Ireland & UK

[quote]makkun wrote:
Cool posts, Silkspice![/quote]

Thanks makkun! Silkspice… LOL!!! I like it! If I were to be a Spice Girl (barf), I’d definitely have to be ‘Old Spice’, but I like your name better!

Yes, London is Museum Heaven! I have been to so many! I loved the Maritime Museum in Greenwich (extreme sadness over the fire on the Cutty Sark - good they can rebuild her) The science museum was awesome too. I could spend hours and hours in the Tate Museum. They’re all fab, and it’s such a privilege to live close enough to enjoy these places as often as I want.

Cheers!
Micki

silkspike,

[quote]silkspike wrote:
makkun wrote:
Cool posts, Silkspice!

Thanks makkun! Silkspice… LOL!!! I like it! If I were to be a Spice Girl (barf), I’d definitely have to be ‘Old Spice’, but I like your name better![/quote]

I’d rather imagine you as a spice girl than some ‘Old Spice’ wearing Life on Mars character. Got those at work all day…

:wink:
Makkun

[/highjack]

[quote]makkun wrote:
I’d rather imagine you as a spice girl than some ‘Old Spice’ wearing Life on Mars character. Got those at work all day…

:wink:
Makkun

[/highjack]

[/quote]

May as well hijack until the OP comes back to post. :wink:

Life On Mars - I never saw that series, so I guess I wouldn’t get that reference. What sort of work do you do? Love the avatar!

Speaking of London (just to keep it on-topic) had to travel from Colchester to London Liverpool Street yesterday - by coach! I guess they’re working on the train lines. That added 35 extra minutes travel time to an hour’s journey. Always have a good book handy, huh? :slight_smile: The Underground was fine, and the weather perfect! Nothing like London in the warm sunshine.

Micki

Don’t go to the gym, a waste of time when you are travelling, 2.5 weeks is hardly any time to take off, as long as you do a few heavy exercises in the hotel you will keep your mass and overgrow e.g one arm handstand pushups, one arm pushups, one leg squats “pistols” etc…

Unless you specifically want the gym experience.

Pro-hormones are LEGAL over here, by the way.

http://www.gymratz.co.uk/bodybuilding-supplements/cat2_1.htm

For travel in London, get an OYSTER card as soon as you arrive. You can use them on all transport and for example, a bus trip is 2 pounds with no oyster, and 1 pound with an oyster. So, half price.

There are many free things in London - museums, even clubs that are free entry.

What are your interests?

history - ancient, recent, military
clubs? pubs?
monuments? churches? battle sites? castles?

Most Brits in my experience have hardly even seen their own town, let alone country. Never before have I seen a place where you can stand in front of a famous site, ask a local where it is, and they won’t know. Even the bus driver who drives the route to Highgate cemetary every day, didn’t know where the cemetary was … go figure.

A good cheap meal is a kebab, there are two types - the doner off some kind of fabricated meat, and a shish kebab which is real chicken/lamb, grilled, with salad in a pita bread wrap. It is not that bad. Generally, eating out is expensive but there are some places that are reasonable and good, but hard to find.

More than anything else London is a place where you need to know all the little secret places and tricks.

London has been quite hot past few weeks, rained about 15 days in the past 120 days?

Don’t forget to list your main interests.

I don’t mean to do a topic change as I hope the original poster gets his questions answered.

I just had a question for the European (or else where) English speakers. What does the standard American accent sound like to you, can you tell a difference with different American accents? Is it displeasing or odd in anyway? I ask because many Americans seem to enjoy the accents of Australians, English, Irish et cetera.

silk, has your American accent diminished within the past 9 years at all?

Thanks for all the info guys and gals, I already feel less foreign about the whole thing. I’ll def be getting an Oyster card I think.

My main interests for the purposes of this trip are:

  • to experience different cultures. (going to Dublin, Ireland first, then London, England)

  • see some ancient history stuff and monuments (castles mostly) and take some pictures. How far is stonehenge from England?

  • outdoorsy endeavors if possible, such as bungee jumping, hiking, amusement parks, etc?, anyone know where I can do this stuff, or what’s available?

  • Is possession of marijuana legal in Ireland and UK? I don’t smoke it, but person I’m going with does.

  • how much would a meal at a pub cost?

  • is there a need to be on the lookout for gangs that swarm you?

makkun: can you expand on this:

"STAY AWAY from guys offering you taxi services on the street. In the evening they’ll be around clubs and pubs, and you just don’t know what they have in their boot… " So they club ya, and kidnap you or what?

taxis

you can hail a black cab in any major city

http://www.motor-cross.ca/taxi-jun03.jpg

they look like the link above, if the light above the windsheild is lit, then they are looking for passengers. Other taxis need to be booked, so if you are going to a club, get some phone numbers for local Taxi agencies and sort yourself out.

Stonehenge is in England, and 90 miles from London,

http://www.aboutstonehenge.info/index.php?pg=stonehenge-location

[quote]EmperialChina wrote:
I don’t mean to do a topic change as I hope the original poster gets his questions answered.

I just had a question for the European (or else where) English speakers. What does the standard American accent sound like to you, can you tell a difference with different American accents? Is it displeasing or odd in anyway? I ask because many Americans seem to enjoy the accents of Australians, English, Irish et cetera.
[/quote]

It depends. On a hot chick any accent sounds good.
Im not a big fan of new york/new jersey accent.
Deep south is horrific.
Being exposed to a large amount of US media means were pretty well clued up regarding the differences in accents.

