Time well spent in Liverpool

If you didn't guess by the above, I spent the last 2 weeks in Liverpool.

Liverpool is on the Irish Sea, and lies about in the middle of the west coast of the island.  Nearby is Wales, and it took a little more than 2 hours to reach by train from London.

I left for Liverpool on the 31st in order to be there for the new year. I was going up to visit some of my close friends from the summer camp I worked at.  They had invited me up for a portion of my winter break, and I was dead excited to go and see their domain.

Once I arrived at the Liverpool Lime Street station, Jake and Day were there to greet me and show me around town a bit.  Day bought me a thing called a sausage roll, which are sausages rolled into a fluffy, flaky pastry.  It was delicious.  From there, we went to George's student flat to drop off my suitcase and get ready for the evening.  George is Day's girlfriend, and her flat was similar in layout to my own. Once everyone was ready, we went out for a bite to eat before heading to Johnny's student flat, which was even nearer to the city center. Adam, who was also from camp, met us there. There was a lovely little buffet, and soon more and more people arrived to celebrate the New Year.  The really boss thing about Johnny's flat is that he had a little roof courtyard, where one could go out for fresh air and such.  Before long, a miniature dance party had formed outside, and everyone was having a wonderful time.

New Years

Alberts Docks

Midnight came and went, and one could hear fireworks all throughout the city.  The New Year festivities carried on, and the smiles stayed on the faces.

Soon it was time to head back to George's flat, where a number of us would be spending the night.  We made it there just fine, and stayed up for a while talking and hanging out before people started to filter off and go to sleep.

In the morning, Day and George made delicious eggs and things called "bacon butties,"  which are toasted and buttered bread with bacon and sauce.


Later that night, I was invited by Adam's family out to a New Years dinner.  This was very fun for me, because I got to get a glimpse into his family tradition.  We went to a local restaurant and had a multi-course meal, with many thing I hadn't tried before.  It was very fun talking with the various members of his family as we ate.  Just thinking about the food I had in Liverpool is making my mouth water...

The Liver Building

I spent the next few nights at Day's house.  Meeting his family was lovely as well, and I always find it entertaining to talk with new people from a different background than myself.  And everyone was so nice and hospitable!

That night, we walked from Day's to Adam's, since they live only about a 5 minute walk from one another. It has then that I was introduced to "The Snookie."

The Snookie is a special room that Adam has built over the years in a back part of the garage.  It is a small room, but the size is deceiving.  Inside, there is a red couch and 3 chairs, accompanied by a complete home entertainment system, complete with surround sound and a high-quality projector.  There is even space heaters so that the people inside don't get terribly cold in the winter.  

Mersey River

The next day, we went to see some of the "must sees" in Liverpool.  Day, Adam, George, John Paul, Jay, Gemma, and James all came with.  First we saw the infamous Liver Building, upon which sit the two Liver Birds.  It is said that one bird faces the sea to watch over the sailors while the other looks over the city to ensure that the pubs are open.  The Birds are tied down because it is said that if the Liver birds ever flew away it would take the soul of the city with them.

Adam in front of the Cavern

Next we saw the Mersey River and and a special exhibit nearby about the Beatles.  Of course, the Beatles did call Liverpool their home--a fact not forgotten by Liverpool as I saw throughout my time in the city. We also visited a few shops by the Albert docks, and then proceeded to walk to the infamous Cavern, where the Beatles had many of their first shows.  Along the same street now are other pubs, clubs, and bars that pay the Beatles a tribute. We walked all around the town into the evening stopping at pubs here and there for drinks and dinner.  (They call the third meal of the day
"tea," and the second meal "dinner.")

After we got back to Day and Adam's borough, known as Maghull, we went to the local pub to meet some more people.  This place is called "The Meadows." We stayed here for the rest of the night before heading to George's to spend the night.

The following morning, Day, George, Jay, Jake, and I headed out to Formby.  Day said this would be a great opportunity to see the beach and the sea.  So we hopped on a train and then walked our way to the beach.  Along the way to the sea, there was a vast area of sand dunes that were now covered with vegetation.  It had a striking similarity to the Southwest United States. Once the beach was in sight, I scrambled up the nearest dune to gain a good vantage point. From there I could see all the way to Wales, and because the tide was out, there were many little streams trying to make their way to sea level.  On the right was a massive wind turbine farm, which I knew my father would like, as he loves those things and actually considered putting one up in our back yard.  When I looked to the right, I could see an oil drilling platform, which I had never seen in real life.  It was a breathtaking view, and just as the sun was setting.

