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Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park

Excellent work. This article looks great now. Ground Zero (talk) 13:25, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Thank you, @GZ! I didn't expect to have it done so quickly. Like I said in the VfD thread, I just noted it down to return to when I had more time on my hands. The Easter weekend's been an extended weekend off though, and I didn't have much planned anyway, so the article was finished before I realised it. It does make me long to tick off a few more destinations I've been brewing on, which I know I won't finish any time soon...
― Wauteurz (talk) 14:05, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Eurostar Red

Hiya. Hope you're well. How's the course going? Do you have any digs or other field work planned this spring/summer?

Just on Eurostar Red/Blue, do you know if those are public-facing names that are being used in official publicity or just nicknames that people have come up with based on the different liveries of the trainsets? I was heading home from Gare du Nord in January, and both London- and Amsterdam-bound trains side-by-side were just labelled 'Eurostar'.--ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 19:57, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

I'm doing alright, thanks for asking. Hope the same goes for you :)

I'm guessing you're referring to my thesis, which, well... It was already due in February, which has since turned into mid-May. I'm making progress, even if it's slower than I would've liked. The fieldwork for that isn't disturbing (i.e., no digging involved), since I'm working with cultural heritage instead of excavation, and most of that fieldwork has already been done a year ago. Thankfully, I don't have much left on the planning when it comes to that. After June, it looks like it'll just be a summer of sending out resumés to see who'll take me :P

Anyway, Eurostar: I believe the Red/Blue labels originally are from 2019, when the merger was announced under the name of "Green Speed". They were definitely coined by Eurostar/Thalys though. I believe the label of Eurostar Red mostly exists because Thalys was a registered trademark and (apparently) needed to be renamed? I'm not sure to what extent they were planned to be public-facing names, but they don't get presented to travellers post-merger - I don't see it in NS' app, for example. It doesn't even look like the newly-refurbished PBKA's carry the label "red" anywhere - it's just maintained as a colour scheme until Eurostar at some point decides that it needs new trains. I wouldn't be surprised if Eurostar parts with the PBA's in a few years time and replaces them with something that isn't red.
― Wauteurz (talk) 20:56, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

@TT!: Looking at this press announcement by SNCF, the red/blue is just to used towards the public when it needs to differentiate between Eurostar and the company formerly known as Thalys. In other words, no, it doesn't seem to be a customer-facing name, but they were names that Eurostar used in the lead-up to the merger (that also might help train nitwits find the correct Eurostar train).
― Wauteurz (talk) 21:38, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

Hey, I'm glad that you're well. I'm prepping a temporary move to Canada by the end of June so am trying to find work before arrival if at all possible.

If Eurostar Red isn't a public brand name, maybe we shouldn't use it in WV as though it were? We could call them "red Eurostar[s]" or "red Eurostar trains", for instance.

I can't help feeling the merge and rebrand have been somewhat bungled by not either (a) timetabling a gradual repaint of the Thalys sets to corporate colours or (b) doubling down on the Red / Blue to maintain a brand-name distinction between intra-Schengen and Schengen<>UK services.

Good luck with the thesis, and try not to worry too much about the deadline. I also had to miss the odd deadline and still got a good degree in the end. Unis want you to do well, and typically bend over backwards for good and communicative students, which it sounds like you are :) -- ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 16:10, 7 April 2024 (UTC)

I have no issues with using "red Eurostars" as a replacement for "Thalys" where it's useful, and otherwise I'd say we just call it by the name it calls itself (i.e., "Eurostar"). I personally think that the Red/Blue thing might've been a way for Eurostar to maintain some of how recognisable Thalys is/was, but that's neither here nor there.

Aside from that, thank you. It's me that wants to follow those deadlines, mostly for my own sanity (and wallet). Making the best out of what I've got is always my intention, and that doesn't change, even if I'm mentally exhausted with water mill-related stuff at this point :)
― Wauteurz (talk) 13:18, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

@TT!: Little update here, as per Treinenweb (Dutch):

Eurostar is preparing to purchase up to 50 new trains by 2030, replacing much of their ageing TMST/e300/Class 373 stock, as well as the PBK and PBKA trains inherited from Thalys. The only unaffected stock are the e320's. I imagine the liveries will be properly unified at that point as well.
― Wauteurz (talk) 12:56, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

That would be logical. I'll miss the sound of the Class 373s as they pass by at speed (although in January the ride quality on the 320s was certainly superior).

How's that thesis coming; [nearly] done? 🙂 -- ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 00:12, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

Excuse my French, but I goddamn wish it were. Not much happened since we last spoke about it, and within a week of that I suffered yet another backlash due to goings-on in my personal sphere that have left me unable to focus or write much of anything for the past month. I've not done anything of note here either despite my plans to do so, even if it's a good distraction. I do hope to get the actual text of the thesis done before the end of the month ― there isn't that much left to write anyways. Admittedly though, with deadlines and requirements being as they are, I'll be sitting on it until the next academic year granted that life doesn't get in the way again...
― Wauteurz (talk) 18:37, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

In that case, I'm sorry to bring it up as it's probably not helping your state of mind. It'll come 🙂

Interesting use of French, as apparently during the Hundred Years War, French soldiers referred to their English opposites as les god-damns, due to how much the latter swore. ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 22:48, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

Wauteurz, all my best to you. Thundering, that's interesting. Ikan Kekek (talk) 23:02, 17 May 2024 (UTC)

