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tumor
Nov6-04, 12:12 AM
Is there a way for person to get to Europe other than flying on a passenger jet?

singleton
Nov6-04, 12:31 AM
Once upon a time there were these things called boats...

;)

tribdog
Nov6-04, 01:24 AM
land bridges, continental drift, teleportation, fax, Fed Ex.

Gokul43201
Nov6-04, 01:31 AM
If you're in certain parts of Asia, you could walk it...

tumor
Nov6-04, 02:09 AM
I mean of course going from America(E.coast) to Europe.
You know why am I asking this question anyway?; because couple days ago there was that huge volcano eruption in Iceland and many flights to and from N.America were cancelled or rerouted and that got me thinking what if aircrafts won't be able to fly at all to Europe. I have my parents( really old folks))living there, how am I going to get there? :cry: :cry:
PS I checked some time ago ticket price on a Queen Elizabeth sail from NY to London-prohibitive price :eek:

Smurf
Nov6-04, 04:57 AM
Didn't some guy swim across the atlantic ocean? It took him weeks thought, he's swim for the day, then sleep on an anchored boat, then swim, rinse and repeat.

Seriously, you can take a boat, or fly in an airplane, or swim beside a boat, be dragged along behind the airplane in a parachut (probably not the healthiest), but thats about it

Moonbear
Nov6-04, 10:00 AM
It's a shorter boat ride across the Bering Strait (or you can wait until it's frozen and walk most of it), then just walk the rest of the way. :rofl: Bring your long underwear if you want to do that though, it gets a bit chilly up there...brrrrrrr.

Someone tried rowing across, but gave up and called for rescue after her navigation system shorted out and she got blown off course by two or three hurricanes...oh, and she dislocated a shoulder bobbing around in the last hurricane, so claimed she couldn't row anymore...wimp! :rofl: She had a cabin in a self-righting boat, and while that might have sounded like a good idea, she clearly hadn't considered it would be akin to riding out the tumble cycle in a dryer during especially rough water conditions.

tumor
Nov6-04, 11:58 AM
Bering strait is maybe 50-70km wide in winter one could walk across.But there is one small problem-polar bears.You gonna look to them like nice little snack.
Even if I make it across strait, in siberia are man eating tigers and worst of them all (drunken russians :wink: )

arildno
Nov6-04, 01:02 PM
A Viking ship captained by the Norwegian Ragnar Thorstvedt has made the journey.

tumor: If you ask him nicely, you might be able to loan his boat..

tumor
Nov6-04, 01:23 PM
Yeah! why not ! How many days took them to cross Atlantic?

There is one option to cross Atlantic in quite comfortable way-GULF STREAM!
I would have to make raft, get some supplies and off I go, slowly but surely to Europe.
I can visit you in Norway Arlindo. :smile:

arildno
Nov6-04, 01:34 PM
You're welcome, tumor!

But I have to warn you:
Most Norwegians regard Ragnar Thorstvedt to be a TRUE Viking; generous to friends, quick to laugh, but also quick to anger..

EDIT:
Oh, I see, you were planning to make your own raft, perhaps that's wiser, after all..

Gokul43201
Nov6-04, 01:41 PM
Then you could speak to Heyerdahl for expert advise on raft-building...

arildno
Nov6-04, 01:56 PM
Heyerdahl is dead.

tumor
Nov6-04, 02:16 PM
Heyerdahl is dead.

When I was small kid I remeber watching on TV his journeys on a raft.
That raft was almost sinking!Man!
Back in my youth we had only 2 TV channels in my country,and almost whole day they were showing nature documentaries because they were obviously much cheaper buy than Hollywood movies.And Thor Heyerdal kon-tiki's expedition I watched maybe 20 times :approve:
He was reall Viking to me and still is,little eccentric at times but who is not?

tribdog
Nov6-04, 02:45 PM
And what type of wood was Heyerdal's Kon-Tiki made out of? ~question from Trivial Pursuit the original edition.

Gokul43201
Nov6-04, 03:35 PM
Heyerdahl is dead.

