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The Past is a Foreign Country


mint
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Going back to the UK for the first time since coming to live in France and finding myself strangely nervous!  How stupid is that?  Lived in UK for donkey's years and only been living in France less than a year.

Not looking forward to the driving, especially as we now have LHD.

Anyone remember their first trip back and how they felt? 

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I thought how dull it was.  No colour. Like going from colour to black and white.

However, I thought that it was different in the shops where people were more pleasant than I recall, but then perhaps I was not as stressed as I was when I lived there and I now feel it was more to do with my attitude than theirs.

Georgina

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[quote user="sweet 17"]Anyone remember their first trip back and how they felt?  [/quote]

I can remember it very well. My first trip back was also after having been here for 1 year, and like you I was nervous.

I wasn't worried about the driving, but was worried that I wouldn't like England any more - that I might find it dull or crowded or dirty. Those concerns probably reflected the fact that I was going to visit cities, and I'd only spent a couple of days in big cities since coming here.

As it turned out I thoroughly enjoyed being back in big cities again, but didn't enjoy the driving. I got used to it after about 5 minutes tootling around the airport car park, but over the next ten days I did far too much driving in my efforts to see as many people as possible.

Now I don't hire a car, and have a great time bobbing around on public transport. Of course if you're going on a ferry/tunnel you'll have to take your car, and for some people public transport isn't suitable. Just be very wary, the same as you probably were when you first drove abroad.

I still really enjoy going back, and I hope you enjoy your visit too.[:)]

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Cathy, Georgina, Tresco, thank you for sharing your experiences.  It's hard to go back (even if just for a visit) because the weather is obsolutely wonderful at the moment and things are just getting interesting in the garden.

Spoke to OH this morning and tentatively voicing my reluctance only to find that he, too, has no particular wish to go back!

Oh well, it will only be for 2 to 3 weeks and we will be back here soon enough.  Have a job of work to do back there and it's really good to have a purpose for going.

At least I will be able to go to some concerts (only done that once or twice in France) and will be able to meet up with old friends and neighbours, not to mention the family, of course!

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I love going back, Sweet, although I don't miss it when I'm away.  Good to catch up, see a few old friends, and have a decent pint for a change!  As I cannot under any circumstances be called a nervous driver, I can't really comment on that one.  I just drive off the train at Folkestone and never think about it (apart from realising after the first 10 miles or so that I'm on a UK motorway and the speed limit's lower....
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Cendrillon, bless you, you have cheered me up considerably.  The good thing is, I will be in the countryside with acres of green fields. 

Coops, when I am driving around, I will try and remember that I did survive years of driving in the UK with an unblemished accident record.

So, here we come, dear old UK, I am determined to make the most of my stay and just you wear your prettiest smiles for me!

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You have stirred up some memories Sweet. My wife and I were back in the UK last February, do I miss it? yes and no. The England I miss no longer exists. Some areas are slow to change, thank goodness but will catch up eventually. The once pretty villages are less pretty, people seem to be very stressed and  the roads are a nightmare. I find the language in some parts difficult to understand, with so many people 'finking about free farsand fings anat'. We did visit one Town, near where we once lived. Most of  the language we heard during the day was foreign, the indigenous people were  probably at work. 

Here in France, my wife can walk down the street at night alone and pass groups of youngsters without fear. We can drive greater distances in a shorter time on very good uncrowded roads. I could go on and on about the good and the bad of France and England. At the end of the day we live in a country that suits us best at the moment. That, is not to say that we would never return to 'Blighty', after all it is our Mother Country, regardless of what the Politicians do to it. There will always be an England!!!!!

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[quote user="Edward"]

. I find the language in some parts difficult to understand, with so many people 'finking about free farsand fings anat'. [/quote]

I know what you mean about the language; in fact, sometimes I can't understand what they are saying when I watch TV.  Often wonder whether I'm just getting dull and not picking up on things.  Sometimes I turn to the OH and ask, "Did you get any of that?".  He'd more often than not say "No".  Not that we understand the French any better!  Might as well live amongst Martians.[:)]

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[quote user="Just Katie"]Hi Sweetie, will you be visiting Porthcawl?  It is very grey in the Land of Song at the moment so please bring the weather with you.[/quote]

Certainly will but only for a day or two.  Rest of the time will be split between Sussex and the Big Smoke.  Whilst I'm there, might as well go walk along the Embankment, have a drink at Tate Modern (restaurant floor) where I can watch the activity on the river, go to my favourite museum (V & A) and see how many concerts we can afford to fit in![:D]

Can't really come back to France and say I didn't enjoy my visit "home", can I?

