The Neutral Road (And Why You Should NEVER Put A Stop Sign On It)

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  • Опубликовано: 22 фев 2022
  • The D68 is like any other French countryside road, except for one thing: the two towns it connects are both in Spain. Predictably, this has caused all sorts of border-related shenanigans over the years including a major dispute over some stop signs. I went on a hike down the road to find out more...
    INSTA - / the.tim.traveller
    TWIT - / thetimtraveller
    FACE - / thetimtraveller
    IMAGE CREDITS
    Mexico and Quebec Stop Sign Photos by Dickelbers
    Mexico - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
    Quebec - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
    FURTHER RESEARCH
    English translation of the 1830 Treaty of Bayonne -
    treaties.un.org/doc/publicati...
    "Llivia, the Catalan enclave that prevents the roundabouts from going round" from Ladepeche.fr (in French) - www.ladepeche.fr/article/2013...

Комментарии • 884

  • @TheTimTraveller
    @TheTimTraveller  2 года назад +545

    Hi all. Since publishing this video, the worst has happened and Putin has ordered his forces to invade. If any of you are looking for ways to help ordinary people in Ukraine, here are some humanitarian organisations worth donating to:
    International Red Cross Ukraine - www.icrc.org/en/donate/ukraine
    United Help Ukraine - unitedhelpukraine.org/
    Voices of Children (supporting children affected by the conflict) - voices.org.ua/en/

    • @paxhumana2015
      @paxhumana2015 2 года назад

      Both sides are evil, and ditto for the anti-war protestors.

    • @dunhillsupramk3
      @dunhillsupramk3 2 года назад +5

      i see... its soo thoughtful of you BUT where would you help the ppl in the middle east?? or don't you care about brown ppl???

    • @TheTimTraveller
      @TheTimTraveller  2 года назад +54

      ​@@dunhillsupramk3 Hi, you're obviously new around here. I already highlighted Putin's intervention in Syria in a previous video, and donated the ad revenue to humanitarian efforts in the Middle East.
      Video here so you can see for yourself: ruclips.net/video/ByXkfdG1eZ4/видео.html

    • @baconwizard
      @baconwizard 2 года назад

      @@TheTimTraveller ignore them, they’re Syrian bots who keep trying to divert attention from the war in Ukraine. They call everyone racists because apparently we need to consider every war in existence to start carrying about people.

    • @AnyoneCanSee
      @AnyoneCanSee 2 года назад

      @@dunhillsupramk3 - No apology? Imagine having so little character that you insinuate someone is a racist just to virtue signal but when you find out the truth you don't even have the human decency to apologise. You don't care about "brown ppl" (nice bit of racism there), just about point scoring online.

  • @JagoHazzard
    @JagoHazzard 2 года назад +1007

    This reminds me of the story of my mate Antoine, who kept stealing stop signs and then selling them back to the French so that they could replace - wait a minute.

    • @archstanton6102
      @archstanton6102 2 года назад +44

      Nice to see you here Jago

    • @robd5237
      @robd5237 2 года назад +51

      I love that Jago is in Tim's comments. Two fantastic channels

    • @StephenAllsopp
      @StephenAllsopp 2 года назад +16

      @@robd5237 He occasionally gets namechecked in videos, too.

    • @albertbatfinder5240
      @albertbatfinder5240 2 года назад +94

      In some dusty corner of a foreign field, Jago Hazzard, Tom Scott, Tim Traveller and the Map Men are all gonna collide. While Matt Parker smirks on the sidelines presenting an analysis of the statistical probability of such an event, the universe will explode.

    • @robd5237
      @robd5237 2 года назад +33

      @@albertbatfinder5240 Poor Geoff Marshall forever alone

  • @TetraDax
    @TetraDax 2 года назад +1118

    This is off-topic, but with restrictions everywhere slowly dropping, I just want to take this opportunity to mention how Tim has managed to put out amazingly interesting and interestingly amazing content despite two years of a pandemic going on, severly restricting travel. While for one this makes me very excited to see what Tim has in store once he can travel more freely again, it also makes me think about how many cool places might just be around the corner that I have never considered to look at. Tim has really shown me that you don't need to go far to hear good stories (or climb mediocre mountains).

    • @sirBrouwer
      @sirBrouwer 2 года назад +27

      they say limitations can inspire creativity.

    • @ellencameron3775
      @ellencameron3775 2 года назад +9

      Same excitement here. I would love for him to come over here to the states and look at some of our old abandoned railways and disused roads. I'm quite certain he could find some stuff that would be very interesting.

    • @ike1660
      @ike1660 2 года назад +9

      I love doing miniature adventures. Just looking around where I live on google maps, and planning, for example, a 3 day walk, boating down a little river, trying to get into an old fort et cetera. All within 20 km around my house..

    • @kassistwisted
      @kassistwisted 2 года назад +2

      Yes! Bravo Tim!

    • @Natebg
      @Natebg 2 года назад +1

      Hear hear

  • @Atlantjan
    @Atlantjan 2 года назад +209

    I can confirm that in fact, we have normal European stop signs in Malta, even though they are more often ignored than obeyed to.

