For this blog series I am writing about five more countries in Europe I loved visiting. I have already covered the first country – Scotland. In this blog, I will share five reasons I love visiting The United Kingdom, aka The UK. Now some of you are already thinking that the UK is not a country…it’s a kingdom. You are correct – more about that in a moment. In the meantime, the UK is comprised of four countries – Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
Is the UK a country, or not?
One of the reasons I do these videos and blogs is to learn as I go. I definitely had it wrong when I came to the UK being a country. It’s not. In fact, it’s kind of complicated so I’ll try and keep things simple for this video. I’m going to focus on one of the countries in the UK, England. I’ll not write about Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland in this blog. I’ve already covered Scotland in a previous video and blog.
Reason #1 – London, capital of the UK
The capital city of the United Kingdom is considered by many to be one of the best cities in the world. I agree. I love London. I’ve been there many times and always have a blast while visiting. I wrote a blog about why I love visiting London already so I won’t go into into too much detail here other than to say you could easily spend a week in London and not be bored.
Reason #2 – History
If you’re a fan of history like I am England is a great place to go. They have centuries of it. London was founded back in the Roman times. The Tower of London is almost a thousand years old. Yes, some of their history is not good and worth sorting through. As a country though it’s great to go see all of the history that they have to offer. I had a buddy who lived in England. I called him before visiting and I asked what’s it like in England. He said it’s old and that’s the way they like it. To my American friends when someone who is English says something’s old they’re talking hundreds of years old not a hundred years old.
Reason #3 – Sights
There is so much to see and do all over England. They have castles, cathedrals, museums, and other cities besides London like Bath. Which oh by the way has an ancient Roman bath. Explore this beautiful country and take it in for all its worth.
Reason #4 – Pubs in the UK
I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of grabbing a pint at the neighborhood pub in England and mixing with the locals. What you see in the picture below is the Churchill Arms pub located in Notting Hill, London. It is one of my favorite pubs in that city. Pubs offer a great way to experience some cask ales talk to some locals and see what English pub culture is all about.
Reason #5 – Villages across the UK
I think for a lot of people when you think of this country English villages are what pops into your head. One of the more famous regions that is full of villages is the Cotswolds. It is an excellent area if you want to spend some time roaming around and experiencing English villages. Quite honestly though they’re all over this country. Yes, you will need to rent a car to go see it. Don’t worry – driving in the UK is not that difficult. It’s worth the investment though to get out in the country and see English Villages.
Bonus Reason – Football
The bonus reason why I love visiting England is football. For my American friends, we call it soccer. The Premier League is the best league in the entire world for the beautiful game. If you’re a hardcore fan you should definitely go to England and see a Premier League game live. Kim and I went to a game in London earlier this year and it is one of the top sporting experiences of my life.
Extra bonus reason – the language
Yes, they speak English in England. For Americans, this is great news. UK English is generally the same language. Sure there are some words that are different like the ones you see in the picture below. However, it is super easy to communicate with the English when visiting there. I will make the same recommendation in this video as I’ve made in others. If you’re an American going to Europe for the first time I recommend you start in England. The culture shock is less and it’ll give you a chance to get your legs under you as you start your European adventure.
One thing I do not like about the UK
Not everything is perfect in Jolly Old England. Let me share one thing I do not like – the money. The British Pound is different than the Euro which most of Europe is using these days. Dealing with the pound is tricky. The money is different, the exchange rate is different and you have to pay more attention. If you’re not careful you can end up spending way more money on your trip to England than you planned.
Three of my favorite things in England
- My Favorite city – York.
- My Favorite sight is Warwick Castle—one of my favorites in Europe.
- Music – legendary rock bands like Led Zeppelin, The Stones, The Clash, Queen, etc.
I am Doug Keating and this is my letter to my sons.