I love the UK

severian · Nov 26, 2005

A shout out to the UK and all the people there. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Everyone should go to London to photograph. The people are uniformally positive and helpful. The landscape in London yells"Photograph me". Even the police are courteous. I was photographing in centrtal London when out of the corner of my eye I could see red lights flashing. No sirens just lights. This has happened before and I knew what to expect. They were there to see what I was doing. An 8x10 camera can look suspicious. They gently backed me against a wall while they sent my passport information through their computer. They just chit chatted about photography and such. It was all very informal and relaxed but make no mistake, I wasn't going anywhere nor was I going to challenge these two substantial guys. I was working around the New Scotland Yard and they explained that there were sensitive government buildings in the area. When they were content that my intentions were peaceful they wrote me a ticket. Not a ticket in the American sense. This ticket was to show other police that I was cleared and needn't be bothered. How very civilized. There was alarge crowd gathering around the corner at Westminster Abbey and someone told me that the Queen was making an appearance. I began walking over there but was deterred when I saw the police or military guarding the area with machine guns. I detoured. Better safe than sorry.
At Gatwick airport My wife and I were asked to leave the ticket line. We were taken to a secured room and our luggage was searched. What they found in my luggage was 23 very large Cadbury bars. They all got a good laugh when I explained that I was taking them to supply my English and Irish friends in the States. Anyway. I've been there three times and I'm yet to see the countryside because the city is endlessly fascinating. Go there . Photograph. Have High Tea. Have a Guiness or three. That English food, well thats another story
Jack

rbarker · Nov 26, 2005

There's also a great eatery in London that has a four-page Vodka menu.

Les McLean · Nov 26, 2005

severian said:
Have a Guiness or three. That English food, well thats another story
Jack

Thanks for the kind words about your experiences in the UK but I'd question your comments about "That English food" especially as you are from the country that invented junk food and serves it up by the tonne

Next time you cross the pond Jack treat yourself to a pint of Guiness in a scruffy pub in Ireland and I promise that you'll never have another one in England.

roteague · Nov 26, 2005

I think the people in the UK are great, and while I really don't like London, I think the country is one of the most beautiful I have ever visited.

Bill Mitchell · Nov 26, 2005

Old Sports Car joke:
"Q: Why do the English drink warm beer?"
"A: because they have Lucas refrigerators."

David A. Goldfarb · Nov 26, 2005

I also have had several pleasant trips to England and always enjoy shooting there, but haven't brought the big camera yet. I seem always to be shooting 6x6 in England, so I've stuck with that (either my Bronica S2A kit when I have more time for photography, or the little Perkeo II when I'm just in and out for an academic conference), and it gives a kind of formal unity to them all.

Haven't had any police hassles yet, but I have had someone ask me "is that a Hasselblad?"

Cheryl Jacobs · Nov 26, 2005

I would absolutely agree with the original post in its entirety -- except that I've found some fantastic food there. The Eagle is one of those restaurants I'll be visiting every year.

I just finalized plans to be back in London and West Sussex in March. I really could live there quite happily.

Les, I'm looking forward to taking your advice. I expect to finally make it to Ireland in the next year or two. My travel schedule is packed for 2006.

David A. Goldfarb · Nov 26, 2005

When in London, I like to stay in Bailey's Hotel in Kensington (Gloucester Road stop--good rates from http://www.superbreak.com), and highly recommend eating at the Bombay Brasserie there, if you like Indian food. I've had a number of good meals as well at a moderately priced French bistro called La Bouchee not too far away from there.

Les McLean · Nov 26, 2005

Cheryl Jacobs said:
Les, I'm looking forward to taking your advice. I expect to finally make it to Ireland in the next year or two. My travel schedule is packed for 2006.

Cheryl, just make sure that when you enter the bar they have partly filled pints of Guiness standing along the bar just waiting to be completely filled. If you are in Belfast go to Robinsons bar opposite the Europa Hotel in the city centre, I was there last Tuesday and the pint of the black stuff was wonderful.

Fintan · Nov 26, 2005

Its always great to read good reports from people on trips. I've bad news though, the British Guinness is digital, we do analog Guinness in here in Ireland

Andy K · Nov 26, 2005

Fintan said:
Its always great to read good reports from people on trips. I've bad news though, the British Guinness is digital, we do analog Guinness in here in Ireland

I thought the EU was all metric?

pentaxuser · Nov 26, 2005

Dare we hope that our police are getting better or was it just that your name didn't contain the words Austin and Mitchell and your i.d. proved that you were not in fact a well known photography loving Labour MP attending his own party's conference.

I have heard of the "enemy within" but surely not that far within.

Pentaxuser

markbb · Nov 26, 2005

Fintan said:
Its always great to read good reports from people on trips. I've bad news though, the British Guinness is digital, we do analog Guinness in here in Ireland

All the Guinness sold in the UK is now brewed in dublin. they shut the London Brewery down and took production back to Ireland due to the drop in sales.

Fintan · Nov 26, 2005

markbb said:
All the Guinness sold in the UK is now brewed in dublin. they shut the London Brewery down and took production back to Ireland due to the drop in sales.

I didnt realise that but my digital comment was to do with the pump, they are always levers that control the flow over here i.e. analog. I was in a pub once over there and the bar lady pushed a button on the tap, filled the glass in one go.

If its the same stout, howcome it tastes so awful over there? :confused:

photomc · Nov 26, 2005

Must admit that one of my dreams before leaving this world is to vist with Les and share a pint in his local pub. If the peoples of the UK or anything like Les, what a wonderfull place to visit it will be. And of course a trip to Ireland will be required, since that is where the family came from (Drumbeg, Antrim, Ireland). Of course there will be a great deal of photography involved along the way...

