Friday Five: England Edition

I promise one day I'll be through talking about my trip however, today is not that day : )

1. I'm not sure if this is a Europe thing or just an England thing, however, I LOVE that the Brits are super dog friendly.  About halfway through the trip I realized, in the villages, that dogs were allowed in the pubs.  While in a fairly fancy pub one evening, 2 puppies lounged under their owners feet at the bar, while a big black lab slept under the table in the restaurant section.  And no one seemed to mind a bit.  Loved getting to see them all having an evening out too!

2. Tea, Tea, and more Tea!  Here in the states, when you order a cup of tea, you mostly get a cup of luke warm water, a tea bag and some cream.  Also, whereas your coffee drinking counterparts get free refills, you have to ask for more water, and most often must pay for it too.  However, in England, you get a proper cup of tea - boiling water in an actual pot, with a tea spoon, saucer and cup. The tea has already steeped and is left to continue steeping in the pot.  It's all very civilized.  And the best part is that in England, the coffee drinkers are forced to pay for refills while us tea drinkers can manage a good 3 cups out of that pot.  Take that coffee lovers! 

3. I adore the accents! I know it's fairly cliche, but I do.  You can pretty much gauge exactly where in England a person is from based on what they say and how they say it.  That's pretty much the case here as well, but you can't often pinpoint it to an exact state - you can gauge region but most likely not state.  But in England, there are so many regional accents and colloquialisms that it's fun to play the game of where are you from.  Of course, I may be rubbish at it, because I never have the nerve to ask the person if I'm correct.

3. Oh my goodness, the history!  Everything in England is old.  You're randomly walking down the street and there's a church that's still standing from the 1500s.  You walk into buildings that have been standing for centuries and have even survived the blitz.  What's more amazing is that these structures are still beautiful.  That's because they care about history there.  On the tour of the Cotswolds, we learned that the councils have strict guidelines to preserve these properties.  They don't allow people to come in and tear them down to build strip malls.  Historic areas are preserved for future generations just as they should be.  And we're lucky enough to see them today!

5.  And most of all, I just love England.  Every single thing about it.  It's such a beautiful,  vibrant country with so many things to offer.  The people are kind and the sights are to die for.  Once again, even after 12 days, I can't get enough!  The only downside to this amazing country is their utter disregard for letting us Americans come work there.  So England, could just give me a teeny tiny little job there.  I'll be eternally grateful. And you have my word, I won't tell a soul...It'll just be between you and me...: )