The funny side of Ireland and the UK

We recently returned from a 6 week visit to Ireland and the UK. As with many trips, there were some pleasant  and rather humorous surprises.

The weather

We had to chuckle. Most days the daytime temperature ranged from 12 to 17. We were often shivering, and had to wear vests and jackets just to stay warm. When it hit 18, well that was a heat wave to the locals with shorts and T-shirts the norm.

The day that we were in Penzance, Cornwall, the high was 13. People were on the beach, some of them in bathers. Others were sitting outdoors having lunch. We were huddled indoors asking staff to close the door. People were in disbelief when we told them that our winters were warmer than their summers.

Did we get railroaded?

We drove out of Skipton, England to a country hamlet called Bell Busk. We arrived at our B and B. and were shown to our room. The host proceeded to tell us that there was a train track just outside the window – a mere 10 feet away! We thought, “Are you serious?” It reminded us of the old American movie where a train goes whizzing by the kitchen window, shaking both the house and the people inside.

As it turned out, the trains stopped running at 9:30 and rather than being an annoyance, it added to the atmosphere of the B and B.

Plumbing that makes you work and think.

One thing that used to perplexed us were the British toilets. Most of them had the old levers that you had to push down in order to flush. Trouble was, you had to do it 3, 4 or 5 times before they would work. It was a bit like working an old water pump. In some cases you almost had to use brute force on the lever in order to perform what is usually a very simple task.

Another oddity was the variety of different showers in the various B & B’s and hotels. No two were alike. Some had the cold and hot water taps reversed. Some turned on clockwise, others just the opposite. In some cases you had to turn one knob to allow the hot water to run and secondly, you had to set the temperature, trying to decipher which way turn it. We felt they should have provided us with a user manual for these devices.

The Driving Experience

We always like to have our own vehicle so we can explore the countryside. Despite the fact that we are getting closer to 70, we enjoy driving in various countries. The UK and Ireland were no exception. There were however, a few challenges. Perhaps most noteworthy was the narrowness of the roads. Single lane country roads with high hedges and blind curves sometimes made us pray that a vehicle was not coming the other way.

Invariably, you do meet up with other cars and you have to grit your teeth passing them. Thankfully, there are some turn out sections. What we really appreciated was how drivers would wave you on to let you go. Drivers in many countries could learn from the courtesy of British drivers.

Of course, who could forget the cameras which are everywhere along the roads, overpasses and in one case while hiking, we came across one on a deserted hill overlooking the highway below. We wondered how many people were stuck somewhere in a room, watching images of cars and people passing by. Big Brother is well and truly a fact of life in the UK. Coming back to Perth it was almost disappointing seeing no cameras.