American Reacts to the Biggest SHOCKS of Visiting England (Part 2)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- American like myself are certainly very used to what life is like in the United States. Today I am very excited to continue learning about 10 shocking things visitors immediately notice about England. If you enjoyed the video feel free to leave a comment, like, or subscribe for more!
I stood as citizenship sponsor for an American friend to become British. What started his wish to stay in Britain was he had come for a 6 week work trip and in his first week went out for a drink, got drunk and lost his way back to his hotel. The police found him wandering and asked him where he was going, he thought he was going to be arrested and thrown in the drunk tank but they just wanted his hotel name to walk him there. He was astonished by their helpfulness then started questioning why he should be astonished at helpful (and unarmed) police. At the end of the 6 weeks he never went back.
I guess it is odd..........all countries àre odd.............we are not odd...........simply brilliant......!!!!!!
This is pretty much the case with the police throughout Europe. Someone I know got very drunk in Brussels once. He couldn`t find his car. The police picked him up, found his car for him, wrote the address down and put it in his pocket then placed him in a taxi to his hotel!
My hubbies USA Uncle did the same thing. He was staying with relatives & said he was popping to the local to try some Guinness. Never came home till the next afternoon! he had a wonderful time, a lock in then a house party & slept at the "new friends" house. They cooked him a British breakfast next morning & at lunchtime drove him back home. Entire family had been worrying for 24 hours!! LOL.
I find it funny how you refer about yourself as an 'avarage American'. I notice the slight sarcasm in your tone, which cracks me up. It's all fun anyway.
That is so sweet
The more and more I look into the US and how it functions the more grateful I am to live in Europe 🙏💯
It really doesn't offer much to people used to living in Europe.
Yup, me too! There's just too much love for the forefathers to change the laws to more modern ones...especially the gun thing. Our police don't have guns (like 95percent of them). Only less than 5percent have guns and that's just 1 special unit in each county (I bit like the American SWAT teams) and they're only called when it involves a criminal threatening with a weapon (normally a knife or dog trained to be agressive)
@@101steel4 Well it's just Europeans get international affairs from other countries featured in our news cycles so we aren't so self-obsessed and ignorant about other nations. I get the US is geographically isolated but some kids can't even name the 7 continents as a result 😖😖😖😖
I’m married to an American and we live back in the U.K. now,we watch NBC news and a couple of days ago they did an item on roundabouts becoming more popular in USA especially in the south as they move the traffic faster and are ecologically better.BTW Downtown is pronounced Downtun not Down town,you can visit the stately house (Highclere Castle)used in the series and you may run into the present Countess.
@@lyn7621
Edit... "Downton Abbey" ... It is not only pronounced "Downton" - that's exactly how it is spelled. It is not written as 'Downtown' at all !! ... As for that Mark from "Walter's World" ... He always puts down British foods or is seemingly praising it for improving but that particular stereotype started back in WWII when our countries were in the grip of strict rationing which meant our diet was rather plain. That ended after around 1954 so we have had plenty of time to improve since then, and we definitely have (& I for one feel "offended" on behalf of British foods and British chefs and cooks !! Our food is not bland, boring or tasteless.
Thank you very much 'Walter's World' 😅!!)
As an illustration of how our police interact with the public, my father was a police officer protecting a nuclear power station during a long protest by anti-nuclear folk. It was winter and a very cold day. Noticing that the protesters were freezing cold, the police asked them to bring any flasks or cups they had to the gate. There, they filled them all with hot tea. Good chaps, our police.
Even Wayne Couzens and his ilk?
@@Ffinity Have you ever had to go to hospital? No matter how much you might need to, please don't. Lucy Letby and her ilk.
Prick.
The police were very grateful for the overtime pay😂
@@conanclarke9308 Yeah, most of them are useless c**ts waiting to collect their pensions!
Kill the enemy with kindness or just have some humanity????? your choice..
Ive always thought of the Police to be helpful.
I'm English born living in Australia.
That driving on the other side of the road is a tough one a few years ago an American woman hit and killed a motorcyclist when she was on the wrong side of the road. She fled back to America claiming diplomatic immunity because her husband is a diplomat. She was found guilty last year but only got a suspended sentence, absolute miscarriage of justice.
That was a shocking case and the American woman behaved appallingly after the accident. I think her behaviour made it so much harder to swallow. My heart aches for the boy's patents.
Not really. It was an accident. A tragic one; but an accident.
@markpalmer8083 No, she fled on purpose.
@@markpalmer8083she hit and ran. Didn't stop to help him. That's disgusting.
@@markpalmer8083 It was a hit and run, then she fled the country claiming diplomatic immunity. Horrendous on every count.