    • @TheTimTraveller
      @TheTimTraveller  2 года назад +84

      Haha :D The weird thing is, I'm pretty sure Ireland does too. But for whatever reason, neither country signed the agreement. (I'm guessing that maybe Ireland wanted to use Irish language in some places... and perhaps Malta wanted to use Maltese? I don't know what the story is tbh)

    • @Atlantjan
      @Atlantjan 2 года назад +54

      @@TheTimTraveller I've seen Gaelic stop signs online but it would be hilarious to see a Maltese one lol. It'd be like your mother yelling at you 😂

    • @thryduulf
      @thryduulf 2 года назад +47

      @@TheTimTraveller Ireland is the only country in Europe to use "new world" style signs. The easiest way to tell the difference is warning signs, in the "old world" sign they are triangles with a red border, in the "new world" style they are yellow diamonds.

    • @donaloflynn
      @donaloflynn 2 года назад +32

      @@Atlantjan Yes, Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas do indeed have Stad signs rather than Stop signs, but anyone not understanding them is too stupid to pass a driving test in the first place 😂

    • @tomjoad1363
      @tomjoad1363 2 года назад +3

      @@TheTimTraveller An idea for a futur video?

  • @mussaranya
    @mussaranya 2 года назад +106

    6:56. At this point you must realize a very interesting fact and curiosity: this photo shows one of the only 4 triple-gauge railway stations in Europe. We can see 3 trains:
    -At the left: French Tren groc (train jaune in French), metric gauge (1000 mm)
    -At the center: a UT446 Spanish train, Iberian gauge (1668 mm)
    -At the right: a TER French train, Standard gauge (1435 mm).
    Isn't that amazing?

    • @paupadros
      @paupadros 2 года назад +4

      which are the others?

    • @RWBHere
      @RWBHere 2 года назад +1

      Where are the other three stations?

    • @THEbonjour0321
      @THEbonjour0321 2 года назад +2

      @@RWBHere I guess he means 3 different trains on the same station, few second after though (edit : 1-2 second after, no more)

    • @mickimicki
      @mickimicki Год назад +5

      Thanks, I appreciate your observation. Not a train nerd, but I do remember going from France to Spain and back by train in the 80s: getting off the French train in Hendaye (AFAIR), walking across the border with the luggage to Irun (?), waiting a few hours to get on "another" train, only to find it was the same carriages, apparently put on different gauge undercarriages (forgive me if I'm using wrong terminology, not a native speaker, either).
      So it's funny that there is even a third gauge around in the region.
      I imagine there used to be more places like that back when there were more local/rural small gauge railway lines in Europe?

    • @derekheeps1244
      @derekheeps1244 Месяц назад

      We run triple gauge track on our miniature railway , which is actually quite commonplace , although most trains run on 7-1/4" gauge , which is the largest .

  • @aselwyn1
    @aselwyn1 2 года назад +307

    honestly the most surprising thing for me was that France doesn't have Arrêt on there stop signs. i am so use to it when i am in Quebec

    • @TheEstampe
      @TheEstampe 2 года назад +55

      Since it's the only hexagonal sign, I guess everyone would recognise it in any language. Note that in Latin America, you may encounter "alto" or "pare" signs depending on the country.

    • @shytendeakatamanoir9740
      @shytendeakatamanoir9740 2 года назад +87

      And as a French, I never knew it was different in other countries.
      Since it's stop everywhere in Europe.

    • @greentjmtl
      @greentjmtl 2 года назад +40

      The French aren't nearly as discriminately as the Quebecois. Among the less sinister ones, student in French school will be send to detention if they were caught speaking English outside English class.

    • @pangolin83
      @pangolin83 2 года назад +28

      Yes, because the Quebecois are militant. Which is funny when their so called "country of heritage" are nowhere near as idiotic with their language.

    • @ROGER2095
      @ROGER2095 2 года назад +18

      @@TheEstampe In 2000, I was driving through Ireland (County Donegal) and saw a octagonal sign, painted yellow with black letters that said "SLOW." It wasn't at an intersection. Really got my attention!

  • @Richardincancale
    @Richardincancale 2 года назад +178

    2:20 Actually it’s remarkable that your piece of 17th century French is completely understandable with no problem even by me, whereas a piece of 17th century English would have most people tripping up or referring to a historical dictionary!

    • @davidmendelsohn1583
      @davidmendelsohn1583 2 года назад +31

      You can thank the Académie française for that!

    • @AnimeSunglasses
      @AnimeSunglasses 2 года назад +10

      @@davidmendelsohn1583 Well, they had to do SOME good, I suppose, just on sheer probability...

    • @AnimeSunglasses
      @AnimeSunglasses 2 года назад +7

      @@cmmartti ... that's a pretty good point, at least mostly. People often do have to either reach for a dictionary while reading the KJV, or just develop a whole section of their vocabulary that is only called for when reading that Bible. And even then there are scattered common semantic misunderstandings.
      I think to be sure of whether your argument stands, we'd have to look at an original unupdated KJV. 160 years, give or take, CAN be long enough for linguistic drift to make misunderstandings not just common but almost unavoidable.

    • @eldrago19
      @eldrago19 2 года назад +6

      @@cmmartti and a lot of the KJV's word choices were out of date even when it was written. A better bench mark might be The English Bill of Rights from The Glorious Revolution - though it was written slightly later.

