NationStates Jolt Archive

Hello fellow NSGers, it is I Wilgrove, typing this post from London, England, UK. This is my third day (and last full day) in London, tomorrow I will be taking the Eurostar from London to Paris. So far I am having a blast here and this really is a great city. Alot for a foreigner like me to do, almost too much to do lol. First off, to the UKers and people living in London, congrats on the soccer win against Estonia (I think), and I have to say, this is a very nice city. I espically love the two parks. So far I have been on the London Eye (brought to you by British Airways apparently. Then I saw Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, the changing of the guards, and today I will see Windsor Castle and go on a nice boat ride down the river Thames. Then I will catch the Eurostar to Paris France. I'll be in France till the 14th and then I will go back home to North Carolina, USA. Anyways I am enjoying my time here and I think I will be back again someday. You fellow NSGers take care. :)

Hello fellow NSGers, it is I Wilgrove, typing this post from London, England, UK. This is my third day (and last full day) in London, tomorrow I will be taking the Eurostar from London to Paris. So far I am having a blast here and this really is a great city.

Neat! Have a nice vacation! Take pictures. :)

Neat! Have a nice vacation! Take pictures. :)

I have a camera chip that holds 2,000 pictures, so yes I am taking alot of pictures. :)

I have a camera chip that holds 2,000 pictures, so yes I am taking alot of pictures. :)

Ah, technology. :p So how many countries are you visiting? I hear there's a lot of places to go, but that everything's pretty expensive there.

-Ah, should've read more closely. Didn't see you were going back after France.

Ah, technology. :p So how many countries are you visiting? I hear there's a lot of places to go, but that everything's pretty expensive there.

Eh this time, only London and Paris. That is true, everything is more expensive here in London. The pound is stronger than the dollar right now, I mean it takes $30 to get £15. Of course with all of the projects that London has going on (which was covered on the bus tour) I think the taxes are pretty high here too so that may play a role in it. I'm sure our London & UKs people will correct me somehow lol, and if I did say something wrong, then by all means correct me.

Yeah, the pound is far too strong at the moment, which makes coming here a bit expensive.

Combined with everything in England being very expensive, because of its high quality and a tradition of being a wealthy state indeed, it must be pretty costly to come here on holiday, really.

Oh and taxes are the same everywhere across England (not sure about the rest of the Union) - the problem is just that goods are very expensive everywhere.

Yeah, the pound is far too strong at the moment, which makes coming here a bit expensive.

Combined with everything in England being very expensive, because of its high quality and a tradition of being a wealthy state indeed, it must be pretty costly to come here on holiday, really.

Oh and taxes are the same everywhere across England (not sure about the rest of the Union) - the problem is just that goods are very expensive everywhere.

It's an island, is why. The American frame of reference would be something like: imagine a place about the size of... say, Georgia - then put a fifth of all Americans there. So - everything in the UK is at a premium... land, consumables, everything.

Eh this time, only London and Paris. That is true, everything is more expensive here in London. The pound is stronger than the dollar right now, I mean it takes $30 to get £15. Of course with all of the projects that London has going on (which was covered on the bus tour) I think the taxes are pretty high here too so that may play a role in it. I'm sure our London & UKs people will correct me somehow lol, and if I did say something wrong, then by all means correct me.
17.5% VAT (sales tax) probably gets noticed by people used to 5%. Apart from that, our income taxes I think are about the same and corporation tax lower. In any case, taxes (apart from property taxes) are levied equally all over the UK, so London doesn't pay for London projects, and so on and so forth. That comes out the Exchequer, like everything else.

17.5% VAT (sales tax) probably gets noticed by people used to 5%. Apart from that, our income taxes I think are about the same and corporation tax lower. In any case, taxes (apart from property taxes) are levied equally all over the UK, so London doesn't pay for London projects, and so on and so forth. That comes out the Exchequer, like everything else.

Well almost, we are taxed differant rates of fags, booze, and petrol, we have car tax, we have inheritance tax, we have a higher tax bracket for higer earners. SO we don't all pay the same amount of tax by any stretch.

I don't drive, or smoke, so I pay VAT on applicible items, I pay my NI, and PAYE, and I have not inhereted so no outragous death tax for me(fucking 40%?)

You better be willing to share some pictures Wilgrove! Of london... I've seen enough pictures of Paris for a lifetime. Keep having fun!

