Posted on 06/26/2013 1:46:25 PM PDT by george76
Britain really isn’t our ally anymore. Regardless of how obama treats them, what have they really done except provide an advanced staging area for the invasion of the US by Islamic forces?
NS. My wife was speaking at an international conference in Paris about ten years ago, and she dragged me along to carry the luggage. The whole time, I never encountered any of the legendary rudeness of the Parisians, but a British academic who was a participant in the conference said some pretty hateful things about America and Americans in the only case of rudeness that I encountered on that trip.
From what I can tell Parisians are not really rude. At least I didn’t meet any rude Parisians.
The Brits on the other hand - well it is a class issue. If they identify you as being of a lower class, they will be rude. My wife lived and worked in the UK and had more experience with this, but I saw it, too, in various ways.
Interesting. I have had experiences similar to yours. Lovely experiences with the French. Mixed ones with the British.
I was very disappointed on my last trip to Europe. Like you, France was fine. It was in London and in Scotland that I came across so much hatred and ridicule for Americans. No loss of love I guess. Wish they would take back some of their actors, comedians, and newspeople though.
I met a man from Tennessee in a kebab house in south London on saturday night and, slightly inebriated, made sure that my parting words to him were ‘God bless America’.
Some people are scornful of Americans over here, but then plenty of Americans are scornful of Britain on this very website. I don’t take it personally, nor should you.
As a pipe smoker/collector, I have no special love for the Scots. On our trip to Britain, the tour guide in Glasgow took great pride in the Scottish parliament being the first to ban smoking in all businesses, even smoke shops.
When he explained about the British Commonwealth, and that Americans were not in it, I shot back, “we resigned.” he was not amused and picked on us a bit the rest of the tour.
In Edinburgh I bought a Monte Cristo number 2, imo the best cigar made, and ther was no place to smoke it, except outside, where, in April, Scottish weather is atrocious.
So you have no love for us (honestly not all that bothered, I/we dont live for others approval) because of one eejit?.
What, other than backing America to the hilt after 9-11, and spending the last 13 years fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside you?. I wonder why, with ingrates like you.
Next war, fight on your own.
Where and when did you live in the UK?.
What did you like and dislike (and be very honest plz)?.
The UK is leading the West into the abyss of destruction with America following close behind.
Here’s what happening in the UK West (aka America)
White House Hosts Israel-Hating Radical Muslim
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3035998/posts
What more can you expect from a Muzzie in Christian drag with British citizenship?
Funny, I have seen nothing but friendliness towards Americans, both civilian and military, in Scotland. But hey, I have only lived here my whole 43 years of life. What do I know?.
p.s we apologise for our actors being of a superior quality to American actors and stealing the leads in every quality US tv show.
p.p.s. I have met patronising and ignorant Americans in my travels to the US and in the UK and Europe too. But I dont think they stand for all people in America.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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With reference to your post #7, thanks for the kind words you said to the man from Tennessee.
My wife and I had our honeymoon in Scotland and London in 1971. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and were touched by the kind reception we received.
We went back to London two times thereafter.
Now, I would not go there, based upon hearsay about crime in that city (neither would I visit American cities...same reason). Also, I made my last plane trip some 12 years ago. I am not willing to risk my life by getting on an airplane again and I certainly am not willing to have my dignity assaulted by the TSA.
I think the thread was about what’s going on in UK universities. I doubt you’d find a concerted anti-UK crowd on any US college campus.
Well maybe at Louisville. ;)
Cute!
Don’t take it personally. I don’t think much of California for the same reason. Nanny States in the extreme.
Just visited, a long time ago (the 1990s).
What I liked was the historical stuff. Visited Duxford, The Royal Armoury at Leeds, and few things in London, everything.
With very few exceptions, most of the people were great, too.