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios 2 года назад +8

      I have barely any trouble understanding old English.
      But then, I speak English and German, and old English is pretty much a mix from a time before English was invaded by French.

  • @beltrangarrote1982
    @beltrangarrote1982 Год назад +9

    Between this, Llivia, Pheasant Island and Andorra, I must admit France and Spain’s willingness to sort things out is admirable.

  • @boomr334
    @boomr334 2 года назад +99

    Given the way the world is now, this is the most sensible snippet of geopolitics

    • @Joesolo13
      @Joesolo13 2 года назад +1

      @Real Aiglon Oh come off it you should know what they meant instead of trying to act as if you're cleverer than them.

  • @arnovije
    @arnovije 2 года назад +23

    The cover of Stop from the Spice Girls was a great bonus 👌😄
    While we’re typing: when will you be climbing a mountain again? Feels like ages 🤷‍♂️

    • @TheTimTraveller
      @TheTimTraveller  2 года назад +5

      I agree Arno, it has been far too long! It's been a little tricky for me to make hiking videos during the pandemic, for a whole bunch of reasons, and I really want to get back to it. So, with a bit of luck, there will be a LOT more mountains later this year...

  • @martenkats6915
    @martenkats6915 2 года назад +99

    I've actually driven across that road, I was briefly staying in the south of France, not too far from Andorra. Then I went to Andorra by (hire-)car to do some ridiculously cheap shopping, crossed from there briefly into Spain to go back via Llivia (neither route made a big difference getting to/from the place I was staying at so I just felt like some different scenery). So I knew about Llivia, but I never knew about how controversial that road was!

    • @jonathanfinan722
      @jonathanfinan722 2 года назад +1

      I drove through Andorra once in the late 80s. It reminded me of Keighley but without the heroin.

  • @petermaffei8687
    @petermaffei8687 2 года назад +14

    The piano version of the Geography Now! theme song was an AMAZING touch to this episode!!!

    • @Latoso
      @Latoso 2 года назад +2

      This made my day!

    • @raakone
      @raakone 2 года назад

      Fitting, actually, since it's a quirk of geography!

  • @thesteelrodent1796
    @thesteelrodent1796 2 года назад +80

    we've had similar issues on the border between Denmark and Germany, since Germany conquered Slesvig and Southern Jutland in 1864, and Denmark didn't get Southern Jutland back till 1920, while Slesvig voted to stay German. Germany kept Sylt, a tiny island off the west coast of Jutland, but for many years the only way they could get to it was on sealed trains that went through Denmark. Eventually they built their own railroad, but because that whole area is still a mix of Danish and German population it's always been a very liberal crossing point (for Danes and German), with several of the border towns having both German and Danish identities thanks to being tossed back and forth

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios 2 года назад +2

      Now I have to ask how the germans on the danish side are represented. Because the danish on the german side are a recognised national minority and as such have some exceptions to guarantee their representation.

    • @darth_yoda
      @darth_yoda 2 года назад +3

      @@HappyBeezerStudios They nor represented in the danish parliment as the Island belongs to Germany and follows German laws and also vote in German elections.

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios 2 года назад +1

      @@darth_yoda No germans on the danish side of the border?

    • @PascalGienger
      @PascalGienger 2 года назад +2

      The SSW (South Slesian Voter Union) is even a recognized Danish minority Party in the German state of Schleswig Holstein and in the last federal election they got even so many votes to have a seat in the German federal parliament (Bundestag). Very rare event!

    • @gerdforster883
      @gerdforster883 Год назад +1

      ​@@HappyBeezerStudiosThere is a german minority in Denmark, but it is much smaller than the danish minority in Germany. They are currently represented in local parliaments, but not on the national level.

  • @bawdydog176
    @bawdydog176 2 года назад +44

    Yay, a Tim Traveler video! Instant improvement to my day.

  • @SuperDropsX
    @SuperDropsX 2 года назад +54

    Nobody delivers European Border Pedantry like our boy Tim. Greatly enjoyed this one, as always, even if what's going on in the Ukraine is a grim reminder that Actual War is always just one powerful person's ego away.

  • @lenabrokaw714
    @lenabrokaw714 2 года назад +13

    "Who would read all of that?" 2:19. Me. I did. Understood a lot of it, to my delight.

  • @simonlb24
    @simonlb24 2 года назад +26

    I honestly never thought I would ever hear an accordion verision of the 'Crossroads' theme tune. It is now lodged firmly in my head and will not leave. Thanks a bunch, Tim!

    • @ML-vy8xo
      @ML-vy8xo 2 года назад +1

      At 4:36. Made me chuckle

    • @droganPaul
      @droganPaul 2 года назад

      Yes, special moment ;-)

    • @MQsCues
      @MQsCues 2 года назад

      Ah, that's what it was! I knew I recognised the tune!

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 2 года назад

      Highly appropriate though! I chuckled when I heard it.

    • @themistocleszammit
      @themistocleszammit 2 года назад

      I was really struggling to work out what that tune was till I saw your comment!

