the UNITED KINGDOM

[Photo credit: Egge.net]

The UK is great to visit if you can afford it, which seems to be harder and harder to do these days. But don't let the currency issues get you down. I've listed a few bargains from my travels and the travels of friends. I alos lived in Britan for 2 years, so i know a fe things.

The main thing to remember is that there are four countries.

There's ENGLAND (where the Queen,the Beatles and Hugh Grant come from), and they use the British pound.

There's the Republic of IRELAND (where Pierce Brosnan and all things zexy come from, ggrrr....) Most of the country (like Belfast in the North) uses the Euro, but Dublin (South) uses the British Pound.

SCOTLAND, my FAVORITE of all my travels ever. It goes deeper than Sean Connery, but do we need another reason? They use the British pound.

And last but never least, WALES. The Welsh are an entirely different race under the pact (just as Hawaii is for the USA). They also use the British Pound.

Still confused? Well,just keep in mind that like the United States is the union of 50 small countries, the "United Kingdom" is a union of 4 nations -- Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England [or Great Britain], and a few off-shore islands like Isle of Man and Isle of White. [Certain commonwealth [off-continent] countries in Africa, and the West Indies, etc. are part of Great Britain, but I will look into it to be sure.]

Below are my recommendations for each country within the UK. Some are quite barren, and I am hoping to expand them shortly. Consider them place-holders for future adventures.

Unlike my time in Paris, I don't have a long weepy narrative to go with this list. Suffice it to say, the UK and I are not on speaking terms at the moment -- this despite the fact that I grew up addicted to the BBC re-runs on PBS, I love mostly British authors, I have been visiting the UK pretty regularly since 1993 and I am currently enrolled in a PhD programme at the University of Bristol.

So why don't we get along? The truth is, I don't know.

I lived there for two solid years and, well...you know that ex-lover that you dated where things weren't terrible, but they weren't right, either and you both sensed it? He was a nice person, you're a nice person; you speak the same language, enjoy all the same films and foods and he wasn't a horrible kisser, and yet... Yeah, it's like that for me and the UK [except for Scotland, I am a whore for Scotland! Love that country.] 

In any case, until I graduate, I remain a legal resident of the UK and I still maintain an address there, so this database will continue to evolve for a long time. If you have any recommendations or tips of your own, please do not hesitate to Contact Me.

ENGLAND

IRELAND (North and South)

SCOTLAND

WALES

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