Things NOT to say while in the UK

Needless to say I've said a few things in our time here, in particular at the office, that don't mean the same thing to the English is as the do at home. Fortuatley, the English have a great sense of humor and my colleagues are always amused and never offended by my gaffs.

Here are a few of them to avoid should you find yourself on this side of the pond. I will let you use your imagination on what they mean...

- Fender bender

- Double fisting, as in carrying two drinks at once (something the English do a lot of)

- 'That's a big box'

- Right up your/my alley

- Trumped, as in 'he was trumped by his opponets' supirior play'

- The verb 'to toss' any way

- Khaki pants

- Fanny or fanny pack

- Knob

- Never hold up two fingers - palm out (like the peace symbol) is okay, but never do it with your palm facing you...basically the way americans would indicate they wanted two of something.

Historic Hampton Court

Being a fan of all things Tudor, a trip to Hampton Court was a must before we left.

This was one of the many castles various Monarchs escaped to when Plague outbreaks would occur. Cardinal Wolsey built the castle but when he got on King Henry VIII's (the one who be-headed Anne Boleyn) bad side when he requested a divorce, Henry took the castle for his own, and Henry's wife Catherine Howard still haunts the castle to this day. Various monarchs occupied the castle since then including William and Mary, each one adding a new layer of architecture leaving it looking a bit of a jumbled mess all together, but one beautiful on it's own. It also has tremendous gardens including a maze.

We Spotted King Henry On the Grounds

Preparing the King's Feast

Fun in the Maze

Scotland Golf Wrapup

Finally got my act together and finished up the entry about golfing in Scotland. I just added it to the prior entry, so go here http://hueyuk.blogspot.com/2008/04/scotland-golf-day-2.html if you're interested in a couple thousand more words and lots of photos about the adventure.

London Sights

Our time here in London is quickly coming to an end, and I've realized there are quite a few London sights I have yet to see. At the top of my list was the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral. Greg had no interest in typical touristy stuff, so my friend/colleague Jim (and tried & true Londoner) was kind enough to spend the day with me seeing the sights.

First stop was the Tower of London. We arrived right when it opened and there was no line. I highly recommend the guided tour with a yeomen as you can enter the chapel where many famous English are buried including Anne Boleyn. Other sites are the crown jewels, the axe and spot where Anne and many others were beheaded, and a great display of armour. We also were lucky enough to see a re-inacted fight between to knights.

After a pub lunch, we headed to St. Paul's. This is the London equivalent to St. Peter's in Rome and is were Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married. We first climbed the more than 300 steps to the top where there is a great view of the city. After a brief look around the main floor we decided it was time to meet Greg for cocktails at the secret 5th floor cocktail lounge at Waterstones in Piccadilly where many drinks were had by all.