@ThunderingTyphoons! @Ikan Kekek: Thank you, gents. I can assure you that I'm fine. That is to say, I am not the main person affected in all this, but it all does have a knock-on effect on me, forcing a lot of change my way. That's acceptable to most, I suppose, but my mild flavour of autism means that I cope very badly with (especially sudden and unforseen) changes. This year looks to become very stressful indeed, so my main focus will be on keeping myself afloat through it all, and to close as many chapters as I can before a tonne of new ones open up. I'll make it through though, no need to worry about that :)
― Wauteurz (talk) 22:10, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

Vector2022

Cont'd: I think screenshots would be very helpful for a lot of people, particularly those less technically inclined. Brycehughes (talk) 01:21, 1 December 2024 (UTC)

Yes! And reading the support so far, I figured I'd split the vote into comprehensible chunks, differentiating between essential changes and completely optional changes. I've thrown that onto a subpage of that discussion, and I'll reorganise the vote to be on the four changesets outlined there. That way, it's easier for people to differentiate between the important fixes and the ones we can take our time deciding upon. ― Wauteurz (talk) 16:40, 1 December 2024 (UTC)

"Dutchflyer" equivalent from the Netherlands?

Hoi Wauteurz. How is everything going with you? I'm writing from the very snowy Purcell Mountains in British Columbia waiting for a couple of tourists to return their rental skis so I can go home.

I've just been updating 'Get in' on the UK article. There was formerly a rail & sail through ticket from any NS station to any Greater Anglia station via Stena Line from the Hook to Harwich. For travellers from the UK, I can see this has now been curtailed on the Dutch side, so that the ticket only covers the connecting UK train journey and the ferry. Here's the UK webpage: https://booking.stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland/rail-and-sail

However, I can't find whether there's still an NL to UK single/return ticket available to purchase in euros. Sadly the Dutch Stena Line site won't open for me (dunno if it's because of where I am). Being the expert on all things Dutch railways, would you happen to know if that ticket still exists? Otherwise, could I perhaps trouble you to take a quick look on the website to see if they advertise a price? I'm thinking if there's nothing obvious on the first 3 or 4 screens, the ticket no longer exists, so please don't research too hard. Also no urgency, as our info hasn't been updated for a few years, so a few more days won't hurt. Cheers 😃 ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 21:47, 11 December 2024 (UTC)

The only ferry-and-train option they seem to offer right now, is a flatrate combo ticket "to and from London" at €69. In reality, it is valid with any Greater Anglia station as your destination. Starting in the Netherlands doesn't seem to be a requirement for that ticket, so it could be useful for UK travellers too if they'd combine it with something like the Holland Travel Ticket which is valid on the metro connecting to Hoek. I reckon the ticket got pulled from their UK store when the train connecting to Hoek was converted into a metro line, which would've been a good few years back.

And well, as for how I'm doing... I'll probably toss that in a different reply. It's a long story alright, and one I can't really allude to without being ominously vague.
― Wauteurz (talk) 22:19, 11 December 2024 (UTC)

Not gonna lie, that is a bit ominous. I genuinely wish you well and hope it's nothing too serious.

That Ferry en Trein ticket is exactly what I was looking for, although it's a bit weird that it's difficult to find in English. Thank you for tracking it down and for recommending the Holland Travel pass. I've updated the article with both titbits.

Take care, ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 00:56, 12 December 2024 (UTC)

Status update

"Wauteurz currently has priorities elsewhere, and undertakes some smaller editing excursions here to get his mind off of things."

I hated how vague that phrasing was from the moment I wrote it. I do appreciate my own privacy though, so I have never divulged on it much. The underlying goings on though, mean that I, sometime next year, might vanish from Wikivoyage for a while for my own sake. Not because of Wikivoyage, but because of life on this end of the screen.

In April this year, we learnt that my mother is not long for this world. She's still here for the time being, and I have been taking care of her to the best of my ability, but there will come an end to that status quo. When the inevitable happens, I'll have my own life to sort out. To say that that would be easy would be understating things significantly. I should have my thesis done by then, but that's only one of the many things on my checklist of things to get sorted. Until the inevitable happens, I use Wikivoyage mostly as a distraction from... well, life.

If I seem more irritable, less cooperative, ignore things, or simply act differently then you're used to from me, then I apologise in advance. I simply prefer to work on things that bring me joy, so I will prioritise those.
― Wauteurz (talk) 11:00, 12 December 2024 (UTC)

I'm really sorry to read that, mate. What a tough time you've been having. Saying goodbye to a parent is something we all go through at some point, but it doesn't make it any easier when it's our 'turn'.

While I'm pleased to read that Wikivoyage is one of the things making life more tolerable right now, if there's anything we as a team or I in particular can do to make it easier for you, you only have to ask — now or in the future.

We all really appreciate your efforts here; the fact you're taking on more user rights is phenomenal, but doesn't need to mean more responsibilities. When you need to take a step back, just do it. And equally, when it helps to take your mind off things, there's always loads to do here, as you know! Take care of yourself.-- Jamie ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 19:04, 13 December 2024 (UTC)

I echo ThunderingTyphoons!'s sentiment and I too am sorry to hear that, Wauteurz. If you need anything from me as well, I'm more than happy to help. //shb --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 00:10, 14 December 2024 (UTC)

I'm really sorry to hear this and empathize with it. I'm glad you're taking care of your mother. Taking care of a parent is the most difficult and exhausting thing I did that didn't actually make me sick, and also one of the most important. Do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself, too. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:52, 14 December 2024 (UTC)