Day, George, Jake, and

Once I came down the dune and rejoined the others, we decided to head out onto the flats.  As we walked, we came upon a large number of jellyfish, which I had never seen in the wild before.  Of course, they were beached and dead, but it was still fun to see nonetheless.  We walked very far before people started getting cold, and so the decision was made to go and visit Day's grandmother, who lived close by.  Nan was such a nice lady, having made us tuna and salmon sandwiches in anticipation of our arrival, she even gave us some biscuits/cookies for dessert!

The next portion of time I spent at Adam Helsby's home.  His family was lovely as well.  They presented me with a very interesting book about wartime Britain in the Second World War, as I had been talking with them earlier about the differences between the American experience in the war and the British. Pat--Adam's mom--was lovely enough to make a traditional Liverpudlian dish called "scouse."  Scouse is like a stew,

The snookie

comprising of a lamb or beef cut, onions, carrots, and many potatoes. It then comes with beetroots as well.  I must say, this was one very tasty dish.  In fact, because it was such a regionally popular dish, people who come from Liverpool are commonly known as "Scousers," and the accent is described as "scouse."
During my time at Adam's, I tried many other wonderful dishes, including my first Full English Breakfast, which Adam cooked. To be honest, it was truly fit for a king. 

During the day, we visited many museums, such as the Maritime and Slavery Museum, as well as the World Museum.  Both places were fascinating, and I learned much at both.  For instance, at the Maritime and Slavery Museum, I learned that many roads in Liverpool were named after prominent slave merchants during the slave trade era.  Penny Lane--made famous by the Beatles song--is one such road.  At the World Museum, we saw some massive, live insects ranging from hundreds of crawling cockroaches to thousands of leaf-cutter ants.
By night, we usually would spend our time in the snookie, watching films or playing video games.  This always managed to be a great time, because there was always someone new to meet and hang out with.

One afternoon, John Paul, Adam, Day, and I headed out to an old quarry where they used to hang out when they were younger.  Adam said it would make for some good photos, so away we went.  Once there, way played around for a bit, and I did a little bit of rock scrambling here and there.  The odd thing I noticed while there was that we found two bird carcasses within 50 meters of one another.  I'm not sure if this had any relation to a local predator, or if it was sheer dumb luck, but it was somewhat eerie nonetheless.

Alma de Cuba in the day

Soon, I was sleeping at Day's again.  They had decided to take me out on the town to see the Liverpool night live on Saturday.  We started off at the Meadows, and then caught a bus into town.  From there, we went to a dive called DJango's Riff.  This was in a basement in downtown Liverpool, and specialized in cocktails.  From there, we traveled a ways until we found The Shipping Forecast, another local club/pub.  Because it was a Saturday, the drinking establishments were packed, as were the streets.  As we walked around, I started to gather that there are at least 40 places to go at night within a half mile radius from the city center. I also noticed that cover charges were virtually non-existent, and that food and drink in town was loads cheaper than down south.  At any rate, after The Shipping Forecast, we were going to head to a very popular pub called The Heebie Jeebies.  However, there was a massive line, so we went to a different one called Alma de Cuba.  This was an amazing place.  Absolutely stunning.  You see, it used to be a church, but had been converted into a club.  (Church attendance of many religions has been on the decline for some time in England)  The high vaulted ceilings and some of the pews were still around, as were some of the church candlesticks.

Once we had finished there, we walked to a bar called Lago, and from there we went to a club called Bumper.  It was so great because everywhere you walked, you were sure to see plenty of other people.  Like a city that doesn't sleep.  Once done there, we went to Johnny's flat again, before finally taking a cab home early in the morning. Needless to say, I slept very good that night, and didn't get up until late in the afternoon the following day.
Monday was Day's birthday, celebrating 23 years.  He had a little birthday cake and we sang him happy birthday, and then the posse came over and we went to town again.

While we were in town, I made a discovery I didn't think I would.  You see, while working at summer camp, I used to jest with the scousers and ask if in Liverpool they played the Beatles all through the town.  It was only once I actually came to Liverpool that I realized that they actually do.  Well, maybe not through the whole city, but in the central part I always seemed to hear "Love Me Do" or "Hey Jude."

Just saying...

A continuation

Spaulding Family home

Right.

