a writer on a blog that i read (a working sheep farm!) made this same list in honor of elizabeth II’s 60th, and since i have a laundry list of things i love about ol’ blighty, i thought i’d join in the fun.

10 things i love about britain

1. oxford. the magical spires, the bells ringing on sunday mornings, the cobblestone streets. the shaldonian, magdelen college deer park, st. cross road and the covered market. temple cowley school (where i attended 3rd form), st. aldate’s church, Brown’s restaurant, and blackwell’s bookshop.
2. london. the underground, paddington train station, and the black london cab. the theatre district, the fringe theatre district, and the national theatre. westminster abbey, st. paul’s cathedral, the tower of london and its ravens. gorgeous old pubs and haunting walking tours (like the jack the ripper walking tour after dark). the british museum, tate gallery, national portrait gallery.
3. castles. CASTLES! real, medieval CASTLES!
4. cathedrals. gorgeous and awe-inspiring.
5. the accent. the different spellings and pronunciations of “schedule” and “aluminium.” and different words like, “chips” for fries, “the lift” for elevator, and “tea” for dinner.
6. the landscapes of ancient, old, magical, and country-lush.
7. the british B&B. broiled tomato and egg breakfast, shared loo, ceiling-chain-for-toilet-flushing. british youth hostels.
8. the food: bangers and mash, meat pies, and custards. the best “sweets”: cadbury chocolate, maltesers, aero bars, flake-bar-in-vanilla-ice cream, wine gums! tea with milk and sugar, scones and clotted cream and jam. a pint at the local. restaurants like Browns, Wagamama, and Harrods for afternoon tea, but also the small cafes that serve curries and fish and chips.
9. the big issue. i bought it as often as i could on my walks to and from the tube on work days. usually from the same location.
10. royalty. yep, i’m a sucker for the Royals. as patriotic as i am for America, i have a bit of a crush on British Royal history.