Seeing history

Wow, it's been almost a month since my last post..........I have been home nearly 2 full weeks including one week back to work (blech) and quite frankly I'm not ready to be back. It was an amazing adventure where I was able to get away and hit some of the less touristy spots thanks to a friend who patiently drove me about and even took me to more than a few places that were way off the beaten path for some amazing photos and a running dialog about the history of nearly everything--most of which I promptly forgot.  But still it was incredibly cool to be driving or walking through cities and villages and getting a slice of knowledge that most don't get or have.

What's also amazing is hearing a tidbit of news and being able to say to myself, "oh, I have been there!".  Perfect example is Wootton Bassett, that just received the Royal prefix http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15328396.  I highly encourage people to search for just why they received the honor but do be prepared to shed some tears when you watch some of the youtube vids.

 Wish I had more and better pics but it was at the end of a very long day and I was more interested in the story and the surroundings by this point.

I will try and do some pictorial posts of what I saw/did over the next few weeks but they may be sporadic and slow in coming (sorry!).  Just a few random oddball thoughts though--there are trailer parks and rednecks (not necessarily together though) in England, not sure what they're called there but they do exist. Blackberries and strawberries were ripening in September and October.  Papertowel dispensers in public bathrooms do not exist (Dyson dryers rock though!!).  It's rare to find free parking anywhere.  A Wal-Mart is still a Wal-Mart even if it's in another country and called ASDA. Expect much slower service in restaurants than what we are used to here in the states.  Get used to saying "I'm from America and my credit card has to be swiped because I don't have the chip and pin".  Oh, and they don't check your credit card against photo id like here, instead the signatures on card and slip are scrutinized. Lemonade in the UK is not our lemonade, it's a soda kinda like 7UP.  Full-size pickups are rare, I only saw 2 that I recall (told you this was random crap, lol). On the subject of trucks, I really wouldn't want to drive one there. Think of the tightest spots to get into on the east coast with the traffic and not enough room to maneuver and that's pretty much EVERY delivery for the truckdrivers.  Yep, think I'll pass on that experience, lol.