Things Are Different In England

Things like electrical outlets, phones, and even eating at restaurants are so different. There is a quaintness I have only read about.

Even phrases like "Give way,: (Yield) and explanations of things sound funny to the American ear. Not to mention that everyone drives on the wrong side. Double decker buses are everywhere.

People are quite friendly there. Everyone was most helpful in finding directions and one lady went after a piece of paper that blew out of my hand and brought it back to me.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for me was jet lag. As we arrived, we had been up about 20 hours and it was only 7 am at Oxford! I was bushed when we went to bed. I got about 3 hours of sleep in 24. The noise outside with people doing things at all hours and emergency vehicles has been a bit disruptive, but it was a good night's sleep.

We walked around and took in a few sights. Most all buildings here are very old and made of stone. They are very gothic and many look like castles. There are many "pubs," or public houses that serve food and drink. Even the toilets, as they widely call them here, are different. Many have big bowls on the wall above the throne.
The first day for lunch we ate at the pub (Eagle and Child) that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein hung out as part of the "inklings." It was there that Lewis convinced Tolkein to publish the novel he originally wrote for his children- "The Lord of The Rings."

We later took a C.S. Lewis tour led by a man who knew Lewis as a child. He is quite adamant that Lewis' legacy needs to be preserved in his own country. Lewis garners more respect in America than in his own country.


More on Lewis later.
Cheers!