The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated

[EmilyMiller]

Glad you had a good time. There’s always things to do in London, window shopping, National Gallery, posh window shopping (Art dealers/Ferrari window shopping) but it’s the obscure stuff that can be fun too.

I know, hun. Lived in London for four months a few years back. At the airport, trip was great, but will be glad to be back home.

Em

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I know, hun. Lived in London for four months a few years back. At the airport, trip was great, but will be glad to be back home.

Em

Did you see any of the rest of the U.K. during your 4 month stay here? I know many Americans used to think that London=The U.K but let’s face it, no-one on here is “many people”. We’re kind of niche.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Did you see any of the rest of the U.K. during your 4 month stay here? I know many Americans used to think that London=The U.K but let’s face it, no-one on here is “many people”. We’re kind of niche.

I went rock climbing in Snowdonia, the Peak District and Portland. Got out a bit to other places (saw Wolf Alice in Cambridge for example) and had a brief trip to the continent as well.

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

There’s always things to do in London, window shopping, National Gallery, posh window shopping (Art dealers/Ferrari window shopping) but it’s the obscure stuff that can be fun too.

Tate + Tate Modern, Natural History museum [Dinosaurs omg!], Science Museum, Greenwich Maritime museum, Greenwich national observatory, snogging on the Meridian, Cutty Sark, Golden Hind, the Globe, a musical in the West End, St Pauls, Westminster Abbey if you can get in, Parliament Hill, Buckingham Palace, a riverboat from Greenwich upwards, Regent's park...

oh, and if you're at all into the macabre, HIGHGATE CEMETERY. What a shame the cedar isn't still guarding the circle of Lebanon

 

[SimonDoom]

Did you see any of the rest of the U.K. during your 4 month stay here? I know many Americans used to think that London=The U.K but let’s face it, no-one on here is “many people”. We’re kind of niche.

I was there for a month, some time ago, and had the pleasure to see London, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Lake District, Bath, Stratford on Avon, Oxford, Cambridge, and some other places. Went on many hikes in the countryside. I learned how to drive on the left. One of the pleasures is the little differences from America -- like finding those red phone booths in the middle of nowhere on a hike in the country. Or how every single Bed and Breakfast serves exactly the same breakfast. The narrowness of the roads, and all the roundabouts, took getting used to (although we have far more roundabouts in the US now than we did then -- traffic planners favor them in many situations). I live in the western US, and the look of the UK is completely different.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I was there for a month, some time ago, and had the pleasure to see London, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Lake District, Bath, Stratford on Avon, Oxford, Cambridge, and some other places. Went on many hikes in the countryside. I learned how to drive on the left. One of the pleasures is the little differences from America -- like finding those red phone booths in the middle of nowhere on a hike in the country. Or how every single Bed and Breakfast serves exactly the same breakfast. The narrowness of the roads, and all the roundabouts, took getting used to (although we have far more roundabouts in the US now than we did then -- traffic planners favor them in many situations). I live in the western US, and the look of the UK is completely different.

Nice. My sister is in Nashville at the mo (which is not the west) and is by all accounts having a splendid time.

Glad you had a good time here and it’s great that you varied your locations. I know that if I ever speak to you in person you know better than to ask “are you from London?” as you know better about our ridiculous and varied accents.

It’s funny, when you say west we picture arid deserts and orange sands but much of the west is not like that. I mean look at Washington state which is where Top Gun Maverick was filmed. You wouldn’t think that’s the US…but it is.

 

[SimonDoom]

Nice. My sister is in Nashville at the mo (which is not the west) and is by all accounts having a splendid time.

Glad you had a good time here and it’s great that you varied your locations. I know that if I ever speak to you in person you know better than to ask “are you from London?” as you know better about our ridiculous and varied accents.

It’s funny, when you say west we picture arid deserts and orange sands but much of the west is not like that. I mean look at Washington state which is where Top Gun Maverick was filmed. You wouldn’t think that’s the US…but it is.

To understand the scenery in the USA, there's a saying that east of the Mississippi trees are the rule, and west of the Mississippi trees are the exception. The two exceptions to the exception are the mountains, of which there are many very tall ones in the West, and which attract rain, and in the coastal areas of the Northwest, some of which are practically rainforests because they get so much rain from storms off the Pacific Ocean. But otherwise, the West is pretty dry and trees are sparse. Whereas, in the East, trees cover everything. I grew up in the West but spent some time in the East and it felt almost claustrophobic to me. I like open spaces.

I recall being surprised how open and generally tree-less the countryside was in much of England given its rainfall levels. It appears forests were mostly replaced with pastoral land, which seems to be everywhere in the UK.

About accents in the UK. The variety is bewildering, as the country isn't that geographically big. I'm no expert but I can tell a working class London accent from RP from a northern England accent, although I can't tell all the varieties of the varieties. I recognize Scouse because of my fondness for the Beatles.

 

[alohadave]

But otherwise, the West is pretty dry and trees are sparse. Whereas, in the East, trees cover everything. I grew up in the West but spent some time in the East and it felt almost claustrophobic to me.

It took me years to adjust to having trees everywhere.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Back in Jersey. Though sitting in the stationary plane at present. Land ahead of schedule and then wait for a slot, right?

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

Back in Jersey. Though sitting in the stationary plane at present. Land ahead of schedule and then wait for a slot, right?

Em

Apparently posting on Lit while in the passport line is frowned upon. Who knew?

