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The International Thread


RogerDuke

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Sadly, I didn't get invited. I guess I didn't spend long enough with the groom's father last year ;).

With an American bride, are you getting a lot of coverage in the US? I know some of y'all will have to get up very early to watch the ceremony live.

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Yes, it is on every channel we have. I got an initial invitation but I was supposed to fill out a questionnaire for their final approval and they said I would then get an official royal invitation. They wanted to know who I would be wearing. I had to ask my wife what that meant. She explained it means who designed the clothes I would be wearing. I responded Willie Robertson. I'm assuming my official invitation got lost in the international mail. 

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You probably wouldn't have liked the buffet anyway, Roger - I didn't hear any mention of squirrel on the menu!

The British channels have had three or four days of people trying to guess every aspect of the wedding, which means hours of "experts" talking about nothing. It's only a few weeks since the last royal baby, and the TV coverage was nearly as bad for that. This time they managed to find quite a few Americans to interview, and some of them are almost as mas as the British fans.

About ten years ago, British comedy duo Armstrong and Miller did some parody royal correspondent sketches as part of their show. Watching them back, they're not that far from the real thing!
 

 

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6 hours ago, HossC said:

Sadly, I didn't get invited. I guess I didn't spend long enough with the groom's father last year ;).

With an American bride, are you getting a lot of coverage in the US? I know some of y'all will have to get up very early to watch the ceremony live.

I can't believe the Queen would allow him to marry her! This is so fake!

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  • 7 months later...

I've been watching a lot of stories on "Mysteries at the Museum" on the Travel Channel. This stuff is so fascinating. I visited the Boldt Castle in Thousand Islands New York. If it's not the nicest castle on this side of the planet it's certainly close. But that experience must be nothing like walking into a centuries old castle on the other side of that big pond. 

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3 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

I've been watching a lot of stories on "Mysteries at the Museum" on the Travel Channel. This stuff is so fascinating. I visited the Boldt Castle in Thousand Islands New York. If it's not the nicest castle on this side of the planet it's certainly close. But that experience must be nothing like walking into a centuries old castle on the other side of that big pond. 

I love that show. I found it on Netflix and watched all the episodes they had over a weekend.

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8 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

I've been watching a lot of stories on "Mysteries at the Museum" on the Travel Channel. This stuff is so fascinating. I visited the Boldt Castle in Thousand Islands New York. If it's not the nicest castle on this side of the planet it's certainly close. But that experience must be nothing like walking into a centuries old castle on the other side of that big pond. 

Boldt Castle sounded familiar, but I was mixing it up with Bannerman's Castle, which I saw on a recent documentary. They're both in New York.

I guess I'm spoiled here because there's an 800-year-old castle across town from where I live (as well as the 13th century cathedral which I posted pictures of recently). I haven't done the full tour for many years (why do people so rarely visit their local tourist attractions?), but I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of events there this year. The garden and grounds are open to the public free-of-charge during the day.

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5 hours ago, HossC said:

Boldt Castle sounded familiar, but I was mixing it up with Bannerman's Castle, which I saw on a recent documentary. They're both in New York.

I guess I'm spoiled here because there's an 800-year-old castle across town from where I live (as well as the 13th century cathedral which I posted pictures of recently). I haven't done the full tour for many years (why do people so rarely visit their local tourist attractions?), but I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of events there this year. The garden and grounds are open to the public free-of-charge during the day.

I just saw the Bannerman's Castle episode. What is the name of the 800 year old castle? 

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I know there's a state park named after some of my distant ancestors in NY, Letchworth State Park. Jimmie had ancestors with the same last name in the same county in the same time period as mine. I would be willing to bet that with such an uncommon name in the same area in the late 1600's/early 1700's, Jimmie and I were probably distant cousins. I just haven't been able to find a connection yet, but I keep looking.

That said, I wonder if there's a castle somewhere named for or belonging to my ancestors.

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  • 7 months later...

Since this thread's been quiet for a while, here's another video with a couple of people from the US finding out how things are different on this side of the Atlantic. Although they're talking about the UK, and predominantly London, many of these also apply to Ireland.
 


To save you reading the comments or googling the answers, here's a quick response:

1. They're in London - a major global tourist destination.
2. The London Underground is the oldest in the world, with parts dating back to 1863. Newer systems are bigger.
3. It just works better that way.
4. Not much to say here.
5. Switches are just one feature that make UK plugs safer (there's also a ground/earth pin, shielded pins, a fuse etc.)
6. Waiting staff get paid a proper wage. It's very unusual to tip bar staff, and tips in restaurants are optional for good service, and generally not more than 10%.
7. The UK now produces over 750 different cheeses (France only produces about 400), and also imports varieties from around the world.
8. If they'd been in the UK in the '70s, they'd have learned the Green Cross Code from Dave Prowse (aka. Darth Vader - also see the video on page 2 of this thread).
 


9. This is historical. The cold tap (faucet) comes directly from the mains supply and is considered safe for drinking, but the hot water comes from a storage tank (often in the attic), and isn't considered safe for drinking. Separate taps prevent cross-contamination. Put the plug in and fill the basin!
10. Jaywalking isn't even a thing in the UK - we just cross the road.

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I havent had the time to watch the video, but reading your description Beside the electrics and the UK/London specifics, it's pretty much the same here.

Although tipping? You generally dont do that. Only usually like if it rounds it up to a simple number in cash. But everything is payed with card here really, so there is a set number to pay. Catches us off guard that other/neighbouring countries often either dont do card or are surprised when you pull one.

Edited by Roth Potter
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7 hours ago, Roth Potter said:

Catches us off guard that other/neighbouring countries often either dont do card or are surprised when you pull one.

East Anglia (the part of Britain where you'd catch a ferry to see Roth) sometimes gets a reputation for being a bit backward in terms of technology (despite it being home to Lotus Cars). I remember a story told by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear where he claimed that he tried to use a credit card to pay for fuel somewhere in East Anglia, and the garage owner took the card off him and just put it in the till as if it was money.

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3 minutes ago, HossC said:

East Anglia (the part of Britain where you'd catch a ferry to see Roth) sometimes gets a reputation for being a bit backward in terms of technology (despite it being home to Lotus Cars). I remember a story told by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear where he claimed that he tried to use a credit card to pay for fuel somewhere in East Anglia, and the garage owner took the card off him and just put it in the till as if it was money.

Stuff like that does happen over here, never experienced anything like that myself but some of my friends have

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6 hours ago, HossC said:

 I remember a story told by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear where he claimed that he tried to use a credit card to pay for fuel somewhere in East Anglia, and the garage owner took the card off him and just put it in the till as if it was money.

LOL That sounds like something my dad would do. He reminds me a lot of Uncle Cy Robertson from Duck Dynasty. Believe it or not, I've never owned a credit card. My wife has a couple that she has had since before we met. Nowadays you can't even rent a hotel room without one. 

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On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 7:49 PM, RogerDuke said:

LOL That sounds like something my dad would do. He reminds me a lot of Uncle Cy Robertson from Duck Dynasty. Believe it or not, I've never owned a credit card. My wife has a couple that she has had since before we met. Nowadays you can't even rent a hotel room without one. 

Oh yes you can! I've rented hotels in East Tennessee with my debit card. I've NEVER had a credit card and never will. They are one of the best ways to financial ruin known to man!

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  • 8 months later...

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