The thing with the UK is that it's not just policing by consent (a very important concept in the UK) but also politeness by consent, we are all polite because we want to live in a polite society. Here in the UK we live relatively quiet and stress-free lives because we understand that being polite to everyone else adds to the general politeness of society at large. there are places that can be a bit dodgy or even dangerous, but most of the UK is very pleasant and peaceful because we want it that way. The only other place I know that has the same attitude towards politeness and peace is Japan (I spent a month there and felt right at home because of the mutual respect for politeness and respect there),
Perhaps it has something to do with the density of population in both countries?
I think the main way you can track all this is by looking at the queue cultures.
UK and Japan are both very good at waiting in line.
Rest of the countries I've been to? Not so much.
@@marieparker3822 I'm not so sure about that, certainly in Tokyo the population density is insane, but not so much in the UK, even London does not come close to the population density of tokyo
@@marieparker3822 regarding similarities between Britain and Japan, I've often thought that some of it is due us both being island cultures (finite land), and yes, having to share our spaces with lots of other people. Interesting too is that both Britain and Japan have been quite militaristic cultures historically.
Yes, and Japan and the UK both drive on the correct side of the road!
The whole of the UK has stunning scenery, history, beautiful buildings, and fantastic beaches.
Stunning scenery, history and beautiful buildings absolutely. Fantastic beaches? - ive lived here all my life and have yet to see a beautiful beach. I hate the british seaside its utterly depressing and almost always ugly as heck. Dont even go there!
@@Peter-gv6vf You need to get out more
@@Peter-gv6vftry Northumberland, in fact Google beaches of Northumberland, sad really, you, obviously haven't travelled around !
Oh dear. Why does it seem youtube is full of keyboard warriors intolerant of anyone else’s opinion. Sad really, you all should get out more. Honestly
@@Peter-gv6vf yes, exactly, that's what we were thinking about you, I was merely advising you where some of the longest, sunniest, most beautiful beaches can be found 😉
We do have Armed Response Units for major incidents, but as we don't generally have guns here, we don't need to arm the Police.
I think our police should carry Dane axes. 😁
I'd love to have guns here. Americans, you don't know how lucky you are to be able to protect yourselves.
We as you have a migrant crisis.... ours are 95% fighting age men, we will be needing those guns soon.
We have a knife epidemic where the new youth want to hack each other to death.
Our police have recently just shot 2 dogs who were said to have been aggressive.... they were not, and the police executed the dogs in public.
@@rumblesAnother victim of propaganda, don't listen to this man we don't have a migrant crisis and we dont need guns. Certain political parties and media outlets that support them are trying to stoke people like this to get them angry as they are doing anything to keep hold of their power.
@@rumblesbloody hell calm down lad no one’s gonna cause a revolution. The immigrants aren’t French.
We have had thousands of years practice to be the way we are. America is still in its infancy 😊
How impolite (says an Englishwoman). Go to the back of the queue and review your claim to Englishness ;)
Are they at the Terrible Twos stage? And they have nuclear weapons; doesn't bear thinking about.
Tyler, the 'bad food' thing is a throwback to WWII......American troops stationed here were confronted with a nation that had been at war for years and food rationing was intense. There was not much of anything. Meals were what could be cobbled together. The might and wealth of the USA behind your troops meant that they were supplied with food that the Brits could only dream about......hence, when the GI's returned to the US, the 'British food' was remembered for being awful ...... and 'news' soon spreads lol.
True, even the soldiers pay, big difference US were rich
My dad was born in the late forties in the U.K. in a wealthy area. They didn’t have lots of money but his parents lived on a farm which meant comparatively they had access to more food than most. He recalls that the highlight of his life as a child was that every two weeks school lunch on Friday was two small sausages. They only had hot meals at school, meals at home at night were sandwiches etc. that was completely normal. And this was a relatively well off working family. My Nan (other side of the family) did grow up poor in the twenties and thirties. She was poaching, scrumping and generally stealing food for the family. She eventually became an excellent cook in later years. It’s not so much British food was bad, as they had several generations where there wasn’t any. No one knew much about cooking there’s pass down to children as a result because you were just eeking out minimal supplies for several generations. I think people underestimate how bad it was for a very large percentage of the population for a long period of time. It wasn’t until the late fifties that it started to stabilise and then the sixties really improve. My grandparents were lucky enough to be able to afford to go on holiday to the sea in a rental car….but they would take a sack of vegetables grown on the allotment with them and that’s what they ate when they were there, boiled of course!
A lot if the modern stereotypes stem from WWII and the direct postwar era.
