bangkok, very close to the much better known Khao San Road.

soi Rambuttri is approximately 1 km. long with a variety of bars,restaurants and guesthouse and hotels

A pleasant soi to stroll along, quite a mix of visitors, from local expats to backpackers and other tourists.
Fairly near to some Bangkok tourist attractions, such as The Grand Palace,The Emerald Buddha and The Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

Some pictures from the soi :

Plate of  chicken fried rice from one of the modest restaurants there, cost about 60 baht/less than US$2 

One of  the smaller sub sois off soi Rambuttri.

   

This hotel had some very reasonably priced meal options.

The $ 50,000 dollar a night Las Vegas hotel on Boxing night

Hi

Short video clip of the Las Vegas hotel that charges $ 50,000 a night for the upcoming boxing match between  Floyd Mayweather  and Manny Pacquiao


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32492666

Interesting article re. Danang Vietnam

Hi

An interesting article detailing the progress made at Danang.
A mix of sun, sand and software as the article states :

A brief extract

"“It is ambitious,” said Palazzo, who lives 10 blocks from China Beach, now called East Sea Beach. “They are welcoming of foreigners. In terms of process and getting things done, Danang is by far much more friendly to businesses than Ho Chi Minh City,” the country’s commercial center, formerly known as Saigon.

In Danang, you might be forgiven for wondering how the war ended. Tourists sun themselves on the white sand in front of the Hyatt Regency resort, a few blocks up the coast from the Greg Norman-designed Danang Golf Club. Downtown, outside the Big C supermarket, which sells French baguettes and bottles of Bordeaux, traffic directed by International Business Machines Corp. software flows on toward the airport and the Coca-Cola Co. factory. "

Link to full article

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-28/surf-sand-and-software-turn-danang-into-vietnam-s-it-city

Thailand scrambles to avert global new flight ban

Hi

This has been kept very quiet, food for thought.

Thailand failed a recent United Nations aviation safety audit.

" The country's airline industry was branded a "significant safety concern" in an alert issued to governments on March 20 by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency. Thailand is understood to have failed all but 11 of 100 points in the audit, according to regional industry analysts.

   Thailand's failing of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program review prompted Japan, South Korea and, as some unconfirmed reports have suggested, China, to stop allowing new charter and scheduled flights from the country. The bans came just ahead of the peak travel season around the Songkran, or Thai New Year, holiday in mid-April."

http://asia.nikkei.com/magazine/20150409-The-big-tax-squeeze/Politics-Economy/Thailand-scrambles-to-avert-global-new-flight-ban

Link to some stunning Myanmar photos

Hi

I have not yet visited, it`s in my plans.

The photos within the link encourage me even more, although I personally would avoid April 13th.

There is a similar water festival in Thailand and it holds no appeal to me.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2015-04-13/why-you-need-to-go-to-myanmar-in-15-photos

New EU rules threaten overseas holiday homes

Hi

From next year it may well become more difficult for UK residents to acquire  a mortgage for a holiday home in Europe, due to the Mortgage Credit Directive.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/mortgages/11542721/New-EU-rules-threaten-overseas-holiday-homes.html

Rogue financial advisers

Hi

Obviously one has to be careful, particularly near or at retirement age, as there is less chance of a recovery from loss but it is somewhat sad to hear of people being misled.

Even if naivety and perhaps greed on the part of the victim was there.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/11544344/How-rogue-financial-advisers-in-Spain-stung-British-pensioners-for-millions.html

Suggested change to Thai political constitution

Hi

There is quite a mistrust of politicians here and the draft constitution would act in a way to curb these.
After last year`s coup there has been military rule here for nearly one year with an election predicted not to happen until next year.



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-16/new-thai-charter-to-curb-party-powers-while-paving-way-for-polls

Dubai property

After the Dubai property crash of some 7 years ago, buying property in Dubai  seems to be growing in popularity again despite some people having lost their deposits in the crash.

One can see the attractions, Dubai well connected from a travelling point of view and with no personal tax on income, it has it`s appeal.


http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31988871

The Apple watch - You can look but cannot take away

An interesting and effective piece of marketing.
Have the watches available to view in Apple shops but not available to buy at the store.
Online ordering with the waiting list already growing longer.


http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-10/opening-day-demand-for-apple-watch-could-be-more-hype-than-real

Australia plans to stop welfare payments to parents who do not have their children vaccinated

An interesting decision.
 Who should be responsible for children, parents or the state ?

Although not entirely forcing parents to have their children vaccinated, it certainly puts pressure on those who object to it in denying welfare benefits if they do not do do.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-32274107

Thailand corruption - Will it ever end ?

Hi

Unfortunately corruption seems almost a way of life and it would take something incredible to change that.
Whoever is in power it seems lining pockets is just accepted as a way of life.

