England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland
I was super excited about doing the England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland combination and my friend Toni’s wedding in London provided the perfect excuse. I jumped at the opportunity to spend time with Toni’s friends and family and in no short order they proved to be a brilliant and engaging bunch.
My first take of London back in 2018 did not leave me wanting to return there. My friend Toni and her husband advised me that South London (Richmond area) was not Downtown London and boy were they spot on. The people were nicer, the food was more tolerable and the landscape more lush. London really impressed me on this go-round and the thing I have been ruminating on the most is how easy it was to access public transportation. I could easily tap my credit card to get on any bus or train. Not only was it easy to travel in London but it was cheap and reliable.
It is not surprising then, that I took a bus from London to Wales for 2 days. I have never been to Wales and I genuinely thought it was a place with lots of cows, white people and where the queen vacationed during the summer. Nothing could be further from the reality. I hopped off the bus in Newport and was stunned. I was met by a mega mall and several high-rises. There were also a smattering of buildings that were historical at the top but had modern day stores at the base. It also struck me that the city was extremely quiet. They had a lot of vegetarian items on every menu that I perused. There were people from all races and ethnicities in Newport and I have yet to see a cow.
I then journeyed to Scotland and some of the same things that impressed me about Europe also continued into Scotland. I spent a lot of time in Scotland seeing the sight and historical building and they seemed to be a plethora to chose from. For all my Harry Potter geeks, Scotland is the birthplace of the series and so it was interesting to see where JK Rowling ate and what places and buildings influenced her book.
Ireland was my next stop and I made it a point to leave Dublin and go to North Ireland. The distinction between Northern and Southern Ireland is unmistakeable and the history and politics that influenced this divide was intriguing. Northern Ireland was breathtaking!! For my Game of Thrones fans: there were a few landmarks from the show that were filmed here and well worth the visit.
One of the things that I say often is, “America is trying to kill us with food, guised as capitalism”. In an effort to get the most for our money, we buy the worst (most stale and highly processed) and eat more than we need to. We also live extremely sedentary lives and wonder why morbid obesity is an ever rising problem. While in Europe, a healthier lifestyle was presented and the contrast was jarring.
The portion sizes for starters were markedly smaller than those in the USA. The food also tasted fresher. The focus seemed to be less on size of the meal but more on flavor. People were often seen sitting at tables outside (in all four countries) laughing, talking, sharing plates and eating small portions. The dangers of certain foods high in salt and sugar are clearly displayed on the labels. Certain food substances are not allowed in Europe, as the data to support the dangers of these substances is now common knowledge. In contrast, these foods are mainstays in the US.
Because public transportation is used by a large portion of the UK and Ireland, I averaged 30K steps a day. While in the US, I struggle to hit 10k steps per day. There are certainly other markers of health that I could delve into and contrast but I wont belabor the point. America has a lot to learn on the food and health front.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time spent in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. I would be delighted to visit any of these countries again. For the details on what I did on a day to day basis, click the link here.
Like they say in Ireland, i’ll see you a wee bit later.