To give you an idea, they used to make ersatz raspberry jam with beetroot juice colour and fake pips made of wood chips.
And when rationing ended we went almost straight into the era of convenience foods and latch key kids.
Food is a huge thing these days with whole generations of men and women rediscovering. Old arts like sourdough, preserving etc. just look at the popularity of cooking shows
Further to that a common criticism is our food is “bland” what they mean is you can taste the actual food. Our standards are pretty high for most foods so you don’t need to hide the taste of rancid foods with a lot of spice. We do like them though - the popularity of foods like curry show that.
Police don't typically carry guns in Australia either. We are taught as children that if we need help, ask a policeman.
New Zealand officers don't carry guns on there persons, but due to the remoteness of parts of the country they often carry guns in there cars in case they are needed
I mean the USA as well
Not sure where you got this from? It’s mandatory for all Australian police to carry firearms on their person at all times.
yes they do, all our officers are armed. It's just that they rarely use them.
Okay - I didn't realise that. I think I was told that as a kid - that only country cops had them. I only usually see traffic police or police patrolling a city street or shopping centre area and I have not noticed a gun - I assumed they had tazers though as I have seen videos of people being tazed at railway stations and such. Of course, I knew TRG would carry guns but I really thought the average cop in the street didn't carry a gun. I have learnt something. @@Dr_KAP
The UK is not alone regarding police not routinely carrying guns. Police in Ireland, Norway, Iceland, and New Zealand also don't routinely carry firearms.
and they mostly don't need to, because normal citizens don't usually carry weapons in Europe...
I think the Police Service Of Northern Ireland P.S.N.I.all carry firearms at all times.
@@chrisholland7367 Yer, that's correct. All PSNI Officers permanently carry firearms on duty and are also allowed to carry them when off duty as well. I didn't include that info to keep the original comment short. And because the PSNI is just one of 48 individual police services in the UK. The vast majority of UK police officers are not routinely armed.
And in NZ they can still detain a terrorist within 30min. Our police have weapons in their vehicles, but only get them out if they need them.
I think the police in London routinely carry guns
I walked right up to three armed police in London and asked for directions, they were very friendly and helpful, I had noticed that people were avoiding them, so I think they were pleased by my coming to them.
Before lockdown when I went to London several times a year the Police where wonderful managing the huge crowds that came to the events I went to.
We had lots of armed police arround after a ton of terrorist attacks. People were friendly to them and went and said nice things. Only because we knew that as soon as they could, the guns would go back in their boxes again. Armed police looks too much like martial law, with all rights suspended.
@@veronicawilliams742716:40
Your point about Americans driving everywhere got me. When I was in Santa Clara, California the police stopped me because I was walking about. When I said I was 'just going for a wander' they looked totally confused! 😂
I was staying in a hotel in Lowell, Mass. On the side of a freeway, but there was an interesting shop next door to the hotel, in order to have a look in the shop I had to climb over the fence! I bought a tee shirt, which I've still got, and climbed back over the fence again!
You're lucky they didn't arrest you. I've seen many yt video's were they do. Often with the frase 'normal people are in bed'. I must be an alien for walking with my little doggy anytime i want. Sometimes i see the police we wave and go on. And that's in a so called high crime part of the city i live in. 😊
@@DaniëllaKL1970 I think the English accent made the difference - they probably just thought 'mad Englishwoman!'
@@deja-view1017 🤭🤣 highly probable. But tbh from what i see here on yt, there average level of education isn't all that great. All screaming about their constitutional rights but hardly ever see one even knowing the 1st. Police training on average is 6months. English nor Dutch people would accept that. But after 6months they get a handgun, a rifle in the trunk, cuffs and a badge, and than they can't believe that English and Dutch officers are in general politely/helpful and not grabbing for there gun at first contact. It's insane across the pond.
@ritaboes I live in Ireland and I like to go out for walks (by myself) at any time between 11pm and 5am, often around 3am. Sometimes the police drive past me, but I'm never worried about them stopping me because I'm not doing anything, just walking.
The weather in England is one of the most temperate in the world. By American standards, it rarely gets cold (below 40), it rarely gets hot (above 80), it rarely snows (5 days per year on average), and as much as people like to say it rains all the time - there's an average of just over 100 rainy days per year... Meaning more likely than not it's just dry and moderately warm here.
And we don't get tropical storms like hurricanes, tornadoes etc. We do sometimes get flooding in some areas but nowhere near the same scale as a lot of other countries.
The best way to describe UK weather is unpredictable
@@chaoticmoron-zl6nv I live in Scotland and my brother jockingly describes it as 6 months of winter followed by 6 months of bad weather. Always makes me laugh.