You never spoken to dead people ? No ? :confused:

C'mon folks...tell arildno that we all speak to dead people ! :rolleyes:

meteor
Nov6-04, 05:15 PM
the spanish Kitin Muņoz tried to cross the Atlantic from Barcelona to Cartagena de Indias in a primitive boat. He parted in 2001, but don't ask me if he arrived, I don't have idea
http://www.modelismonaval.net/Reportajes/MataRangiIII/Ingles%20index.htm

the number 42
Nov6-04, 05:27 PM
Richard Branson did it in a balloon a few years ago. A bit dangerous though.
http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/Team/RichardBranson/index.jsp

Smurf
Nov6-04, 07:49 PM
You never spoken to dead people ? No ? :confused:

C'mon folks...tell arildno that we all speak to dead people ! :rolleyes:
I've never met anyone who couldn't speak to dead people.. weird.

arildno
Nov7-04, 06:11 AM
You never spoken to dead people ? No ? :confused:

C'mon folks...tell arildno that we all speak to dead people ! :rolleyes:
Well, we Norwegians find such practices rather gross.
"Live and let live, die and leave dead" is a Norwegian proverb.

tumor
Nov7-04, 11:08 AM
Sorry guys, but after this ellection and seeing what is going on in M.East my new proverb is; live or die what's the ****ing difference?

Gokul43201
Nov7-04, 11:41 AM
Is there a way for person to get to Europe other than flying on a passenger jet?

Here's a few possibilities that no one's really tried, so we don't really know if they work :

1. catapult/slingshot/cannon

2. Buy and train a flock of large migratory birds, while at the same time fasting, to cut your weight in half. When ready, harness yourself to the legs of the birds (so that your 80 lb body weight shared by 100 birds, gives each of them less than a pound to carry), .

3. Proposition 2 with helium balloons to help the birds out more, and an umbrella to keep the droppings off you.

4. Buy and train a large team of gophers/rabbits/groundhogs/aardvarks (or other burrowing animal). Begin burrowing at your house. Stop when you reach required destination.

5. Mail yourself to someone in Europe. That was you'll only travel in a cargo plane. (somewhat similar plan has been succesfully executed in past)

6. (This one actually works very often) Join the Navy !

tumor
Nov7-04, 01:43 PM
3. Proposition 2 with helium balloons to help the birds out more, and an umbrella to keep the droppings off you.



Incredible!balloons of course! why I did not thought of that! I would make one small adjustment.
Why not just hover in the air in one spot for hours while earth is rotating underneath,this way I would find my self in europe.

arildno
Nov7-04, 01:46 PM
"Why not just hover in the air in one spot for hours while earth is rotating underneath,this way I would find my self in europe."

It's a bit more complicated than that, since the air is also rotating with the earth..

matthyaouw
Nov7-04, 01:50 PM
2. Buy and train a flock of large migratory birds, while at the same time fasting, to cut your weight in half. When ready, harness yourself to the legs of the birds (so that your 80 lb body weight shared by 100 birds, gives each of them less than a pound to carry), .


Hmm..... Interesting.... I'll have to research this.
The timescales involved may prove difficult for the birds under such stress... I wonder if you could tell me- What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

tumor
Nov7-04, 01:54 PM
Yes, air is pushing me also, so maybe I would need geese to hold me in place.Gokul43201 was right, i would have to get some birds or propeller.

arildno
Nov7-04, 02:06 PM
I would go for albatrosses; they've got a nice temper.
That's rather important, or what?

tribdog
Nov7-04, 02:59 PM
i'd go with hummingbirds. That's flying first class.

arildno
Nov7-04, 03:05 PM
The problem with humming birds, is that suddenly decide to hover, and refuse to move forwards.

That's why they're called the "mules of the air" (Norwegian proverb)

tumor
Nov7-04, 03:08 PM
HaH!! I have got even better, cheaper and animal friendly way, I'm gonna eat beans and stick my *** in the opposite direction and use as a kind of rocket engine :approve:

arildno
Nov7-04, 03:13 PM
You are NOT welcome in Norway if that is to be your means of transportation.
It's bad enough that the Icelanders pester us with layers of ash these days, we certainly won't put up with some farty Americans.