Andy K · Nov 26, 2005

Fintan said:
I didnt realise that but my digital comment was to do with the pump, they are always levers that control the flow over here i.e. analog. I was in a pub once over there and the bar lady pushed a button on the tap, filled the glass in one go.

If its the same stout, howcome it tastes so awful over there? :confused:

Probably one of those crappy fake 'themed' pubs like JD Weatherspoons. Go in a real spit and sawdust pub, the kind that doesn't have music at 1000 decibels and is not crawling with teenagers, and you'll see and taste a difference.

Bob F. · Nov 27, 2005

I LIKE Weatherspoons pubs! They have no music or slot machines and always have a couple or three guest beers as well as whatever is local. They do tend to get crowded at weekends though...

The fake Irish pubs however should be smashed up, burnt to the ground and the ashes collected and dropped into the deepest trench in the Atlantic....

As for food: Restaurant Magazine's Top Ten for 2005:

1 The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire, Britain
2 El Bulli, Montjoi, Spain
3 French Laundry, California
4 Tetsuyas, Sydney, Australia
5 Gordon Ramsay, London, Britain
6 Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France
7 Per Se, New York, New York
8 Tom Aikens, London, Britain
9 Jean Georges, New York, New York
10 St John, London, Britain

I.E. 4 of the top ten, including the No1 slot goes to restaurants in the UK...

For Michelin: with a total of 230 stars, UK restaurants are beaten only by France - big surprise - (620) and Italy (255) - then comes Germany (212) and Spain (123).

None of which is much comfort if you make the mistake of ordering a deep fried Pizza with a deep fried Mars Bar and pineapple rings for desert in Scotland...

Cheers, Bob.

markbb · Nov 27, 2005

Bob F. said:
I.E. 4 of the top ten, including the No1 slot goes to restaurants in the UK...

I don't doubt it. But if you want something to eat and haven't booked 6 months in advance and sold your youngest into slavery to raise the cash, you are left with the a dismal choice between terrible fast food joints.
By the way,it really irritates me the way Mcdonalds call their places 'restaurants'. As far as I'm concerned a restaurant servers ones food on crockery, eaten with cutlery; it doesn't assume all their customers still eat their food like babies.

Andy K · Nov 27, 2005

markbb said:
I don't doubt it. But if you want something to eat and haven't booked 6 months in advance and sold your youngest into slavery to raise the cash, you are left with the a dismal choice between terrible fast food joints.
By the way,it really irritates me the way Mcdonalds call their places 'restaurants'. As far as I'm concerned a restaurant servers ones food on crockery, eaten with cutlery; it doesn't assume all their customers still eat their food like babies.

You looked in the wrong places. Most Indian restaurants do not require pre-booking, neither do chinese. Then there's good old fish 'n' chips. Did you try eating in pubs? The majority of pubs do great food.

Whiteymorange · Nov 27, 2005

I lived for a year in West Sussex back in the early 70's and found that i could get to love the food as long as a pint of some magical brew accompanied it. It wasn't just the Guinness, either. Gale's Ales- or any of the real ale pubs usually had some pretty amazing stuff in a glass that I could find someone local to tell me about. For the cost of a pint, I made many good friends- and I usually left a few pints ahead, as they tried to show the Yank a good time.

About a year ago I was back, in Ireland this time, and no matter how local I got - small pub in a village in County Mayo - the Guinness was cold, not cellar temp, but freezing cold. They told me that some government board had decided that the beer had to be refrigerated or it might cause disease. Funny, but generations of people seem to have done all right with warm beer. To add to the depression, I found that creeping Americanization had taken over in the pubs too. Young men were sitting around me drinking Bud Light - and that's not even beer, let alone good beer.

You know, America has wonderful things going for it. Why is it that the crap is what gets exported? The UK doesn't need Bud Light, they make the best beer in the world. Not to forget the Germans, the Belgians, the Dutch, the Australians, etc, but I do love a good stout.

markbb · Nov 27, 2005

Andy K said:
You looked in the wrong places. Most Indian restaurants do not require pre-booking, neither do chinese. Then there's good old fish 'n' chips. Did you try eating in pubs? The majority of pubs do great food.

Andy, I was referring to the places listed in his table. Yes I know all about 'Indian' (most are run by Bangladeshes) and chinese & Thai, but it's a shame you can eat standard British food without forking out a fortune.

mikeg · Nov 27, 2005

Whiteymorange said:
It wasn't just the Guinness, either. Gale's Ales- or any of the real ale pubs usually had some pretty amazing stuff in a glass that I could find someone local to tell me about.

Now you're talking! I haven't had a pint of Gale's HSB for ages. I grew up in Hampshire and HSB was my regular pint during my teenage years.

Cheers!

Mike

Andy K · Nov 27, 2005

When playing darts or pool my usual was a light and bitter. These days I'll settle for a Guinness.

mono · Nov 27, 2005

< I love the UK >

Me too!

severian · Nov 27, 2005

Irish guiness

Les McLean said:
Thanks for the kind words about your experiences in the UK but I'd question your comments about "That English food" especially as you are from the country that invented junk food and serves it up by the tonne

Next time you cross the pond Jack treat yourself to a pint of Guiness in a scruffy pub in Ireland and I promise that you'll never have another one in England.

Les
I may be in Dublin in March. Which pub?
Jack

I love the UK

severian

rbarker

Les McLean

roteague

Bill Mitchell

David A. Goldfarb

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Cheryl Jacobs

David A. Goldfarb

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Les McLean

Fintan

Andy K

pentaxuser

markbb

Fintan

photomc

Andy K

Bob F.

markbb

Andy K

Whiteymorange

markbb

mikeg

Andy K

mono

severian

I love the UK

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