Last time me and my girlfreind went to London we saw the Queen! Every time we go there seems to be a major event happening that causes lots of disruption. We went to Victoria station and walked down to Westminster, only to find that all the raods were closed and there were lots of coppers. It turned out to be the opening of Parliament. We got stuck in the crowd and saw Her Royal Highness and her dicknosed husband.

The first time we went was an even larger event. We booked the hotel 2 months in advance, then a few days before we wnt down the Queen Mum popped her clogs. We saw the queue to see the body stretching for miles along the Thames and when walking accross Parliament Square in the evening thought it was a bit bright for the time of day. Turned round and saw we were in the camera line of the BBC. We also watched the flyover for the funeral from a Camden pub, then walked outside and watched the Lancaster Bomber fly right over us.

We were also there the week before the U.S government demolished the WTC.

queenie came to my school once, she asked me how i liked all these parade things in the ccf, i told her they were boring, she said "oh". fascinating woman.

Well almost, we are taxed differant rates of fags, booze, and petrol, we have car tax, we have inheritance tax, we have a higher tax bracket for higer earners. SO we don't all pay the same amount of tax by any stretch.
Well, I haven't been into America long enough to know what their excise taxes are. I was assuming that they'd be similar at the state level. Although, in my defence, I think that state income taxes generally would cancel out the difference in the top level of income tax, and I didn't exactly say we pay the same amount of tax.;)

I don't drive, or smoke, so I pay VAT on applicible items, I pay my NI, and PAYE, and I have not inhereted so no outragous death tax for me(fucking 40%?)
I think most people just spend it before they die so the government doesn't get their hands on it. It's a pretty outrageous way of raising revenue, for sure.

Bring me back something pretty!

Bring me back something pretty!
That leaves out Ken Livingstone.

That leaves out Ken Livingstone.

Umm perhaps Boris Johnstone?

It's an island, is why. The American frame of reference would be something like: imagine a place about the size of... say, Georgia - then put a fifth of all Americans there. So - everything in the UK is at a premium... land, consumables, everything.

England is not an island (Mrs Doubtfire got that wrong). Great Britain is, England isn't.

NB: Great Britain consist of England, Wales, and Scotland.

Greetings from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!


I'm jealous because I miss Europe sooooo much. I can't wait to return. Well I can wait, but I don't wanna.

First off, to the UKers and people living in London, congrats on the soccer win against Estonia (I think),
I'm sure the Scottish, the Welsh, and the Norn Irish appreciate your congratulations. ;)

Hello fellow NSGers, it is I Wilgrove, typing this post from London, England, UK. This is my third day (and last full day) in London, tomorrow I will be taking the Eurostar from London to Paris. So far I am having a blast here and this really is a great city. Alot for a foreigner like me to do, almost too much to do lol. First off, to the UKers and people living in London, congrats on the soccer win against Estonia (I think), and I have to say, this is a very nice city. I espically love the two parks. So far I have been on the London Eye (brought to you by British Airways apparently. Then I saw Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, the changing of the guards, and today I will see Windsor Castle and go on a nice boat ride down the river Thames. Then I will catch the Eurostar to Paris France. I'll be in France till the 14th and then I will go back home to North Carolina, USA. Anyways I am enjoying my time here and I think I will be back again someday. You fellow NSGers take care. :)

I visited London for the first time this year, unfortunately all I really saw was the Thames. However it is a pretty cool river to row on. Also I loved the tubes.

Cool! Have fun and a safe trip home.

Just for your information,
London is a urban city containing up to about 12.2 million people in the urban streets, and you have to be careful for new viral diesese that infect organs like the bubonic plague. Also, roaming in rural areas contain rats that gnaw into wooden bases and wooden sources. by 2008, the population of great Britain will be approximately 17.6 million. Be careful of snipers and criminals that also commonly play around London. The English Channel is hundreds of miles long, and that's about all in chapter 1.

That is why you never see Scottish, Irish or Welsh wine. All they have is sour grapes.

*Steals joke for future use*

That leaves out Ken Livingstone.

I'd advise Kilroy, if only for comedy value. George Galloway would be funny as well.

London pwns. Glad you're having a good time :)

Hello fellow NSGers, it is I Wilgrove, typing this post from London, England, UK. . . . I espically love the two parks.

Just curiosity, which two of the dozens of parks in London are you referring to?

England is not an island (Mrs Doubtfire got that wrong). Great Britain is, England isn't.

