By Perry Rhoads, Esq
I had a wonderful two-week vacation in London with the family last month and wanted to share it with you, our loyal bLAWg readers.
We were fortunate to have my brother and his wife as tour-guides and hosts; they let a flat a short walk from Paddington Station.
The weather was perfect for enjoying the many London public parks and gardens that were blooming with spectacular tulip displays. The Brits were also taking advantage of the spring sunshine after a long, gray British winter. The parks and outdoor pub areas were filled with picnickers at lunchtime – everyone from students to businesspeople were enjoying the sunshine. Also – I saw first-hand that gardening is truly a British pastime, and even Londoners who don’t have their own gardens take advantage of the many public parks in the city.
Of course, there are always more pubs to visit than there is time in any vacation, but we did our best here as well. Brewing is one of my passions, so sampling the local brews is a must for me. You just can’t beat the taste of a real ale hand pumped from a historic British pub. The pubs were even more busy than usual on St. George’s Day weekend (April 23). St. George’s Day celebrates, creatively enough, St. George, the patron saint who famously killed a dragon. Many patriotic Brits believe it should be made into an official Bank Holiday.
The run up to the historic elections was also an exciting experience. There was a sense of discontent with the ruling Labor party, which had controlled parliament for 13 years. It was clear that the center-right Conservative party was gaining in popularity throughout the television candidate debates. Although we returned before Election Day, the results turned out as predicted: Gordon Brown and the Labor party suffered its worst defeat since 1983. David Cameron’s Conservatives did not win enough seats to govern outright, but he was able to become Prime Minister after forming a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. We are now seeing an unprecedented coalition between the Labor party and the Liberal Democrats.
Cheers, mates.
Perry