  • @andrewgodiy2172
    @andrewgodiy2172 2 года назад +229

    Heh, I'd wish we could resolve our situation that easily.. Greetings from Ukraine! 🇺🇦

    • @chrisakaschulbus4903
      @chrisakaschulbus4903 2 года назад +9

      @@tomjoad1363 "That's easy, stop pissing off people ! If those independantist feels more russian than ukrainian, them let 'em go !"
      Wow... even as someone who doesn't know crap about politics, i can feel the strong projection this specimen did here ^^

    • @jendralhxr
      @jendralhxr 2 года назад +3

      perhaps build the roads and junctions, let people travel back and forth and do business freely , but keep the two state entities separate? (just like Llivia)

    • @flaetsbnort
      @flaetsbnort 2 года назад +2

      @@jendralhxr That's kinda what they were doing, though

    • @gustavmeyrink_2.0
      @gustavmeyrink_2.0 2 года назад +8

      Good to see that so far the Ukranian Nightingale is kicking the arse of the russian bear.
      Stay strong Ukraine!

    • @billb7876
      @billb7876 2 года назад

      Sod off with your ukraine bullshit, Russia are getting rid of the corruption that the west have put in there, you must see that or are you happy with american bio labs and money laundering that goes on there?

  • @juanpablocorreiaecheverria2857
    @juanpablocorreiaecheverria2857 2 года назад +78

    I just wanted every border in the world to be like the France-Spain border.

    • @osasunaitor
      @osasunaitor 2 года назад +15

      We even share an island that's 6 months French, 6 months Spanish every year lol.
      And since the borders were opened up by Schengen, the limit between the two countries has become so diffuse that the physical border is impossible to notice unless you are travelling on a main road (local roads don't even have signage to mark the border). I believe that this is becoming increasingly common in Europe, and I love it

    • @JohnPrepuce
      @JohnPrepuce 2 года назад +3

      You would need every country which borders another to be themselves like France or Spain. Alas, this is not the case.

    • @thorin1045
      @thorin1045 2 года назад +1

      A massive mountain with a few narrow corridors of passage? For some reason i don't think you wanted to be that...

    • @hairyairey
      @hairyairey 2 года назад

      @@osasunaitor At some points you will still see the border control buildings and when there's an emergency (like the pandemic and for once that's using the word in its proper context) they are staffed.

    • @osasunaitor
      @osasunaitor 2 года назад +2

      @@hairyairey true, but only on main roads/motorways. The rural roads and paths that criss-cross the border areas have no physical barrier at all. An old milestone with an F carved on one side and an E (España) on the other is the biggest hint you might find.

  • @dickoon
    @dickoon 2 года назад +21

    I do so love the hard work you put into the musical accompaniments; they raise a smile very often and make the two seconds it takes to work out what they are well worthwhile.

  • @1UPWonders
    @1UPWonders 2 года назад +46

    Only Tim could make a video about stop signs interesting and informative.

    • @edipires15
      @edipires15 2 года назад +2

      Hmm I think Not Just Bikes also made an interesting and informative video about Stop signs 😅

    • @gormster
      @gormster 2 года назад

      Only Tim… and Sam from Half as Interesting.

    • @1UPWonders
      @1UPWonders 2 года назад +2

      @@edipires15 I was not familiar with them. Of course, that Tom Scott video about a certain crossroad did touch on stop signs too.

    • @FlyingMozzarella
      @FlyingMozzarella 2 года назад

      @@gormster I was abt to comment this!

  • @zhuravlik26
    @zhuravlik26 2 года назад +24

    There exists such a road in our times. "Saatse Boot" is a panhandle of Russian territory that contains a road connecting two Estonian villages. It is allowed to drive there without stops to access Estonia from Estonia, but it is prohibited to access this road in any other way, as that would be an illegal border crossing.
    There were negotiations, and there exists a draft of a treaty that cedes this area to Estonia in exchange of tiny pieces of land in other areas. But this treaty was never signed, so this road still functions as is.

    • @petertaylor4980
      @petertaylor4980 2 года назад +1

      See ruclips.net/video/iGjPn8V4O9E/видео.html

    • @flp322
      @flp322 2 года назад +1

      Tom Scott made a video about it!

    • @ThreeRunHomer
      @ThreeRunHomer 2 года назад +2

      Russia maintaining an excuse to invade Estonia.

  • @osasunaitor
    @osasunaitor 2 года назад +14

    6:58 This is La-Tour-de-Carol railway station, a lovely tiny station where the Spanish commuter trains from Barcelona, the French night trains from Paris and the scenic narrow-gauge Yellow Train all meet.
    Of course, as usual you can admire the cute French trains (left) next to the hideous graffiti-ridden Spanish trains (right).

  • @runejonassen3893
    @runejonassen3893 2 года назад +12

    I'm imagining a barn filled with old stopsigns just waiting to be rediscovered...
    If they ever do find them, I hope they use them to build a monument over this dispute. Stop stopping the stoppage!

  • @Zarkovision
    @Zarkovision 2 года назад +38

    There is a quite similar situation at the Dutch/German border at a part of the country called "Selfkant". Selfkant forms a "peninsula" from the German side into the Netherlands, province of Limburg. Indeed Selfkant was Dutch after the war as a reparation for WW2, but the Netherland gave it back to Germany in 1963, and the people there became Germans again. But the N274, a Dutch street connecting Brunssum with Koningsbosch, is going over now German territory, making Selfkant an exclave. At least in theory, as there is now no sign of a border. Also this is the smallest point of the Netherlands: From the border in Selfkant to the river Maas (which is the border to Belgium) it's only 4,75 km.

