Several things have stood out on our drive around the southern part of the UK that are different from driving around the US. Other than driving on the wrong side of the road, that is. And yes. I’m driving. It’s getting easier. The roundabouts were difficult, but we’ve gone thru at least 50 in the past 3 days, so I’m an expert now. 😜
We had a difficult time figuring out what the speed limit was on the roads and highways. We finally figured out that we were on ‘smart roads’. Which means that they can change the speed limits willy-nilly from their offices who-knows-where, and then the vehicle will pick it up and project it on the speedometer. Which is really handy. And everyone pretty much drives the limit that’s posted. Oh, you get the one car that will fly past, but with all the speed cameras around, it makes sense to not speed. The last thing I need is a speeding ticket.
Also, people are very considerate when driving in that they don’t camp in the passing lane. The second they pass the slower car, they move over and allow others to pass. WOW. What a concept!
We stopped to get gas for the car and we couldn’t find the credit card slot to pay for the gas before we filled up. My brother went in and they told him, “Well first your fill up, then you come in and tell me how much you owe me.” LOL. We felt really stupid. Of COURSE the Brits wouldn’t fill-and-dash. They are, really, very civilized. I feel like a barbarian at times.
My brother said that he noticed they don’t spell correctly. 😉 They interchange z’s and s’s. And other such nonsense. A car tire is spelled “tyre”.
Ok…back to our trip. We are really getting the handle on English history and the lineage of the kings starting from William the Conqueror in 1060. We did tour around the site of the Battle of Hastings, but it’s a giant field. Not a whole lot to take photos of. We did walk thru the town of Battle to find a place to eat. And the only thing I took a photo of is this:
Not sure I’d like to visit this dentist in Battle.
Dover Castle. Built in 1167 by Henry the II, grandson to William the Conqueror and is said to be the largest castle in England. But, Windsor says the same thing, so who knows. Of all the castles we’ve seen, this is the first one that has decor in the rooms to give one an idea of how it might have looked ‘in the day’.
Then we went and hiked around on the White Cliffs of Dover. It was a very windy day. It looks cold, but it wasn’t really. Nice walk.