It rains a lot in Manchester but thats just God trying to wash a very grim looking city.
@@chaoticmoron-zl6nvThat's island weather.
Roundabouts: "Most Americans haven't run into one," he says. A good thing too!! Try going around one instead. It's far less bumpy!😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Well Played
I've seen what happens when someone is looking for something in the car's footwell when they run into a roundabout. The car was written off, the driver was badly hurt and the roundabout lost a bit of greenery.
Overall, a win. It hasn't happened there since.
We emigrated to the UK in 2010, as my late wife was British and found New York too intense and missed her family. Several years later she developed cancer, and I got her fast tracked into a research hospital. She passed away a few years later.
In America, the cost of her care easily would have been a million dollars. Even with her Gold Plated company insurance, she still would have had to pay 20% co-pay, plus all the aggravation dealing with the paper work.
You the know the cost her treatment, including ambulance trips to the hospital? Zero. Nada. $0. Let me repeat .Zero. Nado. $0.
My dear friend, who had New York State Teacher's Insurance, considered the Gold Standard, was dying of cancer at same time. EVERY SINGLE SQUARE INCH of his apartment was covered with forms, invoices, and bills as his wife and and he tried to sort out which ones were legitimate and which were spaghetti-on-the wall paperwork to see if he would pay or challenge.
I have four friends who would still be alive and one woman who would still own her own house if they lived in the UK in the US.
All diabetics must remember when they receive the bill for insulin, that insulin was given the world for free . ''Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.'' - Sir Frederick Banting, discoverer of insulin..
we pay more tax than the states but the NHS is what we get.
Stately Homes cost a lot in upkeep, which is why most of them are open to the public on at least some days of the year- many are open every day. It's not a cheap day out, frankly, but if tourists are here and plan on visiting multiple of these it would be worth looking into a year's Nationl Trust Membership, which can quickly pay for itself!
By the way, 'Stately Manor' is not a thing. The largest places - the size of palaces - are called 'Stately Homes' and 'Manor houses' are much smaller places which used to be the homes of local Bigwigs, but aren't on the same scale at all.
Well there's stately Wayne Manor from DC comics but Gotham City is in the US. Across the Hudson Bay from Metropolis usually.
Or English heritage they are both brilliant look them up on line
And most Brits ancestors owned all those lovely stately homes, my ancestors owned about 4
@@robanks3895 - my brit ancestors didn't have indoor toilets until the 1960s and had houses with dirt floors and straw carpets up until ww2.
The only people who had stately homes were the nobility. Most brits lived in slum housing until after ww2. Read some Orwell for pity's sake.
@@nagillim7915 I have read lots of George Orwell thank you very much! The Road to Wigan Pier sound familiar to you? My mum was born in 1940 northern England, they lived in a large Victorian house with inside toilets and nodirt or straw on the floor. They were not posh either but working class.
Quick note, they're not all open to the public. If the house in question has National Trust or English Heritage signs all over it, you're good, pay the admission and in you go. If not, it's someone's private house and you need to leave it alone.
Yeah ,they'll set the Dog Pack on you.
There are quite a few houses that are open to the public and are neither National Trust nor English Heritage. Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and Harewood House near Leeds both immediately spring to mind.
There's actually an organisation you can join to visit private houses that are open to the public. It is called the Historic Houses Association and membership entitles you to free entry to any houses which are affiliated. Some of these houses have very limited opening: it might only be for a few days each year but others have regular opening not dissimilar to the National Trust. We are actually talking about hundreds of large houses.
These include Abbotsford (Sir Wakter Scott), Althorp (Diana, Princess of Wales), Alnwick Castle (the Duke of Northumberland & Harry Potter), Castle Howard in Yorkshire, Arundel Castle (the Duke of Norfolk) and many, many more.
What are peoples favourite Nat Trust or English Heri? I’ve not been no many English Heri, but plenty of Nat Trust, my favourite St Michaels Mount in Cornwall.
@@jerry2357 Very true. Near me, Capesthorne Hall, Gawsworth Hall, Arley Hall and Bramall Hall are examples. The last of these is council owned and the others are privately owned.
I'm a member of both the National Trust and English Heritage and each has some magnificent buildings.
What I love most about England are the gorgeous historical villages out in the countryside. You get thatched houses, Tudor style, stone, a mixture of all of these, you get castles, cathedrals and cosy pubs, towers, hedgerows only wide enough for one car, stone circles and dolmens, marketplaces, parks in each village with lots of trees, and often a canal or river running through, like the River Avon or Thames. The rolling green hills are usually lush from rainy weather. History is just everywhere. They take such good care of their properties and things like old wooden barrows, fences and seats/benches that have not been vandalised or destroyed. Windows are often latticed, shuttered and individually designed with coloured mosaics.
