VISITING THE UNITED KINGDOM
Many people from the U.S.A., and all over the world, are fascinated
with the U.K. They dream of traveling there, so here are some tips, dreamers!
Bring comfortable walking shoes. Believe me, you are going to need them.
In London, when you ask people how far something is, the answer is always
“about a five-minute walk.” Do not believe them. The British are all
world-class speed walkers.
Americans, a subway is not a subway. If you go down some stairs next to
a sign that says SUBWAY; you are simply going to go under a street and back up
to the other side of it. You are not going to catch the next train to
Piccadilly Circus. If you want to get a train to go there, look for the London
Underground sign. Of course, subway tunnels under streets are a very good idea
because the British drive on the left side of the road!
When you check into a hotel, ask for a short lesson about the bathroom.
No two of these in Britain are the same. I usually have to look around for
several minutes before I can figure out how to flush the toilet. And I can
almost never operate the shower without instructions. I once had to get out of
a shower in Oxford and go downstairs to ask the hotel receptionist how to turn it
off. There is actually a postcard called The British Bathroom, with everything
on it labeled to help tourists!
Seriously, though, if you are going to travel to the U.K., or to any
other foreign country, spend some time learning about it before you go. Your
trip will be much more fun and less stressful!
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