Random Thoughts About the UK

Any day that it's not raining becomes a holiday, and everybody goes outside.

The hotel maids are almost exclusively Caucasian.

Food here is expensive.

Nobody here is fat.

Very few people wear hats, and if they do, it is rarely a baseball cap.

Nobody here is bald.

Nobody here has a mustache without a beard.

Why do I feel like I don't fit in???

People here are surprised we don't all carry guns in the US.

In the US, something that was around in the 1800's is OLD. Here, something from the 1500's is a bit old.

People, especially girls/women can wear anything and get away with it.

The primary past-times here are: Soccer/Rugby, drinking, and smoking; in that order, and they are excellent at all of them.

It is impossible to find chewing tobacco of any kind here. (I guess you have to go to Copenhagen)

Dawn is right, the chocolate is better here.

Folks here are much better at standing patiently in line.

In all my wanderings around Europe, I have never heard anybody speak Spanish.

The only Mexican restaurant I have found was owned and run by Turks.

If I pay attention to conversations on the street, within 10 minutes I can hear 5 different languages.

The color of green in the fields is different here somehow, but I can't explain in what way.

Wireless Internet is an extremely rare thing, and anyone with an iPhone is a Yank....of course they are also fat, bald, mustached, and wearing a baseball cap....

In general, in the US, we walk on the sidewalks as we drive on the roads, to the right. Here, they drive on the left, but walk anywhere.

At Pubs here, people love Bud and Miller beers: they're imports and must be better!

They are better.

I like Hard Cider here much better than any beers, and it comes in 2 liter bottles at the convenience and grocery stores! I need a longer layover....

Ice machines at the hotels, if they have them, are meant to fill a glass, not a bucket or cooler.

If you order a coke at a restaurant, they will only give you about 2 ice cubes. The locals don't want to be gypped out of the proper amount of beverage with wasted ice.

McDonald's and Starbucks are everywhere. I think they are owned by a consortium that will one day rule the world....of course coffee and cheeseburgers do make the world a better place.

What is it about baked beans, mushrooms, and stewed tomato's that requires them to be available in great quantities for every breakfast buffet?

Orange juice is a rare and expensive commodity here, and is almost always bitter and pulpy.

Dogs are welcome almost anywhere, and I can't remember ever hearing one bark...I wonder if it would have an accent....

In many bathrooms here, there is an oval area above the toilet, divided (artfully) in half for flushing the toilet. I have no idea what the difference is, and I feel too stupid to ask.

No, it's not for the bidet, and no self-respecting guy would ever use one, even if he knew what it was. We think it looks like a drinking fountain for our dogs.

To turn the TV on using the remote, you have to push the "channel" button twice. I have no idea what the power button is for.

Gas here is $1.50...a QUART!!! OK, that's roughly $6 a gallon for those of you who are volumetrically impaired. Thank God the prices have come down!

Public transportation actually works here, and the subways and train stations are well lit, spacious, and don't smell like urine.

Don't even think about eating Haggis. A flight attendant asked me this morning what it was, and I told her "It's what's left over after everything edible had been removed from the cow (hearts, liver, lungs, plus suet, oatmeal and spices). She didn't believe me. After she had some, and thought "it tasted a bit weird", she asked the waitress what was in Haggis, and the waitress spared no details. The flight attendant left very quickly, and was not seen again. I think she will become a vegetarian.

I am extraordinarily fortunate to have the ability and opportunity to travel to foreign lands and see the sights and meet the people's that I have. I should be down on my knees every night thanking God for blessing me so much.

So those are my ramblings for today.

I have taken a great amount of pleasure over the last year or so reading Deeann's blog, and Kari's blog. What a great way to share information and thoughts with folks, without sending out a mass email to everyone! There have been times that I have felt like I have something to say, important or not, but didn't have the means to put my thoughts into words. Not that they were necessarily important, but sometimes I want to share my thoughts or insights or observations with someone, and when I'm on the road, I'm usually alone. Having a blog, I think, will allow me to share some of these things, but I think it will also force me to focus and crystallize my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and impressions into something more meaningful and substantial, that I can share with anyone who is interested.

If you're not interested, I totally get it! Half of the time, even I'm not interested in what I have to say!

I don't know how often I will blog, how good it will be, or if this is just a passing phase. In any case, thanks for reading this, and I will try my best!

Comments are always appreciated....