So a few hours ago I arrived back on English soil. It was a wonderful trip back home, and my mom was very appreciative that I came back to see the family over Christmas.  So what exactly did I do whilst at home?
First, I ordered some Taco Bell.  A gift from the gods that hooks every person from the Commonwealth I have ever met. Two pals from camp--Sam and Chris--used to order about $20 worth and save it for the next couple days.
I also had a bit of trouble getting back into the mindset that people drive on the right side of the road.

Next, I unpacked and introduced my family to some of the British things I had brought back.  For instance, I made them a proper cup of British tea with milk and sugar.  To top it off I had them try it with Digestives.
I also introduced them to sweets such as Crunchie, Smarties, Double Decker, and Tootie Fruities.
They absolutely loved learning all these new things I was showing and telling them.
Of course, being Minnesota, there was already a good 2 feet of snow on the ground, which is not out of the ordinary at all.

Soon enough, Christmas Eve rolled around, and it was time for family gifts.  Family tradition dictates that we all sit in the living room while the children take turns reading a page from The Christmas Story (you know, the one about the baby and the shepherds and such). After this is done, the gifts are divided, and we take turns opening a gift, starting with the youngest.  There is always a fire in the fireplace, and we have hors d'oeuvres, or "snicker-snackers" set up for us to munch on as we exchange gifts.

The family with their British gifts

Along with the presents I mentioned in my last post, I also included Christmas crackers.  And just as I anticipated, my family thought they were the cat's meow.  So of course once the gifts were opened, I had to get a picture of everyone with their British gifts and their Christmas cracker hats on.

The next day, we headed up to my aunt and uncle's house in Waconia, Minnesota. This is where my mother's side of the family gathers for the holidays.  This has a similar set-up to the Spaulding family Christmas, where this is hors d'oeuvres set out for people to eat, and the family gathers and chats before gifts are given.

The Hot Seat

There is one special difference.  We send all the children to the basement to look for Santa Claus, and once we think he has arrived, we call the kids back upstairs.  Then none other than Santa Claus himself comes through the door, much to the delight of the children. After some "ho-ho-ho-ing," the owner of the house and eldest son of my grandparents leads Santa to a seat.  My grandma then plays Silent Night on the piano while my grandfather reads the Christmas story straight out of the bible.  As is the tradition.  Once this is finished, Santa gets to call people up to "the hot seat" ie his lap. He then asks them if they were good or not during the year, and sometimes people shout out things for Santa to ask about.
For instance, when I got called up, my uncle--Brad--told Santa that he had heard me telling my grandfather that I had not tasted the "sweet fruit of the vine," until I had come over to England.  When Santa raised his eyebrows and said, "Michael, Michael, Michael. What do you have to say about this?"
I had only one answer.
"Santa, you know what, Bradley is correct.  He got me. The truth is, I've been drinking the sweet fruit of the vine every Sunday at mass."
Boy did that one get me off the hook.

The younger grand-kids in the cinema room

Once Santa has quizzed enough people, he gives out one gift--from him--to everyone.  Then he gets up, walks out the door, and goes to wherever he had hidden his sleigh.
From then on, the children open their gifts first and then they usually go downstairs to play. Following this, the adults open their gifts and sociallize until late in the evening, when people slowly start trickling out.

The farm

Now, my family went to go and spend the night at my Uncle Mike and Aunt Cathy's.  They live just down the road, so it was a quick drive. You see, prior to my surprise landing in America, my folks had planned on going out to Montana to visit family and go skiing with the kids.  They were leaving Christmas morning and wouldn't be coming back until after the New Year. That complicated things for me, because my flight was for the 29th. So, we decided that I would stay with my aunt and uncle for a few days while they were in Montana. While it was sad to say goodbye to my family early than anticipated, I am still really glad I got to see them during this time of the year.  Furthermore, I really enjoy my aunt and uncle, and we ended up having a really nice couple of days together out on their farm.
Soon, my time in America was drawing to a close, and I had to pack up my goodies and get on a plane.  I had been wise before I came over, though, and took almost no personal luggage other than gifts. As a result, I was able to bring back things from America that people had asked for.  Examples include Mountain Dew, Lucky Charms, and Twinkies.

Family portrait taken the day I left for England in September

It really was an awesome time.

Back in the U.S.S.A.

My apologies to all.

I know that I have not been the best with my updates here on the blog.
The truth is that I was attempting "Internet silence," as my father and I plotted and planned my secret return to Minnesota as a Christmas surprise for my family and mostly, my mother.
So here is what happened.

