Postcard from the Old Country: First Impressions of England
1. The default British look is one of blue-collar cynicism. It's a little bit like a gangster movie from the forties; everyone is sneering in a way that could turn, in an instant, to aloof bemusement. I am very good at this look.
2. Everything here is green and grey. Green trees, grey stone churches, green moss, grey sky.
3. Beer here costs $6. But you don't have to tip. But still. Also: cigarettes are $10 a pack.
4. This country has magpies. They are one of my favorite birds.
5. My sister lives in a newly-developed yuppie apartment building with a view of the small river. The river has swans on it, and ducks both the same and different than our own.
6. All the schoolchildren wear uniforms like they do at Hogwarts, and it kind of turns me on.
7. Speaking of which: anyone who thinks the British are more sophisticated than us has never been to Britain. The Dursleys? They exist. They come to Pier 39, and they also populate the suburbs of London.
8. Where is the Laura in this godforsaken country?
2. Everything here is green and grey. Green trees, grey stone churches, green moss, grey sky.
3. Beer here costs $6. But you don't have to tip. But still. Also: cigarettes are $10 a pack.
4. This country has magpies. They are one of my favorite birds.
5. My sister lives in a newly-developed yuppie apartment building with a view of the small river. The river has swans on it, and ducks both the same and different than our own.
6. All the schoolchildren wear uniforms like they do at Hogwarts, and it kind of turns me on.
7. Speaking of which: anyone who thinks the British are more sophisticated than us has never been to Britain. The Dursleys? They exist. They come to Pier 39, and they also populate the suburbs of London.
8. Where is the Laura in this godforsaken country?