>
> > This time we rented a car for the weekend because (get this) it was
> > cheaper to rent a car and drive it to Dublin from the airport and leave
> > it for the weekend then drive it back than the cost of a taxi to do the
> > same!
>
> The taxi fares from the airport are long known as a complete rip-off -
> it is one of the few capitals in Europe that doesn't have a rail link to
> the city center. I am surprised that rental isn't more expensive. If
> you're actually based in Wales, you could also consider driving to
> Holyhead and getting the ferry over (your British insurance will cover
> your driving over here without any extra paperwork -- one of the many
> advantages of the EU ;-)). You could even leave your car in Holyhead
> and go across as a foot passenger (the Dart [metro] would take you from
> Dun Laoghaire into the City Center in about 15 minutes).
>
> If you do fly over again, check out the Aircoach which
> goes from the airport to verious major hotels in the city center and
> south side - it is faster and more reliable than the local buses, but
> far cheaper than renting (if you're not going beyond Dublin).
I live not far from Heathrow - so we flew over. I had this daft idea of
driving places on Saturday or Sunday. Daft because I was there for the match
and there was no way I was driving after that. And a 12:40 sunday flight home
made it impossible to drive anywhere to be realistic - if you know what I mean
;-)
>> I asked directions outside Euston station three years
> ago and got a "hundred metres" response from a guy with a strong cockney
> accent (i.e. not an immigrant),
I know someone who uses metres in that context. I believe it is still rare and
you definitely 'notice' the use of metres whereas hundred of yards blend in
unnoticed. Possibly.
>
> Remember that taxi drivers have been dealing with mile based fares up to
> 2005, so it would have been pretty ingrained.
Agreed
> Actually you may well be on to something here. People here who refer to
> yards (particularly if they are under 50) have never been taught how
> big one is, so they may well be saying 100 yards to indicate a distance
> of 100 m. So it is quite possible 'yard' is simply a monosyllabic alias
> for meter, and it would gradually become a localized (and rare) slang
> like the French 'livre' or German 'pfund', which are now slang for 500g.
>
It maybe even simpler that that. I suspect to many outside the measures debate
the term 'yard' is almost synonymous with the term 'pace'
_________________________________________________________________
Do you have a story that started on Hotmail? Tell us now
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/195013117/direct/01/