My dad--Jim--sent me an email early in November saying that my my mom--Joan--was missing me, and that if I was interested in coming home, he could get a cheap flight with his frequent flyer miles.
He then said this could be a massive Christmas surprise, and that only he and I would know about it.
I liked the idea, and wanted to be a part of this great holiday shenanigan.
So we schemed and plotted as November turned into December.  Knowing I was going home to see the family, I decided I wanted to bring them some Christmas presents from the UK.  In fact, my entire suitcase only contained gifts from England. 
Joshua (9) received an Arsenal football (soccer ball) and an Arsenal cap.
David (11) received a Chelsea football and a Chelsea cap.
Stephen (13) received a pair of goal-keeper gloves and a rugby ball.
Sarah (15), Elizabeth (19), and my mother were given outfits that I thought were "London fashion."
And then my dad received a Manchester United shirt.

At any rate, I flew into Minneapolis on the 14th of December.  My dad picked me up and snuck me home without any of the family knowing. From there, he put me behind the computer desk, and then put a large wrapped box on the desk. This is because my mother had been considering a Mac as the new computer. Dad brought the family upstairs, and told them that the gift had come early and it was too hard to keep hidden for so long, so they could open it early. All the kids were screaming that it was a Mac.  Dad told everyone to close their eyes, and while they were doing that, he removed the box off of the desk and I stuck my head up.  When they opened their eyes, I said, "Hi mom," and everyone screamed.
I wish I had taped it, because it was pretty amazing.  Needless to say, my mom became teary-eyed and still couldn't believe here eyes, while my dad and I just smiled and laughed.

More updates to follow.

Christmas times.

This last week, I had the pleasure of attending my first British Christmas Dinner.  In many senses, it was strikingly similar to an American Thanksgiving dinner.  But yet somehow it was completely different in many ways.


After the success of Thanksgiving dinner in November, a friend of mine who attended, Joe, thought it would be just as fun to have a British Christmas dinner so that I might see how Christmas is done over here.  So this last weekend, I went over to Joe's house early in the day to help and watch the preparations for a Christmas dinner.  Similar to what we had done for the Thanksgiving dinner, Joe had a turkey crown and a full chicken already roasting in the oven. Billy, one of Joe's housemates, was also helping in the baking.  One of the first things I partook in was the peeling of turnips, which I personally don't think I had ever interacted with before. Once this was done, we peeled potatoes--half of which would be made into mashed potatoes and the other half of which would become roasted potatoes.

Joe, the host, is the one in the purple hoodie

Soon, some of the other guests started arriving, bring food, drink, and Christmas decorations.  In fact one girl called Grace brought her entire Christmas tree--decorated and all!
Within no time at all, the sweet aroma of roasting meat and veggies filled the entire house, and with the Christmas tree and Christmas music playing, it was beginning to feel quite festive indeed.
The plates were set and we were ready to eat.  Before doing to, however, it is customary to pull Christmas crackers before the meal starts.  Christmas crackers are non-existent in the States, much to the sorrow of my British companions.  Because of this fact, I feel that I must explain what these mysterious yuletide items are.

Camilla the Italian in a Christmas cracker hat

Christmas crackers are small "tootsie roll" shaped items.  When you are seated at the table, everyone crosses their arms, and grabs a cracker between the person next to them.  In this way, everyone should have a cracker in each hand.  On the count of 3, everyone pulls their end of the "tootsie roll," much like how people pull the wishbone of a turkey.  There is then a massive CRACK as the small explosions within each cracker occurs, and the cracker bursts open to reveal treats.
Now, the winner is the person who had the long end of the cracker.  They traditionally get to keep the goodies, but seeing as it is the holiday season, everyone usually gets a prize.
Inside our particular crackers are a small toy, such as a few marbles or a little airplane.  There is also a joke, usually having the same quality as those found on Laffy Taffy wrappers.
Finally, there is always a little paper crown included, which must be worn at the table or for the rest of the night.  One of the best parts of this tradition is walking around and seeing wealthy business executives and elderly grandparents alike wearing their hats at the table.

Once the cracker had been open, we started the feast. Unfortunately, I was so hungry, I totally forgot to take pictures of the prepared feast.  If memory serves, we had turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, carrots, turnips, roasted potatoes, little sausages wrapped in bacon, and mince pies for dessert, as well as the ever-popular mulled wine.

Sunset at Egham station

A few days after, I ventured into London for some holiday adventures.  I had heard from some of my friends that there was a lovely Christmas fair in Hyde Park called Winter Wonderland.  I decided I'd check it out.  So I took the train into Waterloo station and hopped on the Underground to Hyde Park.  I couldn't believe what I saw.

