We fly home today after an incredible nine days. What a trip! Wales was stunningly beautiful. I’m sure we will return, but probably not before visiting other areas of the UK first. (We’re looking at you, Scotland!)

A big thank you to everyone who offered suggestions and guidance as we were planning our trip. There wasn’t a thing we took someone up on that didn’t pay off. So again, thank you.

A few final questions and observations:

• Every pub I ordered a gin & tonic in asked if I wanted a double. Are you people alcoholics or something?

• Why no wash cloths? Both Airbnbs and the hotel provided bath towels and hand towels, but no wash cloths.

• Why is this country so food allergy sensitive? At every restaurant we stopped in, the very first question was “any allergies?”

• Getting out cash was a waste of time. I can barely give it away. Very few places were willing to accept cash. I’m glad I only got 100£.

• Do you understand all the various accents or do you find some of them as challenging as I did?

What a wonderful trip! To paraphrase the American general Douglas MacArthur, I will be back.

Great to hear that you enjoyed your visit.

scooter

Final thought: I think I might have lost some weight, if you can believe that!

A few theories why:

• Walking, lots of walking

• No snacking, or all day grazing, as I like to call it

• Sensible portion sizes at restaurants

• very little processed food and virtually no soda

I won’t mention this last but to my wife.

iain wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 9:22 am Great to hear you enjoyed your trip over. To answer your questions

2. Wash clothes? Sorry not sure what you mean, I tend to shower wearing nothing except a cheeky smile.

Haha! Fixed.

A single G&T is never enough.

Wash clothes ? - Do you mean a "face flannel" i.e a small square towel. If so they are not really used over here anymore as the focus is on face and skin cleansing treatments or at least the TV adverts say it should be. If they were supplied they'd soon go missing anyway as they are too handy to keep close to hand when cleaning the mud off golf balls before taking your putts

Food allergy - sadly some people have died due to nut allergies so now we go very strongly on it and also to avoid litigation (something which some view as coming over from the USA)

The end of cash - Just send me the cash you still have, I know some places that still accept it.

Accents in the UK - Lots of them. I love the Geordie accent, the soft posh Liverpool (Wirral?) accent, the musical Welsh accent. I cannot understand a word of the strong Glaswegian accent and I'm not sure what people think of my (soft) East London accent which is absolutely NOT like D*** Van Dyke's Cockney accent. (OMG - I forgot about the "naughty word" control on here )

I thought it was Arnie that said "I'll be back"?

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 9:08 am

• Every pub I ordered a gin & tonic in asked if I wanted a double. Are you people alcoholics or something?

• Do you understand all the various accents or do you find some of them as challenging as I did?

Scotland next then?

[youtube]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HFZAUFhwy ... BhIGRyaW5r[/youtube]

Drew - Glad you enjoyed your trip, you will love Scotland!

Regarding Food allergies - and speaking as someone who suffers from them - being asked up front can actually be annoying. If I need more information I generally ask...

Tried a restaurant called ping-pong once, I told them my main allergen (soya) so they very kindly gave me menu with their dishes that didnt include soya on it... well I say 'menu'.... there was one thing on it!

What DOES annoy me is when some one put 'mixed beans' on the menu and doesn't realise that edamame beans = soya beans...

Thankfully my reactions have not (so far) been life threatening, but I know what to avoid!

gannet wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:31 am Drew - Glad you enjoyed your trip, you will love Scotland!

Regarding Food allergies - and speaking as someone who suffers from them - being asked up front can actually be annoying. If I need more information I generally ask...

Just to clarify, I’m not complying about restaurants asking about food allergies. I think it’s a good thing. As a teacher, I’m well aware of the dangers of food allergies, as the peanut allergy is incredibly common amongst kids now. The question was more a matter of wondering if the allergy question and signage are a reflection of some national regulation.

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:39 am

gannet wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:31 am Drew - Glad you enjoyed your trip, you will love Scotland!

Regarding Food allergies - and speaking as someone who suffers from them - being asked up front can actually be annoying. If I need more information I generally ask...

Just to clarify, I’m not complying about restaurants asking about food allergies. I think it’s a good thing. As a teacher, I’m well aware of the dangers of food allergies, as the peanut allergy is incredibly common amongst kids now. The question was more a matter of wondering if the allergy question and signage are a reflection of some national regulation.

Didn't take it as you complaining either. The regulation is that they have to now include the ingredients on labelling and I think menus.

I generally say 'you don't have long enough to listen to how many I have...' mainly because some are so mild I just live with it.

Wishing you both a safe journey back home.
Great that you enjoyed everything in spite of a few damp days.

Enjoy your last year at school, and your halcyon days of leisure in retirement Illegitimi non carborundum.
Out of interest, do you have support teaching in the US, so you can fill in now and then to suit. Would that appeal?

JAFO wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 12:32 pm Wishing you both a safe journey back home.
Great that you enjoyed everything in spite of a few damp days.

Enjoy your last year at school, and your halcyon days of leisure in retirement Illegitimi non carborundum.
Out of interest, do you have support teaching in the US, so you can fill in now and then to suit. Would that appeal?

Thank you! They do and it would not! I’m done after this year and will walk completely away, never looking back. It’s actually quite sad it’s come to that, but what can you do.

Not sure at this point what my post retirement plans will be other than to finally live full time with my wife. We’ll take everything else one day at a time.

The reason for the G&T question is because the standard dispensed measures are so ridiculously mean. Greeks do proper G&T - generous guesswork. I have to ask my friend Dimitri to go a bit easier on the G!

Accents? Newcastle and Glasgow for you next time!

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 12:44 pm The reason for the G&T question is because the standard dispensed measures are so ridiculously mean. Greeks do proper G&T - generous guesswork. I have to ask my friend Dimitri to go a bit easier on the G!

Accents? Newcastle and Glasgow for you next time!

What impressed me and that I very much liked was that in every instance where I ordered a G&T, I was given a glass with gin on the rocks and a small bottle of premium tonic! I liked that a) it was not tonic from a gun, and b) that I could control the amount of tonic to mix in.