There are many aspects of Britishness and Englishness and Life On The Isle which I love and embrace with all my heart. But the British sea is not one of them
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I rarely go to the beach, though it's good with kids so long as the beach is sandy. They'll spend all day digging holes. I wouldn't go in the water though, I'm not mad.
Battered fish can be nasty, or it can be gorgeous. It depends on the quality of the fish'n'chip shop. I normally go for a battered jumbo sausage. And mushy peas, obviously. :)
We go on holiday in Britain cos it's easier with the kids & none of us speak foreign tongues... And we go on hiking holidays. Not in tents.
We love the seaside because it is the seaside, and one must enjoy holidays to the seaside. It is law.
In actual fact, for me, like my parents and their parents before them, a British beach holiday was the only family holiday we had - there were 4 of us kids, and my 2 parents, so we couldn't afford to go far, my parents also come from big families. So there are always positive associations with being by the sea simply from the fact it *was* a holiday, no matter what the weather.
As a teenager my friends and I would take road trips to Skegness (it's bracing!). Skeggy is tat personified and a deliciously ironic destination. Same goes for Blackpool.
I know Britain doesn't have the best beaches in the world - obviously I do, I've been to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil and some of the greatest beaches in the world. I don't love British coastal destinations because they are better, I love them in an entirely different way and for completley different reasons
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From age 10 - 17, I lived about five minutes' walk from this beach, so I share your bafflement. That said, I have a fondness for the English seaside in winter, as I find its bleakness to be appealing, and there are some beautiful beaches in Cornwall. it's just...a different kind of beach experience, I guess.
Haha. We have the same here in San Francisco. I have no clue why this is the #1 tourist destination in the US. The weather is horrible on a good day, the residents are depressed... I don't know otherwise than growing up in a tourist trap given where I've lived before now, but yes, the dichotomy makes me want to gouge my eyes out most days.
I do wish sometimes that my seasides were British, because my family is British, but I was happiest in North Carolina recently. I got to watch the memory of Britain and show it to my love as I got nearly murdered by ripcurrents and sunburn. And then I got to go home to the nasty Pacific... don't try and swim here. There's no weird warm water algae here. I'm happier back east... who wouldn't be?
Well, having just come back from a week in Weston Super Mare... I have to agree with you on many points. The pier, in particular, was grim. Full update to follow.
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I wouldn't go in the water though, I'm not mad.
Battered fish can be nasty, or it can be gorgeous. It depends on the quality of the fish'n'chip shop. I normally go for a battered jumbo sausage. And mushy peas, obviously. :)
We go on holiday in Britain cos it's easier with the kids & none of us speak foreign tongues... And we go on hiking holidays. Not in tents.
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In actual fact, for me, like my parents and their parents before them, a British beach holiday was the only family holiday we had - there were 4 of us kids, and my 2 parents, so we couldn't afford to go far, my parents also come from big families. So there are always positive associations with being by the sea simply from the fact it *was* a holiday, no matter what the weather.
As a teenager my friends and I would take road trips to Skegness (it's bracing!). Skeggy is tat personified and a deliciously ironic destination. Same goes for Blackpool.
I know Britain doesn't have the best beaches in the world - obviously I do, I've been to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil and some of the greatest beaches in the world. I don't love British coastal destinations because they are better, I love them in an entirely different way and for completley different reasons ( ... )
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I do wish sometimes that my seasides were British, because my family is British, but I was happiest in North Carolina recently. I got to watch the memory of Britain and show it to my love as I got nearly murdered by ripcurrents and sunburn. And then I got to go home to the nasty Pacific... don't try and swim here. There's no weird warm water algae here. I'm happier back east... who wouldn't be?
Matei is getting so big! <3
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