There was a little old guy at Duxford working on a Beaufighter. He was impressed that I knew what it was and admired it. So he let me climb up inside it, told me be about some metallurgical oddities (the Duraluminium skin survived the Australian desert just fine, but the rivets turned to dust when they were hit with a punch) and taught me how to pronounce “aluminium” properly. A great man. Hope he got it finished flying again. Also bought my first Biggles book - “Biggles Learns to Fly.” Saw them fly a Spitfire and DeHavilland Dragon. Just wow!
Also, while visiting Duxford, I stayed in Oxford in a hostel near the train station. I walked into Oxford proper to look around (unfortunately it was much too late to do any really good touristy stuff). When I was walking back I got lost. I asked for directions, but when I tried to follow them I ended up walking on a road headed for London. Had to call a cab... I guess I don’t speak the language very well...
The Royal Armoury at Leeds was great, REALLY great, but, believe it or not, there was an anti-gun undertone in some of the skits (they had a gunsmith who helped introduce muskets into Japan committed seppuku from shame at what he had done - bullshit like that). Still it was great - almost an amusement park for gun-nuts! Loved the tent-pegging exhibition. Who knew you could use a lance like that!
Also visited London - saw the War Cabinet, the Tower, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly, Kensington Gardens, Westminister Abbey, etc. Didn’t get to the Imperial War Museum or to the great museums like the Victoria and Albert. Very disappointing, but you could visit London for a month and not hit all the cool stuff there. Kensington Gardens were beautiful and, of course, I saw the Peter Pan statue.
The Tower was pretty cool, the Yeoman Warders even more so, too - esp. the “Legend of the Curse of Yeoman Warders” (cursed to guide tourists around because they once let a prisoner escape...). Helped a Japanese tourist understand that the holes he though were loopholes for archers were actually garderobes...
My host in London was running an un-official B&B - dodging the taxes on those establishments; my sister connected me. He found out that I like firearms and own a few and made a snide remark about the “gun culture.” I didn’t make any remarks about him being part of the “tax evader culture” because I’m not rude.
I also like the underground. There is almost no need for a car in London - and I don’t think I could drive there even if I got the hang of driving on the left (had some practice in Barbados), any more than I could drive in NYC; too crowded, too crazy. However, cool as it is, it is getting old. I took a lift down to the underground. When it got to the bottom the cables made a loud stretching-squealing sound. Being an American, I naturally had to make remark, “Is that a good sound or a bad sound?” Everybody laughed, and, after we got out, a little old lady told me, in a mocking fashion, that you are not supposed to talk in the lift... Also, saw buskers on while riding the tube.
The train was pretty cool. Wouldn’t work in the US, but it was great for traveling around the UK. Didn’t sleep on it; too absorbed watching the countryside go by.
Food was nothing to write home about. I disappointed that I didn’t try a curry. My fault. I should have looked harder. Then again, I didn’t go there to try the food.
I was more than a little creeped out by all the CCTV cameras I saw.
Thats about it. Also, stayed in Brussels, and visited Paris.
Oh, and I despise Virgin airlines with a passion. Worst customer service I have ever encountered anywhere. First my flight was delayed, then cancelled, then hours later we were (finally) put on another plane. No comp worth mentioning. However, our baggage was not. So I arrived in London minus baggage where I supposed to take a train for Leeds. So headed to the B&B where I wasn’t supposed to be for a few days... gave my host a bit of fright; he thought he’d been found out! Eventually my luggage caught up.
Also, when my plane circled London to land at Heathrow, it was almost a mystical experience. It was like I belonged there and was coming home. Personally, I think I watched “Mary Poppins” and some other London based movies to many times. But it was amazing. Wish I had a picture.
My wife lived and worked there for years, too; In London, and on the Isle of Wight. She had more contact the class stuff than I did. I just noticed with my London host, and the different attitude evinced by the “regular” folks I encountered. As an obvious American tourist folks probably considered me lacking all class... But they were all nice about it.
I remember being cold a lot, even though it was late summer / early fall.
That is all I can immediately remember. Does that sound anything like the UK you live in?
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