• The Post Office is not government-run…It’s a private company, and after sending a post card every day, I have to say that I think they might be on to something (although there seems to be two cards that didn’t quite make it).
• Public transportation is never quite on time here, either. (The tube is great though, sans rush hour.)
• Lots of cemeteries (if you’ve been following along, you already knew that).
• (Not really about the UK but…) If you’re going to perform surgery on your shoes make sure you have enough super glue.
• The Mason’s Arms, a typical English pub, is a good example of how stereotypes are molded over time. By this, I mean that the bar was filled with all the sights and sounds that one would think of and associate with a place like that: the old geezer who seems to live there and is an expert on all things local, the burly no-nonsense bartender, the beautiful wooden back bar, the freely flowing Guinness, the bangers n mash and meat pies. Over time, though, the stereotype seems to be including a few other things: blokes (including me) on laptops utilizing the free wireless internet, an absence of smoke, that’s right - all of England’s smokers have been freezing their tails off this winter (though not as much as Minneapolis’s smokers…brrrrr), and flat screen plasma TVs to watch the football matches. Traditions go on, but nothing can ever stay exactly the same…even stereotypes. On the same thought take a look at this sight in Stratford (Note: Costa Coffee is pretty much like Starbucks over here.)
• The English countryside is spoookee (The Hound of the Baskervilles makes a lot more sense to me now), but thinking about how many people there are in the U.K., it’s kind of shocking to realize that they have actually kept a countryside. Driving along this country’s highways it becomes apparent just how much every inch of land is managed, not only to make the most use out of the land that is available, but also to contain city-sprawl. The little townships remain cut off from one another after, in some cases, 1000 years of settlement of one sort or another and still maintain their provincial quality. After so many years it is impressive that they can maintain individual towns and cities.
• Asking for directions is a lot more common place in the U.K. than anywhere in the States that I have lived. I think I’ve been asked where something was by British people about six times…and one time I was even able to help them.
So with that…I’m off for Spain tomorrow. Madrid by way of Barcelona. Adios.
3 comments:
you're good lookin' :)
So since you've now been to England and New England are there really any similarities between the two or did the colonists make that crap up?
People in London aren't nearly as rude as people in Connecticut, other than that...um, none of the streets make sense (they change their name mid-street).
One thing that's kind of similar to Portsmith/Kittery area is that it's hard to get used to not being amazed by how old all the buildings and cobblestone streets are. With both of us coming from the mid-west (or as you would put it: "Texas" and "Not Texas but still in the middle of everything") I think we have a great appreciation for REALLY old stuff since everything we grew up with usually isn't over a hundred years old. Theres a lot of REALLY old stuff over here.
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