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You should see the station in Llanfair P.G.!

It's only there to show off the signboard with the name, which is supposed to be the longest in the world:

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 02:21:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Wow.  That's longer than Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein.  Which means, roughly, "two buffaloes killed with one shot spring."  And which is usually called just Tweebuffels.  Unfortunately, I believe it lacks a train station.
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:00:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Another picture, with another sign visible (on the wall above the entrance door):

On the following older picture, it's apparent the station (at left in the distance) is in a nice area, with the mountains of Snowdonia in the background:

Also, it is on a mainline with somewhat frequent trains, how can it be boring :-)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:29:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Ok, DoDo, see the gray roof on the left of your picture, with what a white cross pattern on it? That's a small and uninteresting shopping centre for tourists. Between it and the station is a parking lot. We got to see the station from behind, from afar, and it was raining. Besides, it was 2 months before I joined ET. Today I would heva taken digital pics of it for your pleasure.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:49:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Funny, it was raining when we stopped there too, and that may have coloured my memory. Actually it is quite nice in DoDo's pic.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:05:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It is, but the first pic is taken from the side you can't get to easily (there's just a big lawn there in the second picture).

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:07:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]
What am I saying, it's just taken from the end of the opposite platform!

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:08:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I was at the station of Oban, Scotland, in rain - and that had a special romance. (We even did a sightseeing walk of the town in rain.) When I get home I'll scan a photo.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:11:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Let's see if I can convince Barbara to take our next CZ vacation by rail... Flying to Linz or Prague is very convenient, though, especially with a 4-year old. But I keep arguing that he loves trains, likes to look out the window, and will have more room to wiggle (and even run) in a train than in an airplane.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:14:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Of the former Eastern Bloc states, it is just the Czech Republic's which remained in the best shape - though that isn't saying too much. The general problems of neglected branchlines (though no mass closures), unambitious mainline upgrades (though those at least done extensively), minimal rolling stock modernisation (though there are those new double-stock suburban trains), and - yes - unkept stations. (And what would be a problem for some people in the elite or middle class: having to meet the underclass.) But a big plus is that the Czech network retained a certain charm, not everything is concrete walls. I of course hope Barbara can be convinced :-)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:42:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Dodo I like your determination to see the bright side in a train station situation ;-)
by Alexandra in WMass (alexandra_wmass[a|t]yahoo[d|o|t]fr) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 11:16:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
While my scanning skills improved, unfortunately a version small enough to be posted doesn't have the resolution to keep the falling raindrops visible - and that greatly reduces the beauty of the image:

Image Hosting by PicsPlace.to

Yes, that is a fake antic amphitheatre on the mountain in the background.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:33:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
DoDo, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings... I truly had no idea you work for the railway! :) But speaking about dull railroad stations, ask Migeru about the lovely station of Křemže in southern Bohemia... the only thing you can do there while waiting is to practice its pronunciation  (which is a bit less complicated than the Welsh disaster, but still will take a while to master ;).

"If you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes, you should go away and write a book about it." Lord Brabazon
by Barbara on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:54:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I know you and your family have nothing but contempt for the little two-car train running between Bud'ejovice and Krumlov but, again, next time we go I will insist on taking the train instead of the bus and taking pictures of every station along the way. Even of the one at Křemže (and we'll record an MP3 --- sorry, and MP2 because of software patent issues) of the proper pronounciation of it for everyone here.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 05:58:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I can pronounce the Welsh one, but I doubt that's going to earn me any Brownie points.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:13:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]
If you post the MP3 I'm sure it will.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Mar 17th, 2006 at 06:15:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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