NB: Great Britain consist of England, Wales, and Scotland.

Preaching to the limey? Ah well. I wasn't being that specific - you'll notice (while I was responding to comments about 'England') that I referred to the UK... in which case, an island is still wrong really...

The point I was making is that we are talking about a little blob stuck just off one edge of Europe. :)

London's a nice city to visit. That's about it...I could never live there. Even my aunt who's lived there for about 25 years says she prays for the day when she can afford to leave and get back to Northern Ireland...

Have fun! Do some photo ops in a red phone booth, if you can still find one anymore.

London's a nice city to visit. That's about it...I could never live there. Even my aunt who's lived there for about 25 years says she prays for the day when she can afford to leave and get back to Northern Ireland...

London's lovely. One day, my family and I will probably relocate back to 'the mother country', and I can move back to the East End. A fond hope.

I think it maybe depends more on where you were raised. I'm a big-city boy at heart.

I think you are right. I liked it when I was there but wouldnt want to live there. Too big, too busy (maybe the reasons you like it :)). I think a lot of it is to do where you are brought up. One of the things I noticed is how in shops, at the till all you can hear is beeping, and the till staff didnt look you in the eyes. I guess its cause things are a bit more of a rush in large cities.

Plus no-one could understand a word I was saying.

I went to Oxford last summer, though I've regretfully never been to London (unless you count Heathrow). The Brits are some of the most polite people I have ever met. It was so reassuring that I can ask them for anything I wanted and, if they said no, they did so very artfully. They're quite friendly and helpful, too.

I was in London this weekend with the ACF for the Queens’s birthday parade practice.
Saw all the usual tourist sites, best one has to be Victoria’s monument outside Buckingham palace.
The tube was good and nowhere near as bad as people say it is.
Native Londoners have no manners what so ever, eye contact seems to be an absolute no-no.
The place is full of tourists and immigrants, much racist hilarity ensued. No immigrants were harmed in the making of our dodgy jokes.
Best moment: Getting stared at by about 60 people because we had three cadets and 2 NCOs’ chasing gray squirrels around Hyde Park, the reason being because the Duke of Northumberland had a £10 bounty of the little bastard’s tails.
We also saw the bad side of London, very dodgy characters hanging around our barracks near Clapham junction. Never, ever, ever go out alone at night in London.

I was in London this weekend with the ACF for the Queens’s birthday parade practice.
Saw all the usual tourist sites, best one has to be Victoria’s monument outside Buckingham palace.
The tube was good and nowhere near as bad as people say it is.
Native Londoners have no manners what so ever, eye contact seems to be an absolute no-no.
The place is full of tourists and immigrants, much racist hilarity ensued. No immigrants were harmed in the making of our dodgy jokes.
Best moment: Getting stared at by about 60 people because we had three cadets and 2 NCOs’ chasing gray squirrels around Hyde Park, the reason being because the Duke of Northumberland had a £10 bounty of the little bastard’s tails.
We also saw the bad side of London, very dodgy characters hanging around our barracks near Clapham junction. Never, ever, ever go out alone at night in London.

Again - I don't think this necessarily holds true. On my occassional visits back to the One True City, I have ended up wandering all round London, at pretty much any hour you care to name... maybe it's a matter of how comfortable you feel. If you walk like prey you attract predators, kind of thing.

Again - I don't think this necessarily holds true. On my occassional visits back to the One True City, I have ended up wandering all round London, at pretty much any hour you care to name... maybe it's a matter of how comfortable you feel. If you walk like prey you attract predators, kind of thing. Keep your head down and ignore it, and it will go away, most of the time. Have you tried walking around the estates, or the un-developed bit of the east end?

Keep your head down and ignore it, and it will go away, most of the time. Have you tried walking around the estates, or the un-developed bit of the east end?

I am an East End boy... so yeah. And I've criss-crossed most of Central London for fun. I love the city at night - New York is the same.

Just curiosity, which two of the dozens of parks in London are you referring to?

One of them was Hydes Park and I forgot the other one. Oh, I'm back in the states now though. :) It was a nice trip. I have to say, London is a much nicer city than Paris, it really was.

Now, can someone please explain cricket.

You should have posted from the Eurostar.

Myrth did that once.