Creepy animatronic talking tree

It was indeed a holiday fair, but it was on a scale I had never seen.  This place opens in mid November and lasts until the 4th of January.  So it is all temporary.  Yet even so, they had a Ferris wheel with heated pods that went up 15 stories, a power tower, loads of rides and attractions--even roller coasters.

Fun House!

It had a distinct German food culture, offering sausages, bratwursts, wiener schnitzel, and of course, German beer.  I wandered into this place in awe.  So many lights and things to see!  At

Ferris Wheel

the entrance, there was mostly German foods and drinks, but as I continued walking, there were booths all over that were selling all sorts of items and goods. There were glassblowers and wood crafts, wool goods and paintings.  They came from all over Europe, just to sell their goods here at the winter market.

As I wandered deeper into the Wonderland, it evolved into the amusements and attractions sector, where there were fun houses and haunted houses and all sorts of rides and midway games.

Roller Coaster and Power Tower

Genuine Circus under the Big Top

It was interesting that there was a midway game in which players took an air rifle and shot at little targets. Lawsuits and insurance keeps anything remotely close to this type of game out of play. (No pun intended) Simply the fact that the rifles were not fixed to the stand and could be, technically, turned upon the operator or a bystander would be enough to get it shut down before the first shots were fired.

Of course, I decided to take this opportunity that I would never be afforded back home, and played the game.
Naturally--being American (and everyone knows that all Americans are trained assassins with firearms)--I knocked down all the targets. (7/7) Meanwhile, a British man who had brought his girlfriend to the stand and boasted that it would be easy to win her a prize was cursing his gun saying it was broken.  He was too stubborn to ask for help. Turns out he simply didn't know how to take the safety off.



I had to chuckle to myself.
 
Especially when his girlfriend gave me a very impressed smile as I walked away.

Gearing up for Christmas in Britain

The first term is almost done and finished, and Christmas is coming in full force.

Most things remain the same between American Christmas time and British Christmas time.  There are plenty of lights on the main streets, Christmas decorations dotting offices, houses, and rooms.  Even the supermarkets start selling Christmas items way in advance just as they do back home.

mulled wine winesediments.net

Differences noticed thus far have been slight, but fun to observe nonetheless.
Here in England, they have a winter drink I had never heard of before called "mulled wine."  This is defined by encyclopedia.com as "wine mixed with fruit juice, sweetened and flavoured with spices (especially cinnamon, cloves, and ginger), served hot."
This seems to be very popular here, and I've seen it all around.  What they don't have is hot apple cider.
Don't get me wrong, there is an abundance of cider here.  It's just that it is all alcoholic.
Back home, one of the staple winter hot drinks is apple cider.
See, in America, if cider has alcohol in it, it is known as "hard cider."

hot apple cider hotapplecider.ca

When I was asking people here if they'd had non-alcoholic cider before, they just asked if I meant apple juice.  Now, there is a difference between apple juice and apple cider.  Apple cider is non-processed and non-pasteurized, it is fresh and not filtered.  This gives it a shorter shelf life.
At any rate, hot apple cider in the States usually comes with some spices associated with it as well, such as cinnamon.

There is also a typical Christmas food here called a mince pie.  This is a very deceptive term, because in Britain, mince is beef bits.  Because of this, when invited to taste a mince pie, I was expecting some sort of meaty pot-pie type of food.  However, I learned after taking a bite that mince pies contain raisins, other fruit bits, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

On that note, in Britain, Christmas lights, such as the ones that go around the tree, are called "fairy lights."  Very interesting.

Another difference totally unrelated to Christmas but still popped into my head:
Eggs at the grocery store in America are refrigerated next to the milk section.

flickr.com

Eggs at the grocery store in Britain are out on the shelves next the dry foods.