    • @Outwhere
      @Outwhere 2 года назад +2

      For a long time, it was impossible to get onto this road from Germany (this only changed in 2002). It is still open to lorries on Sunday, unlike normal German roads.

    • @Rekowagen
      @Rekowagen 2 года назад +6

      You beat me to it ;-). And yes, Tim, if you are reading this, the Selfkant is a place to visit for obscure everything, including a now-preserved railway line which was shortened by Dutch occupation after WWII, the Dutch road over German territory with no exists to Germany, the westernmost point of Germany and the village (Millen) where the village is in Germany and the castle in the Netherlands. Maybe you should wait until the unique articulated railcar at the preserved railway has been restored. That originates from the island of Sylt and the tractor unit is a modified off-the-peg lorry!

    • @sirBrouwer
      @sirBrouwer 2 года назад +1

      not to be pedantic... or actually to be very pedantic the smallest point in the Netherlands from border to border is most likely one of the Dutch second order enclaves with in the Baarle-Nassau/Hertog crazy mess of a existence.

    • @Quintinohthree
      @Quintinohthree 2 года назад +1

      Further to the north there is an actual neutral road aptly named "Neutraleweg" which was genuinely simultaneously German and Dutch for no real discernable region given that it only runs along the border but from Dutch Groesbeek to Dutch Milsbeek. Anyway, the condominium was ended as part of the transfers of territory following WWII and one of only two transfers that were made permanent.

    • @bouli3576
      @bouli3576 2 года назад

      There is also the B258 road between Roetgen and Konzen (Germany, Nord-Rhein-Westfalen), that runs partly through Belgium, but without connections to Belgium.

  • @slimcourage901
    @slimcourage901 2 года назад +60

    Reminds me of the customs road between Basel, Switzerland and the Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg airport in France. It's still there, but Switzerland joining Schengen in 2008 has made it irrelevant.

    • @tobiwan001
      @tobiwan001 2 года назад +11

      True, but before Switzerland was part of Schengen, the whole airport was a s**tshow.

    • @lacdebienne47
      @lacdebienne47 2 года назад +4

      Very true. Was just about to mention this as well... you were just a few minutes faster !

    • @martincook9795
      @martincook9795 2 года назад +1

      @@lacdebienne47 me too. But i think it has a fence around it

    • @timtranslates
      @timtranslates 2 года назад +8

      But Switzerland is not in the Customs Union, so it is relevant for moving goods. That's why there's also a neutral road from France to the French sector of Geneva airport. If you want to move goods from the bit of France near Geneva to, say, Bordeaux without paying customs duties in Switzerland, you take the customs road. You therefore enter Geneva airport without entering Swiss customs territory.

    • @williamwhite1357
      @williamwhite1357 2 года назад

      @@tobiwan001 it still is! pointless “checks” after security

  • @jwhite5008
    @jwhite5008 2 года назад +25

    Warm words from one of the countries involved in mentioned ongoing war.
    Ah, how would the world improve if all wars were waged through road signage alone.
    Let's hope - fingers crossed - that this one also results only in infrastructure improvement.

  • @nautilusshell4969
    @nautilusshell4969 2 года назад +2

    Love the accordion version of the theme music from Crossroads....Tony Hatch would be proud.

  • @sayujraphael
    @sayujraphael 2 года назад +6

    I literally searched for this channel today, and boom a new upload

  • @moritzl7065
    @moritzl7065 2 года назад +1

    The piano version of the Geography Now theme song was a nice touch!

  • @R2k2
    @R2k2 2 года назад +7

    When I saw the map at 1:22 , i tought: "Oh no, this will be Baarle-Nassau all over again".
    But no, this got weirder. :)
    Thanks for the video, and keep them coming!!
    (
    *Humming*, 'Stop right now, thank you very much. I need somebody with a human touch"....
    Aah, nostalgia....
    )

    • @thryduulf
      @thryduulf 2 года назад +1

      @R2k2 Thank you! I knew I recognised the tune but hadn't quite placed it!

    • @R2k2
      @R2k2 2 года назад

      @@thryduulf you're welcome!

  • @57thorns
    @57thorns 15 дней назад +2

    "This was largely ignored by most of the locals."
    This is true of almost any border region in the world.

  • @webdeveloperbournemouth
    @webdeveloperbournemouth 2 года назад +2

    6:07 stop right now, thank you very much

  • @aaronpaul5990
    @aaronpaul5990 2 года назад +37

    So ... someone must have a whole load of stop signs ... and it is interesting that it was spain who was fed up and not the french but it looks like a better infrastructure regardless especially with the train line right next to it.

  • @rewboss
    @rewboss 2 года назад +9

    TIL Spain has the same style of roadside reflector posts as Germany.
    (This is the kind of thing I notice when I'm watching videos. Is this something I should be concerned about?)

  • @martythemartian99
    @martythemartian99 2 года назад +3

    Your wonderful use of musical jokes continues to delight :D

  • @samueldevulder
    @samueldevulder 2 года назад +3

    Tim using the proper level of humour for the time being. This was really needed. Thank you. Thumb up.

  • @floris3239
    @floris3239 2 года назад +10

    Looking forward to the video about Le Petit Train Jaune and why on a map the railway line seem to deliberately try to avoid going through Llívia. Instead it goes around it in an U shape.

