A warm hello from the UK!

made of stone said:

I guess you mean the South Downs, Sarapva? We are at the foot of the North Downs here. Not quite as striking, but still some lovely walks to be had, and again pubs to aim for Did you ever visit Leeds Castle or Groombridge Place, two fantastic spots. The Italian garden and maze at Hever Castle are also nice: nothing finer than an outdoor performance of Shakespeare overlooking the lake there.
On the subject of pubs, so many are closing down around here, even historic ones. They're either being taken over by large chain-operations and turned into soulless clones, or being knocked down to build flats. It's heartbreaking.
Ah, the Chunnel. I did take it back from Paris once, on a holiday back in Europe from Japan. For such a flagship project, I was expecting something approaching the quality of the Shinkansen. No such luck - cramped seats, very little room for luggage and rather dirty - just like British Rail!

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I've heard about the Japanese magnetic levitation trains (I think the Japanese are the first to build these?). I'm sure no other train could come up to the standards of that one!

Yes, I think it must have been the South Downs we went to. Very pretty countryside, stiles to go over! I remember visiting Bodium Castle - I'm not sure about others. My cousins had a favorite local pub called the "Woodcock" I think - it was a cozy place. Pubs are an important part of British culture - it's a shame to make them "streamlined".

Hi Kinsao Well, Biggin Hill the place is just inside Kent, I think, though it looks like the airport may be in London...and the airshow I presume is at the airport...I'm too confused, I give up! Lol, the main thing is that youhave been to Kent on the train. If it makes you feel better, I visited Leicester once, and spent the whole weekend playing pool in my friend's house!

Sarapva, yes indeed, it sucks. I took my custom to the reputed village curry house for the first time last weekend. Set in a lovely old country building, absolutely delicious food, top-notch! The problem? They recently refurbished and have made the interior completely neutral - I could just as well have been sitting in a modern Italian restaurant, or even a rather nice office
*sighs* The music? Sad pop songs! There is more Indian ambiance in my bedroom! Next time I shall get a take-away and sit at home!!

Maglev...hmmm...had to look that one up, interesting reading, a little unexpected. Some selected quotes from Wiki (there are other examples in the world!):

Original patent (1941)

The first patent for a magnetic levitation train propelled by linear motors was German Patent 707032, issued in June 1941.

Birmingham 1984–1995

The world's first commercial automated system was a low-speed maglev shuttle that ran from the airport terminal of Birmingham International Airport (UK) to the nearby Birmingham International railway station from 1984 to 1995.

Linimo (Tobu Kyuryo Line)

Main article: Linimo

The world's first commercial automated "Urban Maglev" system commenced operation in March 2005 in Aichi, Japan. This is the nine-station 8.9 km long Tobu-kyuryo Line, otherwise known as the Linimo. The line has a minimum operating radius of 75 m and a maximum gradient of 6%. The linear-motor magnetic-levitated train has a top speed of 100 km/h. The line serves the local community as well as the Expo 2005 fair site.

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mos - You know more about mag-lev than I do now! I only know what I've read or heard on the news about the train in Japan. I didn't know it was first invented by Germany!

hi made of stone, u mentioned earlier about being increasingly interested in philosophy, i share that interest too aswell as travelling, but ive yet to see Japan, oneday i hope along with China and HK.
im an ilford lad btw technically essex, but we tend to classify it as east london

Sarapva said:

mos - You know more about mag-lev than I do now! I only know what I've read or heard on the news about the train in Japan. I didn't know it was first invented by Germany!

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Haha, the beauties of Wiki - looking like you know what you're talking about lol

Actually that's one of the reasons I like to spend time on a forum rather than, say, read a newspaper - getting interested in things and going straight off and finding out a little about them, rather than just being fed stuff

Saifullah Samurai san, thanks for popping into my thread! I'm sure that the love of travelling and other cultures unites many here at Jref I am indeed considering philosophy more and more these days. I'm not sure i'll be discussing that very much here though, at least not until I have very much more knowledge, but we shall see.

Aha, Saturday night approaches. That must mean beers and a curry in the Indian ambiance of my flat!

Kanpai (and simple best wishes to those who don't drink)!