The Elderly People Sign
This pops up in places where a retirement home is nearby. But definitely a good idea if you look at the way of driving of some british people which is quite…yeah…let’s say …dynamic. But I have to admit that I had the impression that british drivers are more polite and willing to give way to each other than in other countries.
Off-Licence Supermarkets
If you translate off-licence into German it would mean that this is an illegal supermarket and nobody would probably enter it. And when I didn’t know better I really thought, that these supermakerts run out of a certain licence or so^^. I was completly wrong because in the UK the name is used for supermarkets that sell alcoholic beverages for taking away or drinking at home. Like a „Kiosk“. Some of them are open during the whole night and you can buy alcohol even though the pubs have already closed. On-licence shops are bars and pubs where you consume on the point-of sale.
The D-lock zones
This was a very strange sign to see. First I thought this was a joke. There is really someone, telling me what kind of lock I am allowed to use for my bike in this area?! Isn’t it my problem, when my bike gets stolen? Do they have a huge bike-theft problem over here? Until now I have no idea why they do this, but a slight assumption is the security madness of some british institutions. And by the way…I am now using a D-lock indeed 😀
British Post Boxes
The beautyful, red postboxes. Very typical and most of you have probably seen these while they have been in the UK. They make me feel nostalgic and like I have to write a letter soon, just to throw something in them.
Pay&Display
I only knew park and ride but pay and display sounded very strange to me. First we assumed that you buy the ticket with your smartphone and put it into the windscreen of your car because of the word display. But that wouldn’t really make sense 😛 so we asked wikipedia and yes there is indeed and article abotut pay & display. It is actually not more then the demand of buying a parking ticket at the ticket machine and displaying it visible on the windscreen of the vehicle. Ahhhhhh!
Stretch your arm out if want the bus to stop for you
First day at uni. Didn’t want to be late. Waitet for the bus, was happy that I looked the bus times up right and then… it just passed by :D. I was finally too late on my first day. Another special thing here in the UK is that busses (unless someone inside the bus wants to stop), won’t stop if you don’t stretch your arm out. I didn’t really see that in London, but as the city is so big and touristic, they probably stop everywhere.
„Look Right“ sign
Mostly seen in touristic areas and definitely a good invention. I caught myself a couple of times driving on the wrong side of the road with my bike and wondering why there was suddenly a car on „my“ side of the road :D.
The Barber Shops
You’ll find a Barbershop nearly everywhere in the UK and yes you have them in other countries as well 😉 . I just went down one street, to take pictures and there where already four of them. Barbershops are only for male costumers and the red, white and sometimes even blue sign is called the Barber’s Pole. It is funny that in the UK man and woman don’t seem to go to the same hairdresser like in Germany for instance. If you wanna know the bloody story behind the Barber’s Pole then have a look on this site.
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