  • @lacadiere
    @lacadiere 2 года назад +2

    Hello, at 6:58 you have a very special station. It’s La-Tour-de-Carol with 3 different trains: on the right French train (standard gauge, voltage 1500 V), on the middle the Spanish train (Iberia gauge, voltage 3000 V) and on the left the Cerdagne train (meter gauge, voltage 850 V).

  • @angelogarcia2189
    @angelogarcia2189 2 года назад +2

    "If only more wars could stop, like The War of The Stop Sighs stopped." Amen

  • @CactusJinx
    @CactusJinx Год назад +2

    On another note I love the piano rendition of Stop by the Spice Girls at the end … Very appropriate 😅😅

  • @PeterFSzabo-gd4et
    @PeterFSzabo-gd4et 2 года назад +5

    I just rewatched the Llivia video about half an hour ago, and now this pops up. Perfect timing!

  • @Niinsa62
    @Niinsa62 2 года назад +16

    Yess! Another Tim Traveller video! And it taught me that Mexico and Quebec have Spanish and French stop signs, but Spain and France don't. I didn't know that. But I do know that here in Sweden we used to have Swedish STOPP signs, before going mainstream STOP.

    • @DarkDutch007
      @DarkDutch007 2 года назад +2

      The Germans used HALT signs during the occupation of the Netherlands, which seems to be the first stop sign being used in the Netherlands.

    • @jefflanam
      @jefflanam 2 года назад

      This information comes in handy if you play Geoguesser, because if you see a sign that says Arrêt, you can be pretty sure you are in Quebec.

    • @sammartland932
      @sammartland932 2 года назад

      @@jefflanam I have seen them in certain towns in nova scotia

    • @theKobus
      @theKobus 2 года назад

      STOPP seems so much more emphatic and slangy

  • @kevwang0712
    @kevwang0712 2 года назад +26

    0:20 In both countries at the same time… I guess that would qualify as being in a Quantum State

    • @Moses_VII
      @Moses_VII 2 года назад +5

      But so many people have measured it. Why didn't the wave-function collapse?

    • @TheSockMonkeyGuy
      @TheSockMonkeyGuy 2 года назад +6

      ​@@Moses_VII The best theory I can advance is that bureaucracy exists in an alternate universe where the laws of physics simply do not apply.

    • @smhorse
      @smhorse 2 года назад

      Schrodinger's States?

  • @colday74
    @colday74 2 года назад +2

    Always chuffed when you put a new video out Tim. Another good one!

  • @DanLoudShirts
    @DanLoudShirts 2 года назад +2

    Brilliant video as always, Tim. Not only are they interesting and amusing, but the musical arrangements are genius. Keep up the good work!

  • @fleinze
    @fleinze 2 года назад +1

    The music in the end gave spiced the video up. Loving it!

  • @Sofus.
    @Sofus. 2 года назад +3

    I am so happy that in most of Europe I can move freely thanks to all our lovely neighbors.👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

  • @henrimichelpierreplana4332
    @henrimichelpierreplana4332 2 года назад +3

    Oh please, please .. do a video about the train jaune. My uncle was a conductor on it. So many memories in the driver cabin as a child. Thanks for your videos.

  • @ewanduffy
    @ewanduffy 2 года назад +9

    You need to do a video about the Accommodation roads in Northern Ireland which, for road traffic purposes, are Republic of Ireland roads.

  • @jshawbitter
    @jshawbitter 2 года назад

    This is in my opinion one of if not the best channels on RUclips well done going to look though all your old videos now
    Keep it up

  • @PlacoRabanne
    @PlacoRabanne 2 года назад +1

    It has been a while that I'm fond of that little piece of trivia (thanks, Half as Interesting !) but your video with actual point of views and not only infographics is really great, Tim.
    I also love how professional your videos are becoming. Keep up the great work !

  • @firesurfer
    @firesurfer 2 года назад +11

    Here is your "WALL OF TEXT" en anglais, s'il vous plait;
    "“And because to go from Livia to Puyserda, or from Puyserda to Livia or to go from one of the Villages belonging to His Most Christian Majesty to one of those who belong to his Catholic Majesty, it could happen that it would be necessary to pass by the limits of Livia or Puyserda, or by the limits of some Villages of France. We [...] declare, that whatever kind of goods or commodities which will pass through such Limits going by the royal road from Livia to Puyserda or from Puyserda to Livia, or from a Village in Spain to one in France, will not pay any right to the Officers of France, nor to other Customs officers or Farmers, or any other Receivers, of the rights of the two Kingdoms; Declarant moreover that the said royal roads and passages which one could take to go from Livia to Puyserda, or from Puyserda to Livia, or to go of one Village of France to one of those of Spain, will be free with the subjects of one and the other Kingdom, without the said Subjects being able to be respectively worried in the said passages by the Ministers of two Kingdoms for whatever cause. Not hearing point that this freedom of passage can serve to ensure impunity for crimes that could be committed in the said paths and passages, especially since the capture and punishment of the guilty will belong to those of the Territory of the said passages where the crimes will have been committed."

    • @douglasboyle6544
      @douglasboyle6544 2 года назад

      I was hoping this was going to be here!