The real question is - how well would you understand our regional accents?

[quote]g’em wrote:
Chewie wrote:
g’em wrote:
Call and Irish person ‘British’ or part of the United Kingdom and you won’t last too long :wink:

Also, isn’t the northeast part of Ireland a part of Great Britain? :wink:

lol good call!! I guess that should read “Call an Irish person in the Republic…”. Go up north and it’s a whole other story and I wouldn’t for a second want to speak on their behalf![/quote]

Dave Mustaine, the singer from Megadeth, wrote a song called “Holy Wars…and the Punishment Due.” This song is about an “episode” Dave had on-stage. He was playing in Antrim (N. Ireland) in 1987 and dedicated a song to “the cause.” He didn’t understand the politics behind what he was talking about (presumably, he was high.)

He then proceded to make several pro I.R.A comments, thinking he was being a “crowd favorite (LOL).” The club was trashed, he required police escorts to leave the stage and had to leave the country in a bullet-proof van.

No, I still sound like I’m from Georgia. If I lost that accent, my husband would kill me! He adores it.

My accent is an instant conversation starter, so it’s a definite plus. I can say that in almost every conversation I’ve had here, it’s “Guess the Accent” to them. When I tell them where I’m from, they usually say, “That’s why you sound so different!” They usually say I sound ‘softer’ than what they think of as American. They don’t have an awful lot of Southern icons except Boss Hog, Daisy Duke, and Co., the Clampetts or Dolly Parton, so that could explain it.

England is most definitely full of various regional accents, and I’m happy to say, I’m starting to pick up the nuances.

Micki

Hello mate, sorry to tell you that stonehenge is not that close to London!its around 2-2.5 hours drive to the South West. If you are intending to get out of London though and want to visit somewhere else I’d recommend heading down that direction, Cornwall and Devon are really nice areas

Stonehenge now has a permanent chain link fence around it. You can’t get very close. It was a real disappointment.

Micki

So if I were to tie you up and talk to you for hours, your brain would explode???

Interesting

Micki

[quote]silkspike wrote:
supermick wrote: Deep south is horrific.

So if I were to tie you up and talk to you for hours, your brain would explode???

Interesting

Micki

[/quote]

im a bad communicator. What i meant to say was the media influenced, widely portrayed southern accent is not too my liking.
Im sure i could cope with yours Micki.
Maybe not for hours though :wink:

That’s OK, Mick. I agree. No one can really fake a good southern accent, except maybe Jodie Foster (in Silence of the Lambs) She nailed it. You might also think of Andie MacDowell (4 Weddings and a Funeral). She has a really nice Southern accent.

Cheers,
Micki

[quote]supermick wrote:
The real question is - how well would you understand our regional accents?

[/quote]

That was a terrific YouTube clip. Thanks for the link. I’ll have to share it.

Micki

[quote]silkspike wrote:
supermick wrote: Deep south is horrific.

So if I were to tie you up and talk to you for hours, your brain would explode???

Interesting

Micki

[/quote]

Anyone who has seen your pictures certainly relishes the idea of being tied up by you.

[quote]silkspike wrote:
That’s OK, Mick. I agree. No one can really fake a good southern accent, except maybe Jodie Foster (in Silence of the Lambs) She nailed it. You might also think of Andie MacDowell (4 Weddings and a Funeral). She has a really nice Southern accent.

Cheers,
Micki[/quote]

You still need to elaborate on this having me tied up for hours thing…

I’m from the same place as this guy…

  • see some ancient history stuff and monuments (castles mostly) and take some pictures. How far is stonehenge from England?

It is IN England but it is a 3 hour bus trip away? You can do a day trip on a bus to stonehenge and Bath (ancient roman baths) … Bath is nice.

  • outdoorsy endeavors if possible, such as bungee jumping, hiking, amusement parks, etc?, anyone know where I can do this stuff, or what’s available?

This isn’t the type of stuff you do in England. I don’t know of anywhere. LOTS of walks though. If you do the stonehenge / bath trip you might want to stay a night and take a long walk around the countryside.

  • Is possession of marijuana legal in Ireland and UK? I don’t smoke it, but person I’m going with does.

No. What country do you think this is? you do realise you can get in trouble for taking this stuff on the plane?

  • how much would a meal at a pub cost?

About 12 pounds … usually 7-8 pounds for the meal and then 3+ for the beer. much cheaper buy a big kebab for 3.50 with lots of meat and salad in it

  • is there a need to be on the lookout for gangs that swarm you?

Not really, there are gangs though, and people who pick pockets, or rob you at ATMs. More likely it will be one person robs you as others look on from a bit of a distance. But then it depends where you are, and when. More likely you will get into a fight with a drunk especially if there is a big match on.

makkun: can you expand on this:

"STAY AWAY from guys offering you taxi services on the street. In the evening they’ll be around clubs and pubs, and you just don’t know what they have in their boot… " So they club ya, and kidnap you or what?

These taxi or “minicabs” there are some problems they say but mostly they are OK. To be a black cab driver in London is a huge task, you have to pass exams etc… so there are lots of these amateur drivers. Some are registered companies.

Most are just guys trying to make a living. Not recommended for a woman on her own. But I, and nobody I know, have had a problem with them. You should not need one though, lots of bus and trains.