Very hard to change that, words are cheap, action can be very costly.

Some who benefit from the system do not want it to change and many ordinary people remain unaware & oblivious of what goes on.

A shame for ordinary hard working people


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-01/thai-graft-buster-laments-losing-battle-with-corruption-culture

Vietnam on the rise as a manufacturing base

Hi

Out of the 10 Asean/South  East Asian countries it is Vietnam that is growing strongly.

Low labour costs, almost half that of Thailand and a third of China helping it to secure more orders.

Nice country and nice people.

More here :

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-01/meet-asia-s-new-manufacturing-powerhouse-vietnam

Germanwings tragedy

Such a tragic shame.

Who would think on boarding a flight that there would be a co pilot that had decided to end their life by crashing the plane?

Not just their own life but taking innocents with them.

Someone commented that it is not just suicide but murder.

Quite possibly right.

RIP those who died.

Expat/long stay life

Hi

It is not easy to adjust to life in another country, even for those with a very open mind.

A fair number of the people I speak to in Pattaya/Thailand have trips planned back home, for a break, all seem to be looking forward to it, as am I.

A taste of the familiar I suppose.

Many split their time, escaping cold UK/European winters for Thailand then returning here.

Just a thought but they seem to be the most well adjusted.

Will transatlantic flights be cheaper in the future? One carrier is hoping to make it so

Hi

The board of Ryan Air has approved plans for transatlantic flights in the future.
UK & Europe to the US.

I was surprised to read of the very strong demand for long haul aircraft, which means the plan could be some years off.

There appears to be quite some waiting list for the aircraft they would need.

Maybe good news for travelers in the future as well as aircraft manufacturers.

More here

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/ryanair-s-board-approves-transatlantic-flights-1.2141529

Bellagio north Italy

Hi

Bellagio is a pretty small town in the Como province, Lombardy region of Italy.
It is very popular with tourists and has several nice bars, cafes and restaurants to relax at.

Accessible from some other Como lakeside towns by hydrofoil/boat as well as by road.
It can get very busy at  weekends and if coming by car, parking a little tricky, not insurmountable though.



A small park just a few minutes away from the centre

Cars and bikes in the queue for the lakes ferry

Road leading away from the centre

Classic car just leaving the centre

One of the lake ferries

Some bikes parked up by one of the restaurants

Jeremy Clarkson suspended from the BBC and getting a lot of attention

Hi

An entertaining presenter and an obvious main reason for Top Gear to be so successful, rated as the world`s most watched factual program.

This Sunday`s episode already cancelled and statements that the remaining episodes will not be shown.

A tough call by the BBC.

A sometimes controversial presenter can obviously be good for viewing figures but the BBC is funded anyway so has less( zero ? ) of a commercial view than what many other broadcasters might have.

He has received a lot of support from his fans, good to see that those who enjoyed Top Gear have supported him.

Incredible that a TV presenter has attracted so much attention.

Major world news.

It will be interesting to see how it finally plays out.

The curious case of Thailand - Financial outlook

Hi

Quite an interesting article

A brief extract:

"While much of the globe wrestles with the growing healthcare and pension costs associated with an aging population, Southeast Asia is in the enviable position of remaining largely exempt from such concerns. In most countries in that region, an expanding working age population underpins positive GDP figures and labor productivity growth. But there’s one country that isn’t following the demographic pack

.That would be Thailand, and the results aren’t good for growth or Thai stocks. “Thailand faces not just aging challenges but challenges from changing consumers and workers,” says Amlan Roy, head of Credit Suisse’s global demographics research team in London. 



http://www.thefinancialist.com/the-curious-case-of-thailand/?utm_source=taboola&utm_term=bloomberg&utm_campaign=Global

Global Property Guide

Hi

Just an interesting web site that might be of use to someone curious about or considering other countries to live/invest in.

It gives an overview of many countries.
One would then need to do further more specialised research .


http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/

San Fermo de. Battaglia ( north Italy )

Hi


  San Fermo is a small sleepy little town located approximately 10 minutes by road from Como, the much better known lakeside city.
Maybe about 100 kms from Milan, Wiki has it at 40km, google, by road at 140, take your pick.
About an hour or less from either Linate or Bergamo airports

Only a very few shops but enough to get by with essentials.
Restaurant choices extremely limited, as are bars but you`ll get a coffee, wine or beer without too much difficulty.

Once a week small market, Fridays.

Pretty place.



The central square

Fountain area, there is a pleasant little bar located behind it, indoor & outdoor, indeed in the photo by a couple of trees.

Vergosa, the small co op type store, fine for basics, fresh bread everyday, they take a long lunch break though, closed for about 2 & 1/2 hours everyday.

Next to it a small newsagent/stationery  store, on the right a partial view of the terrace of a bar/coffee shop

Simply a nice view