Em

 

[Zenith77]

I recall being surprised how open and generally tree-less the countryside was in much of England given its rainfall levels. It appears forests were mostly replaced with pastoral land, which seems to be everywhere in the UK.

I'm no historian but I understand that a lot of the trees were chopped down to feed the war effort in the earlier part of the 20th century, and it's been building back up since then. It used to be said that you could get from one side of the country to the other without touching the ground if you happened to be a squirrel, but I think that's probably an... urban myth.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm no historian but I understand that a lot of the trees were chopped down to feed the war effort in the earlier part of the 20th century, and it's been building back up since then. It used to be said that you could get from one side of the country to the other without touching the ground if you happened to be a squirrel, but I think that's probably an... urban myth.

Apparently, it goes a lot further back than that, with timber being cleared as far back as the Norman Conquest and even more with the construction of the British Navy. Interesting article: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/jul/27/history-of-englands-forests.

Overall forest cover in England is around 13%, which is a lot less than the average for the US, at around 36%. The state with the most forest cover is, unsurprisingly, Maine, which is 89% covered by forest, and the least covered is North Dakota, at 1.72%.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Apparently, it goes a lot further back than that, with timber being cleared as far back as the Norman Conquest and even more with the construction of the British Navy. Interesting article: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/jul/27/history-of-englands-forests

And they say AH is not educational.

I thought it was for sheep farming, that’s what more than one Brit friend has told me.

Em

 

[Trionyx]

Apparently posting on Lit while in the passport line is frowned upon. Who knew?

Em

Be careful. The feds might not let an admitted smut peddler into the country.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Be careful. The feds might not let an admitted smut peddler into the country.

I’ve got a passport, they might lock me up (then I might enjoy that), but they have to let me in .

Em

 

[MelissaBaby]

The state with the most forest cover is, unsurprisingly, Maine, which is 89% covered by forest, and the least covered is North Dakota, at 1.72%.

Walk a few yards into the Maine woods and imagine yourself in the place of the early settlers. The woods were thick and dark, in many places impenetrable. And no one knew how far they stretched, or what creatures might lurk within them. You'll understand why New England has been the home to so much horror fiction, from Hawthorne to Lovecraft to King.

 

[SimonDoom]

Walk a few yards into the Maine woods and imagine yourself in the place of the early settlers. The woods were thick and dark, in many places impenetrable. And no one knew how far they stretched, or what creatures might lurk within them. You'll understand why New England has been the home to so much horror fiction, from Hawthorne to Lovecraft to King.

I've been to all of the New England states except Maine, and I'd like to go there sometime. I think Stephen King is more responsible for my picture of it than anyone else. There must be some good hiking. I still have to try a lobster roll.

 

[MrPixel]

My one experience in Maine was colored by dealing with snow showers and the difficulty they presented in going from Point A to Point B in a rental car. My bud along for the ride was encouraging us to cruise for a "Bang 'er in Bangor" experience, but the travel travails put us there too late and too exhausted to be interested in much more than crashing for the night.

 

[alohadave]

I've been to all of the New England states except Maine, and I'd like to go there sometime. I think Stephen King is more responsible for my picture of it than anyone else. There must be some good hiking. I still have to try a lobster roll.

I was in Eastport several years ago and was walking around in the dense fog and I got this eerie feeling that I was in a Stephen King story. Then I remembered where he's from.

We were up there for 4th of July, and it was socked in with fog about half the time we were there.

If you go, the whoopie pies are something you should try.

 

[Duleigh]

You lucky girl! I've been all over the parts of Europe I was allowed to go while carrying a classified clearence in the 1970's: France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, never made it to the UK and rumor has it that I have (distant) relatives there somewhere near York and some in Wales.

BTW - There's two buttons, One is marked END THE WORLD the other is marked FRESH COFFEE. Choose wisely.

 

[MelissaBaby]

My one experience in Maine was colored by dealing with snow showers and the difficulty they presented in going from Point A to Point B in a rental car. My bud along for the ride was encouraging us to cruise for a "Bang 'er in Bangor" experience, but the travel travails put us there too late and too exhausted to be interested in much more than crashing for the night.

Too bad. I could have given you a few leads.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Walk a few yards into the Maine woods and imagine yourself in the place of the early settlers. The woods were thick and dark, in many places impenetrable. And no one knew how far they stretched, or what creatures might lurk within them. You'll understand why New England has been the home to so much horror fiction, from Hawthorne to Lovecraft to King.

Even driving through (backwoods MA if I recall) I had exactly that sense - between the terrain and the woods, the visibility is so constricted compared to what I'm used to.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I was in Eastport several years ago and was walking around in the dense fog and I got this eerie feeling that I was in a Stephen King story. Then I remembered where he's from.

We were up there for 4th of July, and it was socked in with fog about half the time we were there.

If you go, the whoopie pies are something you should try.

The fog bank never goes away, it just moves in and out, sometimes far out to sea, sometimes covering the land.

About ten years ago, there was a big controversy in Maine about whether whoopie pies or blueberry pie should be the official state dessert. The blueberry industry got their way, but they declared whoopies the state snack or something like that.

 

[Trionyx]

Not doing much, resting after our rapid tours of Venice and Paris.

By the way, did you say ‘Hi’ to Emily Cooper in Paris?

 

[EmilyMiller]

By the way, did you say ‘Hi’ to Emily Cooper in Paris?

Yeah. I was thinking that. The show is so realistic it gave me a real sense of Paris before visiting .

Em