American Police are there to enforce the law where UK Police are there to uphold the law. If the general public don't have guns then the need for guns is cancelled out. We do get a fair share of rain but also very nice weather too, the climate is temperate so no extreme's, that's why the UK is so lush and green.
While there are a lot of problems with the UK police, children are taught if they are lost they should ask a police officer. This training means that in any tourists should ask them for help when they don't know where to go.
The history of officers not being armed originates from the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service in the 19th century and is partly due to public fears and objections of armed enforcers. It had been seen as the responsibility of the British Army to maintain order when needed.
It should be remembered that we have what's called the Peelian Principles here in the UK. These are based on the ideas of Robert Peel, the founder of the Metropolitan police.
These are
1) To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment.
2) To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.
3) To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.
4) To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
5) To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
6) To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
7) To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.
8) To recognise always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.
9) To recognise always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.
@@davidjackson2580 These rules are great, it feels like they should maybe do a refresher course in London.
Not sure how well the Met are now trusted.
There was a lot of anger in Parliament about Peel having his "own private army".
Police swear an oath and then immediately forget it.
Things like Peterloo were also still in people’s memories.
I'm a Brit married to an american, and we just came back to england to live....my husband is loving the friendliness, the genuine caring, and yes-the politeness. It's across the board, you have lovely chats with the mailman, the checkout lady, just about everyone. Syay away from london if you come visit....venture out and see the real country.
I have a nice smiley pic of 3 City of London police when i was in London a few weeks ago, i hadn't seen any City officers before but they happily let me take a picture, they were chatty and polite and i thought they were great 😊
The armed officers at places like Windsor Castle are very friendly, always up for a chat and a photo!
There was very recently a situation where most of the armed police in London handed in their permits and refused to carry firearms (only for a day or two) because one was charged with murder following a shooting. The government put the army on standby in case of a terrorist event.
I love the English countryside. I grew up surrounded by lush green fields with smaller hills (the area was a marsh, plenty of water to keep the grasses hydrated. Cows kept them trimmed and fertile) and we had completely free reign to go onto a fair bit of it: the common in the Town was particularly large.
Then within cycling distance was a lovely forest (more hilly area) with loads of paths that you could walk, and bike locks at the car parks. And some oretty incredible views.
Then about half an hour drive and you would reach the foot of the peak district. Which is an absolutely stunning area, interesting rock formations, wooded valleys, heather covered slopes, grassy peaks, little tiny villages with homes made from local stone rarher than clay bricks, streams running through them... amd once again, some incredible views from up on the slopes.
I have spent many an afternoon just walking around admiring the scenery.
We love it. We live on the western edge of the Cotswolds, with easy access to Wales, the Brecon Beacons, the Quantocks, Somerset and Exmoor. We go out hiking, walking or just the daily stroll. It roots my family and washes away stress.
free rein, lovely, as with horses.
When I first visited my relations, in the US, It was a very nice tree-lined neighborhood, so i went for a short walk. Within about 10 minutes, someone had called the police. who turned up in a Patrol car, they drove slowly alongside me, lowered the window and said, Whatcha up to buddy? I told them I'd just arrived from England, they asked for my I D, I told 'em I hadn't got one, and gave them my relations address. They drove off. My relation said, I should have warned you about that. ''NOBODY WALKS AROUND HERE.'.
My Dad knew someone who went to the US and was arrested for having long hair.
I've read a lot of Bill Bryson's books and he frequently commented that few Americans walk anywhere.
Yup, staying with a friend in Mason Ohio, ran out of beer and nibbles, walked to the local Krogers..... much to the amazement of my friend who got in the bloody car to collect me! it was 200 yds away!
We were staying in Houston for two days, restaurant was just opposite our hotel, wasn’t worth taking car so just walked over. Inside they asked us did you just walkover, warned us that was could have got mugged and was very dangerous
I assumed Americans driving everywhere was an exaggerated joke, and that they would obviously just walk to places that were less than a couple of blocks away.
Apparently not?
No wonder obesity is so common there...
The best way to explain the idea of UK = England + Scotland + Wales + Northern Ireland to an American is simply to imagine them as states in the US. California has some devolved powers from the US government in the same way that Scotland has devolved powers from the UK government.
There are of course some issues with this analogy, but it's good enough for an absolute baseline understanding.
It would be easier to explain the rules of cricket to an American than explaining how the U.K. is run. 😂
To be fair, tying shoelaces is a stretch for some!
As a side note, mainland Europe police do carry guns. However, they don't routinely use them, preferring to use de-escalation techniques etc.
