Britishness

What makes you think ‘that’s really British’? I pondered this before I set off to the UK earlier this year.

The purpose of the trip was threefold: visit family, travel photography and photography capturing Britishness.  This was planned in the run up to the Summer Olympics, with all eyes set to be on London.   

 
Pictured from the top is the classic red phone box and letterbox. I looked high and low, with the help of cousins, to find one in a rural setting. There aren’t many left.

High Streets in the UK are what Main Street is to the USA. You’ll find them in London as well as villages and towns throughout the country.

It’s mandatory that all students wear school uniforms in the UK, even those still in kindergarten. They vary from region to region. Cardigans are typically worn in North Wales.

Patriotism can be expressed in many ways, even in the form of washing drying on a line in the back garden

Steak and ale pie is classic pub lunch fare. Shandies - half lager and half lemonade - often wash down pub lunches. The latter is fizzy in the UK.  And if you stay at the pub too long a classic English breakfast the next morning might help cure your over indulgence.   

I left out the ubiquitous fish and chips. That would have been too predictable, particularly after watching Danny Boyle’s epic and eccentric portrayal of all things British during the opening ceremonies.