Are you back from your travels to foreign parts?  When are you visiting your French pad?

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Fish n chips, Katie, bought at Beale's.  No vinegar, thanks!  Might see if I can get my bestest mate to make some Welsh cakes.  Might even have a pint of Brains (for old time's sake because I think it's yucky beer; weak and not a lot of flavour!)
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Sweet 17

Yesterday was grey here but not cold, weather is sunny again today here, probably not as warm as the Charente-Maritime but the sunshine (anywhere) makes all the difference.[:)]

I do remember a week, late March last year in 17 and it was freeeeezing, wind from the arctic and rain![:(]

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Just a swift comment which may / may not be relevent to this thread....

A few days ago I was talking to a UAE National woman (full black garb etc) who said she had visited UK (London) recently, she commented that the ..."the people were lovely, but they never smiled!!!!!!" how sad is that as an impression of UK.

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Used to make me smile when flying back from the Gulf when nearing Heathrow there would be a mad dash for the loos, both ladies and gents (wearing full arab dress) reappearing in ultra chic western dress, make up (ladies!!) immaculate and chaps with highly polished brogues.

Sorry off topic.

I lived in france for three years before making the trip back to blighty.  Think what struck me most was the constant noise - granted we do live in the country and I was visiting our boys in Richmond, London - but emergency services going all night, delivery lorries etc not to mention the density of normal everyday traffic. The other was the number of very upmarket cars being driven by 30 somethings, (ferrari, masseratti etc) (sp!)  parking up outside 'very' swish hotels and then ordering bottles of champagne willy nilly, where do they get the funds from!  Especially as we round here all drive goat mobiles or similar.  At times I imagine I resembled a beached fish but couldn't close my mouth!!!  Have only transited since but possibly going back this year (our 7th here) so will try not to stare too much!

 

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[quote user="Edward"]

You have stirred up some memories Sweet. My wife and I were back in the UK last February, do I miss it? yes and no. The England I miss no longer exists. Some areas are slow to change, thank goodness but will catch up eventually. The once pretty villages are less pretty, people seem to be very stressed and  the roads are a nightmare. I find the language in some parts difficult to understand, with so many people 'finking about free farsand fings anat'. We did visit one Town, near where we once lived. Most of  the language we heard during the day was foreign, the indigenous people were  probably at work. 

Here in France, my wife can walk down the street at night alone and pass groups of youngsters without fear. We can drive greater distances in a shorter time on very good uncrowded roads. I could go on and on about the good and the bad of France and England. At the end of the day we live in a country that suits us best at the moment. That, is not to say that we would never return to 'Blighty', after all it is our Mother Country, regardless of what the Politicians do to it. There will always be an England!!!!!

[/quote]

Hmm. Probably exactly what the French think when they see all us Brits/Dutch/Germans loafing around, perhaps the Polish etc folk in Britain are only there because "it suits them best at the moment" and you can move back as they move out? Still, that wouldn't avoid your main problem, that will never go away, white scally Brits and small minded reactionaries.

I returned to Britain after 18 months, for a funeral, and haven't been back since. Unfortunately I can't stand what Britain has become and neither could I abide what I imagine Edward's utopian image of Britain to be. I like France though.

Horses for courses.

Driving was a bit strange but you soon get used to it again. You do tend to be a bit more friendly and open, I found people a bit wary of me for that! [:D]

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Hmm. Probably exactly what the French think when they see all us Brits/Dutch/Germans loafing around, perhaps the Polish etc folk in Britain are only there because "it suits them best at the moment" and you can move back as they move out? Still, that wouldn't avoid your main problem, that will never go away, white scally Brits and small minded reactionaries

I'm not going to rise to the bait Bones. We all have our opinions on France and the UK and the right to express them.

 

 

 

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