In some countries in Europe their weapon is sealed into the holster at the beginning of the shift with a numbered tag.... Break that tag and there is a huge amount of paperwork for the officer concerned
In Amsterdam Airport they have both guns AND Segways...
My friend, you are right.... generally speaking (and for certain in towns and cities outside London) people are indeed very polite, and we like it this way. England is a very beautiful country away from the cities... quite stunning in fact. I confess that I discovered when I was in the US that people are more blunt and not so friendly...I was not treated very politely in New York. Very peculiarily .... if someone bumps into you by accident, both the person who walks into you, and you yourself, simultaneously apologise to each other. ("Both will say sorry)
I usually apologise to the sofa if I walk into it too! 😂
@@CorinneDunbar-ls3ej Well you wouldn’t want to hurt its feelings!
My dog lunged at a passerby and she apologised! (I obviously apologised too).
I went to New York about 5 years ago and couldn't believe how friendly everyone was and how people were not rushing around like crazy. Mind you I was comparing them to Londoners! The most unfriendly city I have ever lived in
WE can get all 4 seasons in one day!
cliate is the typical conditions, weather is the variations in the typical.
I am English and my husband was American. Back in the 1970's we visited Mexico and got lost in Mexico City. I saw a couple of policemen and immediately started walking towards them to ask for directions. My husband was horrified and tried to explain why this wasn't a good idea. Too late. They were absolutely charming, propped up their sub-machine guns against the wall and looked at my tattered map with concentration and concern and soon pointed us in the right direction. I guess we were the first people who had approached them with the assumption they would be kind and helpful. I guess most American police would react in the same way, it is often down to expectations.
I love this story!
I used to work at a Police Station in the UK (as a civilian, not an officer), and I'm the daughter of two police officers, so it was second nature to me, when I landed at Christchurch Airport in New Zealand for a 3-week solo back-packing holiday, to head straight for the police hub attached to the airport. I wanted to say "Gidday" and ask for a bit of local knowledge about places best avoided while in Christchurch, and also the safest areas. The guys went one better - fed me coffee and cake and then gave me a lift into town in one of the police cars, direct to the door of a backpacker's hostel in a really nice part of town. Like British police, Kiwi police are known for being friendly, but they went above and beyond :)
What Americans seem to forget when commenting on British weather is that it varies in different parts of the country - just like the weather in LA is a little warmer and drier than that in Seattle. We also have seasons.
There’s a roundabout in El Segundo, LA county, CA. I’ve driven across it a few times. I’m British and live in the Uk but have travelled to the US and mainland Europe enough to have no issue driving on the right. However the lanes on this roundabout were all wrong to the point of someone on the farthest right lane would turn left across the front of a car on the next lane I. That was going straight on across the the roundabout. There was none of this spiralling that we do.
Don't worry, in the UK we do drive on the right side of the road, it's the left.
I remember watching a documentary years ago showing the differences between police procedures from the UK, Australia, NZ and the USA.... This is LEGIT, although the dialogue may have been slightly different, but you'll get the gist
Scenario.... Drunk, obnoxious bloke staggering down the street, muttering a few obscenities but not doing anyone any harm
UK cops - Come on lad.. Off ya go on home (and they help him on his merry way)
Aussie cops - Listen ya boofhead. Either go home or you'll spend the night in the lockup (and they help him on his merry way)
NZ cops - Come on bro, we'll drive you home.. (which they did and on the way he threw up in the back seat, so when they arrived at his house which he (30 years old) lived with his mum, they woke her up and she came out yelling and said "You better clean that up" so the mum and the cops went inside and had a cuppa and the drunk bloke had to clean the cop car out. They even removed the back seat so that he could clean it properly).... It was hilarious....
USA cops - Show us your hand and get down on the ground.. (After tackling the poor bugger to the ground, screaming at him and handcuffing him, they took him to the cop shop and tied him to a wheel chair, put a hood over his head and left him facing the CORNER of the room until he calmed down....).. Jeez I wonder WHY he was agitated?
Can you just imagine the outcome for the bloke from the USA if he has been approached by cops from those other countries???
Americans have NO idea
Tyler, in my career spanning 35+ years in Hotel Management in hotels across the UK, I encountered what you mentioned about your fellow Americans being "confused" about Britain and England and the difference between them.
I think it really comes down to lack of clear teaching in schools, so that just as many British school pupils won't have any clear idea about different parts of the USA, the same can be said about American teaching standards.I'll give you a couple of examples.
