My trip to the United Kingdom is over. I’m back at work. But before I get fully back in the saddle, I’ll share my final thoughts about the UK.
The scenery in London was fantastic.

Although the Brits didn’t seem to think much of their national rail system, I thought that it was very easy to use and to navigate. It wasn’t cheap, but it was effective in getting us throughout the country. I road this line north from London to Scunthorpe.

We saw a great soccer match with Scunthorpe United defeating Leyton Orient 1-0. If you’re a fan of English football, keep your ears open for the name of a young Irishman from Scunthorpe named Andrew Keogh. He’s going to be a star someday.

The English are not known for their food in this country. That’s too bad because I thought their food was splendid. See this plate of fish and chips and peas. I ate it. All of it.

The architectural detail on English buildings was impressive. I always had the sense that I was in a historic building.

When I pulled into my first British train station, I could not find a garbage can anywhere. I later found out that they don’t use public garbage cans. You just set your garbage on the floor and somebody comes by a picks it up later. Why? Public garbage cans were a favorite of the Irish Republican Army bombers of the 1960-1990’s. It reminded me that the British public has lived with the threat of terrorism at home a lot longer than we have in America.

Close circuit television cameras are everywhere. Very pervasive. This might be our future too.

It’s a little hard to see in this photo, but I saw an old man wearing knickers.

The hospitality of the British people was first rate. They were always willing to help me get to wherever I needed to go. They are proud of their history. They are interested in us and the way that we do local government in the United States. It was a great trip. Now it’s time to sort out what I learned and get back to work.
Cheers.





































