First Thoughts

First Thoughts
I know many of our new friends in the U.S are anxious to hear of what we think of England now we are back for our first visit. Here a few of those very first thoughts.
1. Traffic. People in Naperville would never complain about it if they had ever lived in London. Although the speed limits are higher, it is largely immaterial because you can hardly ever reach them.
2. The roads are narrower and curved with instructions written all over them.
3. With far less space on our tiny island, all the roads seem smaller and more cramped.
4. Green spaces are much greener than I remembered. Of course Naperville will be greener again too, once the grass has had a chance to breathe now the snow has left. (I hope).
5. Service in restaurants is far slower. It took eight of us three hours to eat two simple courses in a restaurant last night. Although the portions were unusually large for England, no one offered us a box to take leftovers home.
6. Although our lives have changed 100% in the past year, things in England are still the same. Our friends are going about their daily business as usual. It is almost as though time has stood still and we left the room for a moment.
7. After offering our British guests the best of Naperville in the Hotel Decent, we are currently staying in Orphan 1 and 2’s small, but exceptionally warm apartment in a very noisy part of North London. Hence the reason once again I am blogging at 4 a.m., or would be if I could connect up to the internet!