    • @kobusg7460
      @kobusg7460 2 года назад

      OMW, slimey attorney-government-money-guzzling-bureaucracy was clearly a big then and it has not changed until today, has it?

    • @andreasu.3546
      @andreasu.3546 2 года назад

      TIL: 17th century legalese is no better than todays.

  • @beltrangarrote1982
    @beltrangarrote1982 Год назад +1

    A bridge and a roundabout to get rid of stop signs. No side wins over the other one, they all get what they want and all treaties complied with. Brilliant.

  • @paulpeternaanouh3193
    @paulpeternaanouh3193 2 года назад +9

    For some extra pedantry I'd like to mention that the "roundabout" of reconciliation is not a roundabout at but a "carrefour à sense giratoire" that is technically different from a roundabout in that cars exiting it have the right of way as opposed to cars entering it.

    • @Croz89
      @Croz89 2 года назад +11

      Only in France I assume, since in the rest of the world that's how a normal roundabout works!

    • @MrNicoJac
      @MrNicoJac 2 года назад +4

      That's a normal roundabout...?

    • @tinkertaylor6965
      @tinkertaylor6965 2 года назад +2

      Er.. to heap pedantry upon pedantry, surely the type of junction you are referring to requires the vehicles on the 'roundabout' to give way to those entering it; i.e. the opposite of the rule on the more common variety.

    • @paulpeternaanouh3193
      @paulpeternaanouh3193 2 года назад +2

      @@Croz89 I'd say that france probably just gave a different name for the same thing as you rarely ever see a structure that is defined as a "roundabout" by french traffic law.

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios 2 года назад +2

      @@paulpeternaanouh3193 Might have to do with the fact that that french traffic law defines it in french and not in english ;)
      German traffic law would call it a Kreisverkehr, which is obviously yet another entirely different thing.

  • @bertlbarm4374
    @bertlbarm4374 2 года назад +2

    The Austrian - Slovenian border is also just one street west of Leibniz, two lines, a yellow one and a white one, indicate the border, except for an inn, because the guest room is in Austria, the kitchen in Slovenia

  • @allymac1314
    @allymac1314 Год назад +1

    These nuggets of info are an absolute joy to watch. Nice one!

  • @selkesmooth4928
    @selkesmooth4928 2 года назад +5

    Did I hear a rendition of the outro music to "Geography Now" at 1:56?

  • @matthewlane4390
    @matthewlane4390 2 года назад

    I have really fell in love with this channel! Tim has really done some interesting stuff!

  • @nightw4tchman
    @nightw4tchman 2 года назад +2

    Just want to say, I love your videos. Thank you for making them.

  • @bloergk
    @bloergk 2 года назад +8

    4:02 Pedant's Delight:
    "Stop" is a perfectly valid and common French word, synonymous with "Arrêt", "Halte", or "Pause" for example. France DOES have French stop signs.
    What you said is a bit like saying: "Surprisingly, the English have decided to use the French word 'Hotel' on the signage in front of their inns".

    • @TheTimTraveller
      @TheTimTraveller  2 года назад +2

      Tbf I didn't say *I* was personally surprised by it :) You're right, "stop" has been fully adopted by the French at this point. But I mentioned it because I had a lot of comments on my last video where people were suprised about it - I'm guessing they were mostly Mexicans and Canadians...

    • @missionsabotage
      @missionsabotage 2 года назад

      @@TheTimTraveller Fun fact : UK was using "HALT" sign.

    • @bloergk
      @bloergk 2 года назад +2

      @@TheTimTraveller Oh for sure, don't worry I can't imagine it actually bothering anyone, I hope my comment didn't sound antagonistic or annoying. Just recreational pedantry.
      I just looked it up and to your credit, apparently even though it was already a (somewhat niche) loanword in the nineteenth century it became MASSIVELY more integrated in the common vernacular after the invention of stop signs. So my "Hotel" analogy does not quite convey the right timeline... "Stop 🇫🇷" is comfortably above the threshold where loanwords lose their foreignness (like "stopper" is a verb that doesn't evoke English in the slightest to French ears, unlike for example "Zeitgeist 🇬🇧" which retains some German flavor to English ears I think), but yeah I have to admit "Hotel 🇬🇧" is MUCH further above that threshold, poor choice...

    • @TheTimTraveller
      @TheTimTraveller  2 года назад +2

      @@bloergk ah interesting! This is some world class pedantry, thank you for the extra research

    • @Coccinelf
      @Coccinelf 2 года назад

      @@bloergk Just thought you'd like to know that "hotel" in French is "hôtel".

  • @patchso
    @patchso 2 года назад

    Yet another great video. Keep up the good work Tim.

  • @paulabplanalp1030
    @paulabplanalp1030 2 года назад

    Thank you Mr Tim, you always cheer me up. I love your music.

  • @placeyplacey
    @placeyplacey 2 года назад +1

    Thanks Tim - keep up the good work 👍👍

  • @BarrySchmitz
    @BarrySchmitz 2 года назад

    I love the work you put in these video's. Well done Tim! It's a pleasure to watch them. 😎

  • @shanelyon414
    @shanelyon414 Год назад

    Thank you for another awesome story Tim! I feel like you bring amazing secret stories out for all of us to share in. Thank you for taking us along for the ride.