1), in one hotel in Edinburgh, in Scotland, an arriving Coach Tour of Americans, having been driven up that day from London, were very surprised to find that Scotland WASN'T a Village in the North of England, as they'd always been led to believe as taught at school!!!!
2) Or at another Hotel in London, American guests in their first night in their hotel, were very surprised that they didn't have to take lengthy flights across massive stretches of water, to travel to Scotland or Wales and didn't require passports! Their belief was that England was an island all of its own and the other parts of Britain involved lengthy sea voyages or flights to connect safely. OK, one can say that is true of Northern Ireland, but for Wales and Scotland, there are roads via bridges, plus trains which connect very easily into and out of England.
I feel that many Americans would be shocked by the vaiety and quality of our Beautiful beaches which surround the Islands that comprise the UK.
I’m shocked and I’m British 😂
Australians genuinely seem to think that Brighton is the only beach we have in the UK and hence that we only have stones everywhere and no sand. They like to gloat about it and they can get quite miffed and disbelieving when you tell them it’s not actually true.
An American once asked me if we have beaches in Britain. When I said we're an island, I still got a blank look from him.
@@laurawilliams1090I guess they need to gloat when half their country is basically uninhabitable. Whatever makes people feel better. 😂
When I was in my early 20s I drove 3000.00 miles around Europe. France ,Belgium, Luxembourg,Germany, Austria Italy and Switzerland. All on the other side of the road. I never went wrong once.
did the same, and with a trailer. Great times not sure I would like to do North France coast today.
Roundabouts...my home town Milton Keynes in England is loosely based on american blocks but the junctions do NOT have traffic lights we have 130 roundabouts one or two of the major ones ar light controlled during peak periods. It all works traffic flow is smooth for the most part.
Im British and was raised in NZ. Never expoaed to guns...At 17 I travelled to Canada. We stopped at the LA airport for severl hours and (way back then), you were allowed to wander around the airport while waiting for your transfer flight..... I missed my next flight!! There qere 2 armed police standing across from me. Just chatting casually but not only did they have revolvers, that had what seemed like massive assault weapons.I was literally too scared to move. I wasnt aware this was the norm and thought something horrendous was about to go down
we also do not have drills at school where we have to learn what to do if someone has a gun
UK Schools. Sadly I’m afraid we do have intruder drills in our schools. They are not specifically just for armed intruders but any intruders that is posing a threat. It could be a vicious dog, a lone gunman or terrorist. All UK schools are required to have a plan in place and practice going into lockdown.
If someone at our school had a gun there's be a queue to see it .. a bit like that time in primary school when someone spotted a snake
@@DebClaydon I guess that's a new thing, or specific to some schools? I did lots of fire drills, but never an intruder drill, at school in England
@@nathangamble125no they’re not new, been around at least 10 yrs. They are kept quiet though because that’s the point of them. You don’t want to advertise what the lockdown procedures are or else an attacker would know where to look.
I know someone who was arrested by the police in the UK. (She was in a road traffic accident, accidentally missed her court date and was arrested to be taken to court.)
And apparently the police were actually quite nice to her. She was calm and polite so they didn’t cuff her, gave her plenty of tea, juice, biscuits and a hot meal in custody along with a couple of books to read. She was released next day but they were nice enough to her.
Our criminals, like the Kray Twins, are so much more civilised too.
Can't remember when it was but the police were renamed from 'police force' to 'police service' as they were much more seen as a service to John Q rather than some force that subjecated him.
I remember, ' when I were a lad ' there was a little ditty that went "if you want to know the time ask a policeman" even now if you are lost or 'unsure of your posistion' or want to know how to get somewhere ask a policeman, there is not the suspicion (on either side) that you may be trying to harm them.
The rules regarding gun ownership are very strict. You have to have proper certificates, both for the gun and to buy ammunition, and carry them when you are out shooting. When shooting you have to be a given distance away from houses, public ways, even the centre of a road. Basically it's the same attitude as to owning and driving a car - you have to take a test, have insurance, follow the roads of the road etc etc etc.
I literally just found this channel and I just realised you uploaded this like 20 minutes ago haha
Regarding driving on the left side of the road and the confusion that might come from doing so, don't forget that the driving position is on the opposite side of the vehicle. If you're hiring a car, you'll need to specify an automatic as the majority of cars in the UK are manual/stick shift.
I only discovered your reaction videos last week and now I'm obsessed in watching them they're informative and funny and some things shock me and I'm from England keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing new ones you make
I spent some time in the States a long time ago and it always appeared to me that the police were acting like an occupying force and that the public were the enemy. Although I did ask a NY policeman directions and he was very polite and friendly.
I got so confused when I asked a NY policeman directions at a subway, and he said go north and me not know N from S asked do I turn left or right and he said it’s all the same. I’m still wondering about that one.
