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Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (702) Before I went to London I kept reading disparaging remarks about pigeons, especially in Trafalgar Square: how dirty they are, don't feed them, the mayor calling them "flying rats."
Our Big Bus tour guide repeated the flying rat reference, and I think it could be considered a London custom to despise the lowly pigeon. I admit I couldn't quite look at them in the same way.
When I was at Trafalgar Square and saw a pigeon apparently doing its thing on one of the sculptures I couldn't resist cranking up my zoom and recording the image. Leave a Comment
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This customary tip goes back to the 16th century when all fellow VT travelers that came to London had to buy a drink for his fellow VT'er. (Its a fact...! haha)
So anyone wishing to come to London should happily let Fen know and arrange a time to meet for a drink. Leave a Comment
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I’d just like to clear up some stuff about tipping in England. The recent practice of tip trays in bars aside, there is a traditional way of tipping bar staff in pubs, although it may seem a bit obscure! If you feel moved to tip your bar server you say to them (when finishing ordering your round) ‘and have one for yourself’. The barperson then charges you for one extra drink. They might drink it as they work but more likely theyd say ‘I’ll take it later, if that’s okay’ – meaning (depending on how they feel/ the pubs policy) they’ll either have a drink after work or take the money as a cash tip. Yes I know this must sound weird!
In restaurants, the bill should clearly state whether service is included. If it’s not, then at least 10% is expected, unless you were unhappy with the service. Be alert, because even if the service was included, they will still (if you pay by card) bring you the signing slip with a space for you to add a ‘gratuity’. There was a recent court case where waiters took their employers to court – the employers were keeping the tips paid by customers on their credit cards, rather than paying them to their staff. Believe it or not, the employers won the case. So if you want to be sure your tip goes to the waiter, pay in cash. Leave a Comment
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Jack The Ripper Walk Part I
Without a doubt, the most popular of the Original London Walks is the Jack the Ripper Walk. I did this walk one overcast evening in early May, 1999. Researching the Walks website, I found that the must have guide was Donald Rumblow, who wrote the book about the Ripper. So we headed to the Tower Tub station for the 7:30 walk. At about 7:15 a gentleman in a black cape and period hat came by and asked if we were there for the walk. "Yes!" we replied and off we went.
Tony was a fantastic guide. A Beefeater by day, he took us on the 3 hour stroll through the backstreets of a part of London I'd never have dared walk through alone. We stopped from time to time and Tony told us about "here" where a victim of the Ripper was found. He had us riveted to his story, occasionally taking out documents or photos to support his tale. Fortunately we had brought umbrellas. When it began to drizzle lightly it was all too easy to imagine the ladies of the night, trying to stay warm while they peddled their "wares" in the ally ways.
We stopped at the Three Bells Pub for a glass of ale before we finished up our walk, back where we had begun. Tony was a great guide. He encouraged questions and seemed to know a lot about his subject matter. He asked us to pay what we thought our evening was worth. The suggestion was Five GBP. Leave a Comment
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The carnival celebrates the abolition of slavery - it's a complete mix of races/ethnicities/colours and a huge cultural celebration for everyone! Bank Holiday Monday is called "Adults Day" and as such it probably is better to bring young children on the Saturday or Sunday - but I did see a few children around on the Monday too.
There are all kinds of West Indian/Jamaican/Caribbean/African food being cooked on the street - and apart from the carnival itself there is also plenty of spontaneous dancing/music/bands/sound systems everywhere.
There are plenty of porta-loos on the streets (but some local residents open their homes for this purpose at a cost of £1-2 as they know there is great need (and a lot of money to be made!!!) - Another reason not to wear flip flops is that as the day wears on some people don't bother with loos at all and just find a grubby street corner somewhere - so watch where you walk!
With two million visitors all packed into one small(ish) area of London - things can get a little crowded - it would be very difficult for anyone with mobility problems to get around - but not entirely impossible... consider your route carefully - there are specially designated "quiet streets" where you can take a breather from the festivities if necessary! (make sure you find a map showing the route the carnival takes - the quiet streets are highlighted!). Leave a Comment
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Many of the people who travel on the tube are typically highly-strung, stressed-out Londoners. As a tourist, it is your duty to irritate these people as much as possible by walking really slowly and standing on the wrong side of the escalator and so on...However the wiser amongst you will obviously not want to be tutted and snapped at, so here are a few guidelines from a regular [and highly-strung] tube user.
1: Ticket machines: There are two types of machine in the underground: some with lots of buttons and newer ones with a touch screen. Make sure you know which ticket you want to buy before you get to the front of the queue [you have queued, haven't you?] Otherwise you will hold up everyone else. If you're not sure, queue up at the ticket booths instead.
2: Escalators: Please stand on the right! Otherwise I shall spit at you as I come striding up on the left.
3: Getting on and off: Always wait for people to get off the train before you get on. If you are getting off, you have the satisfaction of pushing anyone who does not respect this rule.
