London airport is of course very close to the big city itself and so planes are constantly overhead. Michelle probably hasn't seen as many airplanes in her entire life as she has seen since arriving in London. From Clare's flat they pass directly overhead and you can often see two or three stacked up on their approach to London Airport. They are surprisingly quiet although they appear to be fairly low.
Talking of quiet...London is not quiet. Coming from a small place, even after our many years in a Toronto suburb, we realise just how noisy the city can be. Car and people noise continues throughout the night although I have to admit I quickly adapted to sleeping through it despite the continual siren noises which I realised is not so much the police across the road but the ambulances which are probably twice as loud as those that we are used to. Perhaps we'll notice the silence when we get back to Nanaimo.
We've also noticed the many helicopters that circle the city constantly. Earlier in the week when we visited mum's friend in Cricklewood (a London suburb) we had to stop our conversation 3 times in a two hour period when the helicopter passed immediately overhead, as the noise bothered our friend's hearing aid.
Certainly the Brits are still very cautious of possible terrorist attacks and we soon realised that the amount of garbage around is probably because they have removed all the garbage cans for fear that they provide places to leave bombs. We were taken by surprise when we were asked to open our purses yesterday at the London Eye but to be honest it wasn't much of a search. Then of course they also checked the compartments....which are mostly glass, but they used mirrors for high and low places in the centre where something could potentially be hidden.
Ok...so the next small thing in which we have taken some delight is that the teapots don't drip!
In Canada we are all used to those dreadful metal teapots that spill tea everywhere as soon as you tip them. Here the teapots are all ceramic and they DONT drip. Of course the other delightful thing is that they sell so many lovely looking pots and were it not that we are scared to break it on the way home, we would probably have bought one...or six!!!
And of course, the tea itself is delicious. It tastes completely different here and I'm sure it isn't just the water.
When you order water in a restaurant here you have to specify if you want tap water or they assume you want bottled water and they ask you if you want still or sparkling water. Tap water here is pretty disgusting to taste but perfectly safe to drink.
Certainly in London, the restaurants and other service areas are all manned by foreigners.
Mushy peas are offered here with your order of Fish and Chips and we've been quite amused to be asked about something so very English, by so many different accents. Sometimes the waiters themselves have trouble understanding the customers.
And while we are on the subject of foreigners, there are a lot of Muslem women in headscarves and just as many in full black garb with only their eyes showing. You can certainly understand why it has become a contentious issue. The dress code for these women makes them not only a visible minority but adds another dimension to their difference. In Vancouver, we are very used to the Sikh or Chinese groups and believe that we "don't even notice". However, we have noticed that getting into the elevator with just a pair of eyes is a very different experience. I'm sure it would be something we could all get used to but it certainly brings home to us the fact that we subconsciously judge everybody, even those with whom we step onto an elevator, based on dress and appearance and so someone behind a complete cloak of black is an unknown quantity.
Going back to the Fish and Chips for a moment, the portions are definitely much bigger than what we are used to and to my taste buds, also much better. The price would be about the same.
Michelle has commented that she loves the fact that there are so many small stores and that it is possible to shop every day on your way back home from wherever you have been. No need here for giant shopping expeditions that take all afternoon.
Scarves are on sale everywhere here and they sell in every price range right down to 3 for £5.
Thats 3 for about $8CAN. Needless to say we've already bought 6 and yes, they are probably pretty crappy material. If you want good stuff, Marks and Spencer and other places charge the same price they would be in Canada.
One thing I always enjoy in the UK is the fact that stores carry clothes that are so much more fashioned than those we see in everyday places. Even cheap stuff here has a design to it and is more than just a straight T-shirt style. Michelle has bought a couple of things but more for the difference from something at home rather than for the price. The shoes at M&S are lovely but of course I'm stuck in the same pair of shoes for ever and Michelle takes a size larger than standard.
The largest and most obvious thing to mention is the enormous number of things to see and do. It isn't just that London is an old city so that buildings themselves hold a fascination for those of us who live in new places, but also that money is invested in the arts here. These museums that we have been going to are all free, asking only for donations of £3 ($5 CAN). Nobody watches to see what or if you pay anything. I realise that many of these marvellous things housed in these buildings have been there for a long time and so that support has been there historically but the fact is that the money continues to support them. And all of them provide decent restaurants, interesting gift shops and good access.
While I enjoy living in Nanaimo and will certainly look forward to returning to the peace and tranquility of the place, I find myself asking why my friends should visit me there. Unless they want to spend two weeks hiking, scuba diving or playing golf there isn't really anything to keep them once they have looked at the natural beauty of the place. I don't say this to put down Nanaimo or Vancouver but merely to say that people who are trying to entice tourism in either of those places need to recognise what the competition offers and come up with a reason for someone to linger in our area for longer. Small places can't be expected to provide funding for this on their own but people who visit need to have a variety of things to experience in other local towns and cities. The proximity of the big cities to smaller European towns is to their advantage so a tourist needs a reason to come to Nanaimo other than a walk in the woods!
Bitch me out if you will but it seems like a no brainer to me!!
Well, thats all I can think of to comment on right now and its time to get the day rolling.
TTFN
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