indyposted.com

Snow in Britain

As promised, I am updating the current situation of snow here in Egham, England.
There is maybe 2 inches of snow on the ground, most of which we got last night. 
As far as how the people are coping with the snow, I must admit that people here do not take it for granted.  In fact, there were about 5 snowball fights in the Founders courtyard last night alone.  I did manage to participate in one of them, where there was about 40 people throwing snowballs at nobody in particular. Later it became a defense snowball fight as a group of the players took refuge on a balcony. Thus they had a vantage point from which to lob their projectiles. 
I futilely tried to rally the troops and storm up the stairs to the balcony, but no one rallied, and I was destroyed.
Not only that, but people have been going sledding, or "sledging" as some call it here.  Everyone really seems to appreciate it a lot more here.  But I suppose you must consider that Minnesota can get 2 feet in a blizzard and nobody bats an eye, and here if they get two inches school is cancelled.  (This is actually true, I received an email from a professor saying there would be no lecture due to the weather conditions).  Furthermore, people just aren't used to navigating in such conditions, most people won't drive in snowy conditions if they can help it.  Like I said, it is just second-nature for those of us who live where snow is common.
This might be why we don't get as excited over the first snow of the year.  While people here figure that it might be the only snow they'll have this winter, Minnesotans know that once the first snow falls, you won't see anything not covered in the white powder for 5 months.
In fact, snowplows are all but non-existent here in Britian.  It is mostly up by Scotland where they are needed.  Instead, you just find big barrels of salt everywhere.  That is the grand solution.  Just salt it up if it is snowing!

First British Snow!!

So as I speak, I am experiencing my first British snow!  While the snow here may drink tea and eat fish and chips, while the snow in America is fat and eats Twinkies, there is one thing that transcends the Atlantic, and that is the amazement and beauty that comes with the first snowfall every year.
As far as I can tell, the taste of British snow is quite similar to its American counterpart.
It has also been interesting watching everyone start to worry about driving conditions and delays in everything else.  Because is Minnesota, I don't think anyone would miss a beat.

More to follow if snow keeps falling.




On a different note, I've decided to add some more Cultural Observations.

Shopping Carts and Shopping Trolleys.
When one goes to a grocery store here in the UK, one uses a shopping trolley, when one is in America, one uses a shopping cart.  The name is not the only difference between here and there.

British Trolley courtesy ausmartinternational.com

American Shopping Cart courtesy versacart.com

Firstly, British trolleys have 4 independently rotating wheels, giving them the ability to shift from side to side easily (like a rolling office chair).
In America, carts have 2 fixed rear wheels, and two rotating wheels in the front (like a conventional car).  I'm not sure why this has happened.

Deposit mechanism on trolleys

Also, you must pay in order to use a trolley in Britain.  Well, you actually just put down a pound deposit, and you get it back when you return the trolley.  This is a measure that is meant to prevent trolley theft, which is huge in this country.  It isn't because every British person is a hooligan, it has more to do with the matter in which they get to the store.
For instance, in America, everyone drives to their local store, parks their car, and grabs a cart from the corral.  They proceed to do their shopping, bag everything up, put it into the cart, walk out to the car, pop the trunk, and load all their shopping in.  The cart then goes back into the corral to be collected by an employee.
In Britain, most people walk to their local store, deposit a pound, take a trolley, do their shopping, and if they end up getting more than they can carry home, they simply take the trolley and push it back to their residence, and then leave the trolley somewhere else.  Many people don't use their cars because driving in England is a hassle, and parking is never free unless you park miles away from where you want to go.  Those that don't have cars use public transport or walk.

Abandoned Trolleys courtesy flickr.com

Because of this phenomenon, one can find abandoned trolleys all over the place. In fact, outside one of the residence halls, there is a massive stack of about 20 discarded trolleys.
Another difference in shopping carts and trolleys is their size.  British shopping trolleys tend not to be as deep as ours. There is also the absence of the bottom rack that American shopping carts have.  This rack serves as a place to put heavy objects such as cases of beverages or bags of dog food.








Street Signs and Road Signs
In Britain, there are two locations for street signs: about 3 feet off of the ground or 20 feet off of the ground on the side of a building.

I cannot begin to tell you how this confused me when I first came here.

homepage.mac.com

tampabay.com

You see, in America--no matter if you are in a major city or in  the middle of nowhere--street signs are always located in one spot.  That is on the corner of the street on a pole with the street names about 7 or 8 feet high.
The exception to this is some larger intersections, where the street names will be in more or less the same location, but in bigger letters hanging on a stoplight.  It is universal, and imperative for driving, as you can easily see which street is coming up next, and which street you are on.

commons.wikimedia.org

Now, in London, the street names are put on the side of buildings if there at all.  They can be anywhere from 8-20 feet off of the ground, and anywhere from directly on the corner of the building to about 20 away from the corner.  This makes navigation difficult.

langleyvillage.co.uk

In addition, roadsigns that aren't on buildings are put on signs that stand about 3 feet off of the ground, meaning that it is quite easy for something to block the sign, such as a person or car or telephone pole.

This has been interesting to learn, and I am starting to finally get the hang of knowing where to look for directions.