Again - I don't think this necessarily holds true. On my occassional visits back to the One True City, I have ended up wandering all round London, at pretty much any hour you care to name... maybe it's a matter of how comfortable you feel. If you walk like prey you attract predators, kind of thing.

Keep your head down and ignore it, and it will go away, most of the time. Have you tried walking around the estates, or the un-developed bit of the east end?

I've been to fairly dodgy bits of London alone at night, I also lived on two pretty disreputable estates, but I never had any threatening situations. It's not just about prey vibes, it's also about sending out agressive signals, which is a typically male thing - men tend to get into combative mode and unconsciously provoke conflicts.

When you get to Paris, hold your breath when you pass the Quickburger place on the Champs Elysée. It smells so bad I felt ill, and I've never had that reaction from a smell before or since (I was there about 2 weeks ago).

Also, the best view in Paris is from the Tour Montparnasse (get off the Metro on Line 4, stop Montparnasse, go upstairs and go out the door by the carousel), since it's the same height or taller (I forget which) than the Eiffel Tower and you can see the Eiffel Tower.

One of them was Hydes Park and I forgot the other one. Oh, I'm back in the states now though. :) It was a nice trip. I have to say, London is a much nicer city than Paris, it really was.

Now, can someone please explain cricket.

You just missed a thread asking about Cricket, though I don't think anyone really explained it. ;)

Also, welcome back!

I went to Oxford last summer, though I've regretfully never been to London (unless you count Heathrow). The Brits are some of the most polite people I have ever met. It was so reassuring that I can ask them for anything I wanted and, if they said no, they did so very artfully. They're quite friendly and helpful, too.

Did you ask for directions in OXFORD or LONDON? Cus I did in Oxford, and nobody knew the answer despite where I was looking for being just round the corner.

P.S. Some people lie. If someone says a load of left turns with no street names, they're probably giving you wrong directions :)

P.P.S. Hang on a minute, they weren't helpful to me in London either - it was "up there and ask someone else".

I was in London this weekend with the ACF for the Queens’s birthday parade practice.
Saw all the usual tourist sites, best one has to be Victoria’s monument outside Buckingham palace.
The tube was good and nowhere near as bad as people say it is.
Native Londoners have no manners what so ever, eye contact seems to be an absolute no-no.
The place is full of tourists and immigrants, much racist hilarity ensued. No immigrants were harmed in the making of our dodgy jokes.
Best moment: Getting stared at by about 60 people because we had three cadets and 2 NCOs’ chasing gray squirrels around Hyde Park, the reason being because the Duke of Northumberland had a £10 bounty of the little bastard’s tails.
We also saw the bad side of London, very dodgy characters hanging around our barracks near Clapham junction. Never, ever, ever go out alone at night in London.

I'm not trying to sound rude, but you (and many many other foreigners) should really find out basic info about a country before you go. I think squirrels are a protected species, and even if they're not they're still protected under animal cruelty laws and you could have found yourself locked up here (and would have deserved it too). Oh and racism is also illegal here (England).

Note to the cocky people:

Walking around ANYWHERE (city or not) alone at night is dumb unless you have good self-defence skills. Just because something HASN'T happened, that doesn't mean it WON'T happen.

I'm not trying to sound rude, but you (and many many other foreigners) should really find out basic info about a country before you go. I think squirrels are a protected species, and even if they're not they're still protected under animal cruelty laws and you could have found yourself locked up here (and would have deserved it too). Oh and racism is also illegal here (England).

I think the red squirrel's the protected one - the North American Gray is the menace, and is wiping out the reds. Another gift of trans-Atlantic commerce. :p

Also, holy gravedig! :p

I'm not trying to sound rude, but you (and many many other foreigners) should really find out basic info about a country before you go. I think squirrels are a protected species, and even if they're not they're still protected under animal cruelty laws and you could have found yourself locked up here (and would have deserved it too). Oh and racism is also illegal here (England).

Didn't bother to check the guy's location before you jumped on him?

Didn't bother to check the guy's location before you jumped on him?

That's what I was going to say. The guy had a Pound sign on his keyboard (the British Pound, not this # one) and used the word "dodgy" to describe something - probably not a foreigner to England. :p

That's what I was going to say. The guy had a Pound sign on his keyboard (the British Pound, not this # one) and used the word "dodgy" to describe something - probably not a foreigner to England. :p

That, and it says "N.E England" in his location field :p

That, and it says "N.E England" in his location field :p

Oops. Yeah, that too. :p