So You Think You Know Britain Part 6

As if navigating London isn't hard enough, there are some streets that are called different names on either side of the street. These signs below are just one example of this. 

Movie ratings are a bit different in the US and UK. Here is a list of US and UK ratings, but the ratings aren't straight across the board. I've seen movies rated R in the US advertised as either 15 or 18 here and movies rated PG-13 rated 12 or 15 here. Also, the 12A rating is for the cinema release and 12 is for the video release. 

US ratings and their UK counterpart:

            

G (general audience)----U (suitable for everyone)

PG (parental guidance)----PG (parental guidance)

                

PG-13 (suitable for 13yo)----12/12A (suitable for 12yo) or 15 (for 15yo)

                          

R (restricted to anyone under 17----15 (suitable for 15yo) or 18 (suitable only for adults)

The legal drinking age in England is 18 which is much lower than 21 in the US. Sixteen and seventeen year olds in the UK can even drink beer, wine, or cider with a meal in a pub if they are accompanied by an adult. 

This Henry vacuum cleaner is super popular here, which surprises me. All vacuums I've seen in the US are nameless, faceless, and upright. Oh, and on this one the hose goes into what appears to be his nose. 

Something else that really surprised me is the language used by Transport for London to explain certain delays. It feels rather insensitive in my opinion. 

I made sure to pack loads of sturdy reusable shopping bags when I moved to London, expecting it to be like the rest of Europe where they charge you for plastic bags. So I was surprised to find that they are only now introducing charges for plastic bags. Too bad I got out of the habit of carrying canvas bags over this last year!

I'm sure this is similar in other large cities, but I am always surprised to see deliveries left on the doorsteps of businesses early in the morning. I suppose theft is rare because otherwise they would stop leaving them unattended. 

I love the honesty of this sign that reads, "Ice Cool Beer." So many times I go to purchase a soda and it is only slightly cooler than room temperature. And ice is not a given in restaurants, either. In the US we like our drinks as cold as possible. An ice cold Coke poured over crushed ice is one of life's joys.

The size of the bill/note increases with the value. In the US all the bills are the same size no matter the value. The £50 note is even larger than the £20, so it can be a real struggle fitting it in an American wallet.

The money here is also taller but shorter than American money, as you can see in the photo below. American wallets also aren't really set up for the amount of coins used. Since we use $1 bills back home coins aren't as valuable and a lot of people throw all their coins in a jar at home and then cash them in when it is full. Here they use £1 and £2 coins so you could easily have over £5 (currently worth over $7.50) just in change in your coin purse at any given time.