4: Giving up your seats: Of course there is no legal obligation to do this, and indeed many people don't...however even if you are not feeling in a generous mood, it is worth doing due to the personal satisfaction of having other people in the carriage gaze admiringly at you as if you have just given all your worldy possessions to charity. However it would be unwise to give up your seat with the words -"Here you go love, you look so worn out/old/fat, I think you need it!"
5: Talking: Don't have loud conversations on the tube unless you are sure that your language is sufficiently obscure that no one else will be able to understand. So all you Livonians are fine.
Remember also [as is always the case in London] to apologise for even the briefest of physical contact with anyone and walk really quickly everywhere and frown...that way no one will know you are a tourist. [Unless you are wearing a "Fanny Pack"...in which case shame on you!] Leave a Comment
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You meet the strangest people In the Mall on a Sunday morning. Who should we stumble upon but a bunch of Roundheads... marching to Whitehall...just couldn't figure out why??
The English Civil War Leave a Comment
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It's customary in london to go to a pub or a bar and have a drink... this means if you're meeting up with english friends that you buy the drinks all night... ok it was worth a try, but a number of people don't understand the concept of rounds...
one person buys a round of drinks... then next time another person in the group does the same... then another etc... so really you are only paying for your drinks.
the English like to drink though, we can't do it as well as the scottish or the irish, but at the stage where most people a feeling like they're going to be sick, the english keep on going...
you'll see some nice sites after all the bars close though lol Leave a Comment
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Police dogs have been part of security during major events in the post-9/11 world.
Most often, police dog refers to a dog who has been trained to guard their handler and to find, chase, intimidate, and hold suspects who are attempting to elude the police. Modern police dogs are not vicious animals; most are trained to enjoy their work, with chasing and grabbing introduced to them as tricks or games that can be played only when the handler (a police officer) gives the appropriate command.
Law enforcement also uses dogs for tracking suspects or finding missing persons, or for detecting drugs or explosives. Bloodhounds are often used for the former, although most breeds have an outstanding sense of smell and can be trained to follow scent trails or to detect certain kinds of odors. Leave a Comment
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Sooner or later on a trip to London you are likely to find yourself in a pub – or you certainly should do if you want to experience one of the great British traditions. I thought it would be helpful to provide some tips on how to fit in like a local.
Firstly, you need to know that you have to go to the bar to order your drinks. Pease don’t sit at a table and wait to be served – you’ll get very thirsty and frustrated!
Secondly, you will have to pay for your drinks as you order them, unlike the European system of keeping a tab and adding it all up at the end of the evening. The exception to this are the smarter “gastro-pubs” where the emphasis is more on eating and where you may be asked if you’d like to put the drinks on a tab to pay with the food bill at the end of your meal.
If you’re with a group of people, it’s common practice to buy drinks in rounds. Each person takes it in turns to buy a round of drinks for the whole group. There’s a lot of etiquette attached to this that it would be impossible for you to pick up in a short visit, but there are a few important points to note. The last round is often the cheapest as by then some people will be drinking half pints or soft drinks, so it’s considered very bad form to be always the last person to offer to buy a round. But if someone in the group is drinking only soft drinks (e.g. a designated driver), it would be polite to suggest they don’t buy a round when they offer, as it makes for an expensive way to buy a few glasses of orange juice!
In a large group it’s unlikely that everyone will get a turn to buy a round. There are a number of alternatives. You might split into several smaller groups for the purposes of buying drinks (this often happens naturally as you approach the bar). You might propose a kitty, with everyone putting an agreed sum into this at the start of the evening and sharing out any leftovers at the end (and again, remember the non-drinker – perhaps he or she could put in half the amount that drinkers contribute). Or if you drink together regularly, buying rounds is probably OK as anyone who doesn’t buy one can start the process next time!
By the way, it isn’t usual to tip the staff in a pub, but if you visit regularly or spend a whole evening there and get good service, you can offer to buy the person serving you a drink – “would you like one yourself?” is the usual query. Don’t be offended if they pocket the money for later though – they can’t have too many when they’re supposed to be working!
So now you have your drinks, what else do you need to know? Well, firstly, since July 2007 it has been illegal to smoke in an enclosed public space in England (hooray!), so if you want to light up you’ll need to go outside. You could take your drink with you or if friends are staying inside leave it with them – an unclaimed drink is likely to be cleared away by bar staff. In most pubs you can buy food to go with your drink – this might be anything from a bag of peanuts to a gourmet treat, but traditional dishes include pies, fish and chips or a “ploughman’s lunch” (bread, cheese and pickles). Unlike drinks, groups of friends would normally each buy their own meal, and to do this you’ll again have to order at the bar. You’ll probably be given some sort of number or other sign to put on your table so the server can bring the meal to the right table.
There may be entertainment in the pub – live music, sport on TV or maybe a quiz. Choose your pub according to whether you want to participate in something like this or not – if you really want to talk with your friends, a pub without entertainment will be better.
Despite the British reputation for reserve, someone in the pub on their own is likely to be willing to engage in conversation, and the same may apply to groups of people. Try saying hello and take it from there, but bear in mind that they may have come to talk privately together, so be sensitive to the body language and move on if people don’t want to chat.
And lastly – have fun :)
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