So You Think You Know Britain Part 4

Any vehicle driven by a learner with only a provisional license must have this red L sign (or D in Wales). Those learning to drive scooters must display the L sign for two years so it is really common to see these around town. 

Here is something  you don't see very often back home in Nebraska: a public urinal. Although, London is seriously lacking public toilets so I'm in favour of just about anything that will help. 

VAT (or Value Added Tax) is a form of consumption tax on purchases and meals. The standard rate is 20%, which was a shock coming from a state with 7% sales tax. It is already included in the prices advertised in stores and restaurants rather than added on at the cash register like in the US. Tourists that make a purchase of more than 30 pounds in one store can apply to get their VAT refunded. 

Door handles here are quite different than ones in the US. I can't tell you how often I've gotten stuck somewhere because I can't figure out how to open the door. It is sad, really. I've seen quite a few of these signs telling you how to open a door handle you typically see in the US, so I assume these are a less common type of door handle here in England. 

You will rarely see trash bins in tube and train stations. You often see a worker walking around platforms picking up trash. If there are trash receptacles they will be clear plastic bags. I heard that the removal of bins was due to the IRA leaving bombs in them in the London Underground but I had some difficulty verifying that online. 

A Bachelorette Party here is called a Hen Party. It usually involves matching outfits, fancy dress (costumes), a pink L plate (like the ones you see on scooters), and loads of drinking and general craziness. A Bachelor Party is called a Stag Party and sometimes involves a weekend trip to a city like Amsterdam or Prague.

The Stop button on the bus is often used as a method of communication. This took me a long time to figure out. I would hear someone hitting the button repeatedly and just assumed it was a child or someone did it unintentionally. But actually, if the driver doesn't stop or closes the door too soon people will hit the button to let them know there is an issue. 

Squash is a popular drink here that is basically a very concentrated juice that you dilute with water to taste. 

In a rainy pedestrian city like London you see a lot of these rain protectors over prams. 

Brits often end their personal texts with "Xx". I'd heard about this and saw someone do it on a tv program so I asked my friend, Rebecca, who taught me the ways of ending texts in England. 

Before I moved here I had this nice image in my head of feeding pigeons in front of some beautiful church, like in Mary Poppins. But pigeons here are actually kind of gross. A lot of them are missing toes and feet or have severely deformed feet. I read that pigeons here often use human hair in their nests and it ends up wrapping around their feet and causing issues.

I have a lot of reservations about driving in England. The biggest difference, of course, is driving on the opposite side of the road as the US. But a more subtle difference is demonstrated in the photo below...it is a roundabout. In the US, roundabouts typically have a concrete structure that you drive around instead of just a painted white circle. They also have those concrete roundabouts here in addition to the one you see here.