Fart off to France instead..:grumpy:

Moonbear
Nov7-04, 04:20 PM
2. Buy and train a flock of large migratory birds, while at the same time fasting, to cut your weight in half. When ready, harness yourself to the legs of the birds (so that your 80 lb body weight shared by 100 birds, gives each of them less than a pound to carry), .


That works until they decide to take a break in the middle of the ocean and they are better at floating around than you are. Did you calculate in the added weight of the water once you've been dunked in the ocean?

arildno
Nov7-04, 04:23 PM
That works until they decide to take a break in the middle of the ocean and they are better at floating around than you are. Did you calculate in the added weight of the water once you've been dunked in the ocean?
That's not relevant, since the birds are gaining a lot of strength by eating fish during their lunch-break

Gokul43201
Nov7-04, 04:30 PM
Hmm..... Interesting.... I'll have to research this.
The timescales involved may prove difficult for the birds under such stress... I wonder if you could tell me- What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

That depends on whether its an African swallow or a European one.

Anyways, all I know is that in order to maintain air-speed velocity, the swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second.

tumor
Nov7-04, 04:33 PM
France?..why not, they have good wine, hot women, but I'm gonna have to brush up on my French :frown: Au revoir!

Gokul43201
Nov7-04, 04:33 PM
That's not relevant, since the birds are gaining a lot of strength by eating fish during their lunch-break

Actually, you could do the fishing for them, while flying over the ocean...that way they won't need the break (unless you feel like a bath).

How much additional weight is a fishing line and some worms ?

Gonzolo
Nov7-04, 04:59 PM
Is there a way for person to get to Europe other than flying on a passenger jet?

It is definitly the simplest, and cheapest way, but the next most common and practical ways accross the Atlantic IMO are :

- Container ships : some accept passengers (from 4 to 20) for around 100-300$ a night (about 6-12 days to Europe I believe).
- Cruise ship (Queen Mary 2 etc.)
- Charter or private airplane/jet
- Personnal sailboat/yacht

I don't think walking accross the Berring Straight and Siberia is very common... But there is an active Trans-Siberian railroad. And I believe a few passenger boats go to Greenland from Canada, perhaps even to Russia, accross the Arctic, but I am not sure.

tumor
Nov7-04, 05:16 PM
Gonzolo?.. how many people go into one container?

Gonzolo
Nov7-04, 05:23 PM
Gonzolo?.. how many people go into one container?

Only a few, if you plan on breathing O2 for the entire trip ...

Actually, there are beds (dorms or rooms, I am not sure) and you eat at the cafeteria with employees. I have never done it but have looked into it. You apparently need books to pass the time, as there is not much to do (not aloud to work). Understandingly, it is quite a select few who enjoy this type of travel.

Gokul43201
Nov7-04, 05:27 PM
And not just container ships...I think most bulk carriers will take a few passengers.

tumor
Nov7-04, 05:28 PM
Do you have more info or link about going on ship to europe? it is not bad idea.

meteor
Nov7-04, 05:31 PM
One obvious option, though difficult, is to dry the Atlantic ocean and then do the journey walking. But how to dry it? Well, perhaps manipulating the weather... After all is postulated that Mars had seas in the past...

Gonzolo
Nov7-04, 05:32 PM
I seem to have kept this site in my favorites :

http://www.freightercruises.com/

But many other companies offer the service.

tribdog
Nov7-04, 05:47 PM
You could go to City Hall and petition to have your town renamed Europe. Then you could go to Europe and still sleep in your own bed.

tumor
Nov7-04, 09:22 PM
If I go to the City Hall and ask to rename my city Europe, they gonna throw me into the insane asylum.! Not very good idea Man! :grumpy:

tribdog
Nov7-04, 10:59 PM
is the Insane Asylum in Europe?