There are two things most people want in a vacation destination.
We want it to be completely different from home, and yet completely familiar. It's human nature, I think.
I found both of those things on my recent trip to the United Kingdom, so let me spill a little tea.
Let's do the differences first.
We'll start with the roads. They are little, narrow, winding roads through towns and through the countryside. They seemed barely wide enough for two vehicles to meet.
And speaking of vehicles, there are hardly any oversized pick-up trucks. You're much more likely to see compact cars, for obvious reasons.
Regular readers of this column know all about my complete and utter fear of roundabouts. In England, it is all roundabouts! They are everywhere. Add driving on the wrong side of the road and it was best to just hold my breath and keep my eyes closed. (Don't worry, I wasn’t driving.)
Then there’s the parking. There isn’t much. I was both horrified and amused that motorists just pull the vehicle up on a curb in front of whatever restaurant or shop they are going into and jump out. But, the more we did it, the more I thought how awesome that would be at Walmart. Pull up to the door and bail out.
As for food, get this: tipping is not expected and rarely done.
I don’t know where the 'fake news' started that British food isn’t tasty. I’ve never enjoyed meals more. Maybe it's because of my British ancestry, but I was loving the meat pies, pigs in blankets, Yorkshire pudding and sticky toffee pudding in custard sauce.
The proper British breakfast includes mushrooms and baked beans. Frankly, it makes ours seem a bit lacking.
Something we do not have here? Black pudding. That would be sausage made from pig’s blood with onions, herbs, spices and oatmeal.
They also have an odd obsession with Brussels sprouts, especially at the holidays.
Switching gears to bathrooms, because you will need them often thanks to the beans and sprouts. I thought they called it “the loo,” but everywhere we were there were just giant signs saying “toilets” — accurate, just not as genteel. Sometimes, they wanted you to pay to use them. I guess they know you will be desperate, what with all the heavy gravies and all.
There were so many similarities to Canada, too. Mostly it was the friendliness and kindness of the people. Canadians and Brits, I think, have a shared set of values.
Being there over Remembrance Day, the respect and reverence for veterans and military service members was palpable.
I was also surprised that nobody seemed overly enthralled with the King. It almost appeared the general population was not ready to let the Queen go and were just biding time until its William’s turn to rule.
There is still a true connection between our two countries. I hope that never changes. That special bond is important in a world that continually wants to separate people from each other.
So, put the kettle on for some tea, pass the crumpets and let's toast the things we all have in common.
We are just across the pond!
