Today’s post is a sequel of the previous 10 things I love… post and since I was in England for quite some time during the past 2 years since I turned 18 I can make a shortlist of things that I love about it just like in the case of Romania. Even if I travelled on my own when I came to the UK I always found my friends there and even made some unexpected new ones, like the French guy that took me out for a coffee 2 weeks ago just because we were waiting for the rain to stop in the same place.
Here it goes, 10 of the reasons why I love the UK:
-
The people, who, contrary to the popular belief, are very “warm”, they will always give you a smile and a “You alright?”, which always make my day better. They manage to make me smile for no apparent reason just by smiling themselves. I first realized this when I was walking through a park and a nice old couple started chatting to me and I realised how nice it is to have such an unexpected intervention. Even if they say that the British are very conservative and polite, they do it with a smile that can sometimes brighten your day. I know it does not seem as much to many of you, but at home it is not a common sight.
-
The history, which is, well, extremely complex but it is also very well documented and researched. I love how the British can trace back their family line to more than a thousand years ago, how they have museums for every little trade or age, how they know that it is very important to know where you come from to understand where you are going. I wish all the countries in the world would acknowledge that history has a very important role in founding the identity of each citizen that inhabits them.
-
The accent and the men, even if not all British men are like Bond, James Bond, most of them will do anything to make a girl laugh and feel good. More than this, that cute little accent is breathtaking and I cannot have enough of it even now, when I hear it daily. Another ideal of mine is that Scotsman, possibly rugby player, that will show you what a real man is, of course this will probably remain a fantasy but I cannot understand where this fantasy comes from (tut tut).
-
The food, admittedly not the healthiest but as the weather is so Mercurial let’s say, you have to have something to comfort you. I must admit that although many international cuisines are present, my encounters with British cuisine have been very pleasent. I have tried and managed to cook roast beef, toad in the hole, fish and chips, shepherds’ pie, banoffee pie, yorkshire pudding and more I cannot remember the exact name.
-
The fashion, designers like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen are the perfect example of British design talent, also the British fashion icons appear in magazines all over the world and of course there are so many British specific clothes, Oxford shoes or Wellington boots spring to mind, and trends, like the very in now for A/W Brit chic style. Of course, we cannot forget all the layering because of the mad weather and all the quirky combos that make stars like Jessie J and Helena Bonham Carter famous for them.
-
The arhitecture, of course not every village and town in the United Kingdom looks as amazing as the next picture but most of the places have that air of elegance and stability, uniformity, that somehow puts a smile on my face everytime I am travelling. On the other hand, you have the historical cities, that are breathtaking and where you can just sit and wonder how could people hundreds of years ago create this megalitc and beautiful arhitectural wonders.
-
The countryside, the opposite to the inhabited areas, the wast crop fields and the all present hills/ mountains, are as enchanting as the architecture. The thing I noticed and become fond of is that you have a village or a city and as soon as you go 1 mile outside of its borders, you are surrounded my grass and trees and most likely cows and sheep. It always seems to remind me of “The wind in the willows”.
-
The films and actors, indeed there are many great looking and talented British actors today, but I still enjoy the old movies more, like the ones with Julie Andrews, Sean Connery or Vivien Leigh. The films then really had substance and a well made plot. Of course, I do love the animated films as well, the original “101 dalmatians” or “James and the Giant Peach”, as well as “Top Cat”.
-
The books and literature, who has not heard of Shakespear or Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Agatha Christie. England has been the birthplace of so many great writers and poets and I dare to think that the scenery and history of the land have had a great contribution to it. All the castes and the murders and the ghost stories and the royal battles and conquests, all have had a great impact on the stories and lives of many English writers, or so I want to believe.
-
The music, last but not least, this is another reason why I love GB so. I can say that not only the iconic British bands ( such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd) and singers make it a reason on my list, but also the new wave of British talents like Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard, Muse, Coldplay and many others. Also, I love how there are many new bands that are being promoted and that have live concerts in tours across the country, just a couple of weeks ago I was at a concert and I was blown away by how well the artists performed even if it was their first time on a tour.
I do realise that I did not manage to include countless other reasons such as the beer, the British humour, the clubs and pubs, the landmarks and iconic items, the London attractions, the fish and chips, the royals, the newspapers, the tea, the castles and countless other wonderful things but I said 10 reasons, which does not mean there are not more it simply means that they are the most important to me.