  • @greenate12
    @greenate12 2 года назад

    Thanks for providing a calm amidst the storm. Great little video.

  • @polymerbitltd.8697
    @polymerbitltd.8697 2 года назад +2

    It is always a joy to see your videos! I was wondering when you would inevitably talk about this road considering you were in the region for your last video.

  • @SMjerZgirl
    @SMjerZgirl 2 года назад

    I love your channel and videos, thank you so much for all your hard work making them

  • @himlingpatrice
    @himlingpatrice 2 года назад +7

    2:16
    The French legal language of the 17th century is practically identical to the French legal language of the 21st century.

  • @lnr33
    @lnr33 6 дней назад

    I have just discovered your channel and I find it quite interesting. You are well informed and I apreciate that. Thanks for enlight us with your knowledge. Greetings from Spain

  • @heybagley
    @heybagley 2 года назад +1

    6:04 "Thaaaaaank you very much" for the cover of this underrated bop from the 1990s!

  • @felixbristow155
    @felixbristow155 2 года назад

    I appreciate the piano rendition of 'stop right now' at the end, very subtle

  • @radioflyer1969
    @radioflyer1969 2 года назад +1

    Absolutely brilliant! I love your videos. So deliciously quirky and filled with fascinating history. Thanks so much!

  • @DirkthemanDrones
    @DirkthemanDrones 2 года назад +2

    Love the ‘stop right now’ song rendition at the end…!

  • @whyyoulidl
    @whyyoulidl 2 года назад

    Boy, how I needed this piece of escapism! Every video Tim does is another addition to my 'Must go to' list; Many thanks 👍🏿

  • @docvideo93
    @docvideo93 2 года назад +1

    2:04 Love the Geography Now theme!

  • @snorky2k521
    @snorky2k521 2 года назад

    Always the best travel suggestions.

  • @anjachan
    @anjachan 2 года назад

    thanx for the interesting informations about that beautiful place!

  • @burger406
    @burger406 2 года назад +3

    im so excited to be hearing from Llivia again!
    -burger40

  • @xCPTxNEMO
    @xCPTxNEMO 2 года назад +1

    Thank you very much, for the ear worm.

  • @Frederic0509
    @Frederic0509 Год назад +2

    Spanish built bridges, French Roundabout.
    So classic...

  • @colinpovey2904
    @colinpovey2904 2 года назад

    Love your work. Great sense of humor.

  • @TheHylianBatman
    @TheHylianBatman 2 года назад +5

    I kinda wish they had left the old crossroads just for fun.
    Still built the new one and everything, just not take out the old one.
    Also good on you for your solidarity. I respect that a lot.

    • @scythal
      @scythal 2 года назад

      There's still signs of its existence, but if they had kept the whole thing, where would the stop signs go?

    • @TheHylianBatman
      @TheHylianBatman 2 года назад +1

      @@scythal Fair enough.

  • @LHyoutube
    @LHyoutube 2 года назад

    The subtle choice of instrumental music at the end was genius! 😂

  • @BriManeely
    @BriManeely 2 года назад

    You've got so much heart, Tim.

  • @SteveInScotland
    @SteveInScotland 2 года назад

    Your background music choices are truly epic!

  • @leeburkitt1442
    @leeburkitt1442 2 года назад

    Love the video and especially the use of the crossroads theme music in the background!

  • @tuftywhite9628
    @tuftywhite9628 2 года назад

    Loving the subtle music bed. Especially the Crossroads theme on an accordion. Outstanding!

  • @bruceyoung1343
    @bruceyoung1343 2 года назад

    Mr Tim. I Thank You 🙏

  • @sanashi27
    @sanashi27 2 года назад +1

    These things are pretty interesting. It's cool they found a way to deal with the issue and the bridge looks good.

  • @DanTheCaptain
    @DanTheCaptain 3 дня назад

    Nice GeographyNow theme rendition! I love the small Easter eggs like that in these videos!

  • @Narnendil
    @Narnendil 2 года назад

    Oh the music at the end made me happy, so nostalgic!

  • @aston-s
    @aston-s 2 года назад +4

    Although I had no idea of it at the time but looking le train jaune, I think I went on that as a child, at one of the stations we got out of one of the closed carriages into one of the open ones, the train started moving before my dad had got into the open carriage and the carriage door was still open. He managed to leap in and we lived happily ever after

  • @dancedecker
    @dancedecker 2 года назад

    Brilliant as ever Tim.
    And loved the accordion music of tye Crossroads theme tune at 4.30 or so..
    I'm sure Benny and Miss Diane appreciated it. Lol.
    Cheers.

  • @RetgunTej
    @RetgunTej 2 года назад

    This upload is heaven sent. I was due for a Tim Traveler video.

  • @TheFlyingBusman
    @TheFlyingBusman 2 года назад

    An interesting tale and as always love the very appropriate background music. Keep up the interesting little snippets.

  • @LQC2556
    @LQC2556 2 года назад +1

    When you hear "Hello, bonjour, and hola!" you already know something is up.

  • @vic8497
    @vic8497 2 года назад +1

    Wonderfull video, as always!

  • @cakemartyr5794
    @cakemartyr5794 2 года назад

    Another great informative and entertaining video, Tim. Thanks! Particularly liked the Spanglish sign at 3:30 and the Crossroads music at 4:40.