04 May 2008

As promised, I'm going to give the first installment of "What to Expect When Traveling to London".

London is a fabulous city that takes a while to warm up to.  However, there are some things that I have noticed that I didn't expect.

Expect a dirty nose when riding on the tube.  I didn't realize it until I had my first cold and I blew my nose and black stuff was coming out.  I have heard before that if you ride the tube regularly for a year, it would be like smoking two packs of cigarettes.  Now, I don't know if that's true or not, but with the amount of dirt flying in the air and soot that I get in my nose, I wouldn't be surprised.  It definitely can't be good for your health.  My suggestion - take the bus when possible... although riding the tube is an enjoyable experience and very efficient.

Expect to hail a taxi and a bus.  In Chicago, the buses stop at the bus stop if they see somebody standing there.  Not in London.  If you don't hail the bus, it will ride right pass you.

When at a pub, you will need to order and pay at the bar.  I think I had been lucky in that I had gone to my first pub with a local, so I knew what to do.  But, if I hadn't experienced that, I would have been waiting for a very long time to get any type of service.  Pubs are a great place for food!  It's usually the cheaper alternative and you will find good food from all types of ethnicities.  It's certainly not like American pub food.  It's much higher quality and very rarely will you find nachos and wings on the list of grub.  Dan and I went to a really great pub and had delicious Thai cuisine.  The moral of the story is you never know what you're going to get.  

Stay tuned for the next installment of "What to Expect When Traveling to London"!