We were told as little kids, both in school and by parents, that if we were ever lost, got separated from them or were just scared, to ask a policeman or a shopkeeper for help.
I remember falling off my bike and starting to cry. Three different small shop owners rushed out, leaving their shops unmanned, to help me. I got my knees bandaged, a free ice cream for comfort and a lift home with my beat up bike. Customers waited patiently in the driver's shop while I was looked after. Everyone was kind and sympathetic to a hurt 7 year old, while the three shop owners discussed how to get me home in a time when, like most families, we didn't have a house phone. Pre supermarkets, the high street was very much a community centre. Sad that they are almost gone because big business now rules the world.
Before the dawn of digital anything, when I was a schoolboy in London aged 8-13, there was a common saying, used to encourage us boys to seek a policeman if we were ever lost or afraid, " If you want to know the time, ask a policeman". Such an idea has never occurred to me when in the US! 🥴
Pretty sure this is still taught to kids as a safety measure.
I'm from a very poor background, and while we'd never be encouraged to talk to them about other stuff because over policing; being lost was the exceptions.
In the UK almost nobody owns a gun, so police don't routinely carry firearms. We have special 'armed-response units' if needed though. Here's an example of one time I came into contact with the police; I once got a puncture on my car while driving home on a main road. The police pulled up by me and actually changed the wheel for me. They were friendly and helpful. Just the norm here mostly.
driving on the 'other' side of the road - is something we do whenever we take a ferry, or channel tunnel over to europe - its a bit strange at first, but after an hour or two you soon settle in. - the biggest challenge is understanding the different rules and road signs in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany etc
It's not too hard, just give yourself time to adjust, and don't rush your decision making
Tyler, in the Midlands we call a roundabout "an island" 🙂
My husband and I recently took a road trip, driving from Chicago to New Orleans (it was great btw!) and we spoke to quite a few police officers for directions etc and they were universally kind and helpful. It’s just the obvious thing for us Brits to do so maybe Americans should try it too!,
Even as an English person I drive around as part of my work, and am often struck at how beautiful our countryside actually is. I love watching the changing seasons and the wildlife. I am often filled with a sense of inner peace and slight exuberance when driving in the countryside.
When I finished work this morning. I heard a couple of Eastern Europeans talking about our summer here in the UK. One said we should have a summer soon. I did think to myself "how long have they been in the UK?". Then I thought they must have been out of the UK and missed it. We did have a summer about a month ago for a week. Well heat wave.
I grew up part of the time in Africa. Give me British weather including British summer any time. We are so lucky here to have a temperate climate without extremes. Running out of water, fainting from heat and regular bushfires are no fun. It doesn't even get very cold in England, it's the ideal Goldilocks climate as far as I'm concerned.
People don't seem to realise that we have been having long hot summers for years, especially in the south. I work outside. Most years lately it has been hot and mostly dry for runs of up to 10 weeks in certain areas.
Tyler, you definitely need to watch downtown abbey! You’ll love it x
The reason that the British Police do not as a rule have firearms is it is very difficult for the general public to obtain them. You will however see armed police at places like airports or anywhere they have intelligence of a terrorist threat. So there are Armed Trained Police Officers if needed but you virtually never see them on a day to day basis.
One place you will generally see them as a tourist is at the largest tourist spots.
Outside parliament, outside the palaces, and sorry on
We don't see many unarmed police officers either these days. My word, they're thin on the ground now. Presumably they're concentrated in trouble spots. Thankfully, the majority of England, outside the big cities, is pretty much self-regulating. 🙂🇬🇧
And if they don’t have guns then they have tasers.
You bump into someone and they are the one who apologises. That's one way to know you've met a true Brit, it's just the way we are. Please keep posting your videos Tyler, it's great to see an American's reaction to our country and our ways. In most part of Britain you can get by without a car because public transport links are good and in town a lot is within walking distance.
Australians tend to do the
Same
Big stately homes need a lot of upkeep, so opening them for tourism is a way to fund them. Some of them are free to visit and make money off souveniers and donations, and some charge an entry fee. The free ones are probably becoming less and less though.
As for the police not carrying guns, the general public don;t carry guns either.
No we don't its only criminals who are caught with illegal guns, Farmers and landowners have licenced weapons which must be kept in "locked gimn cabinets. and the Police can checked regularly that they are.
I'm here in Manchester (England) right now, and I've been walking a lot with my (30 yr old) Canadian daughter, crossing roads a lot. I've been aware that she hasn't been keeping as good a lookout for traffic as I would like and I had to teach her what to look out for. Having lived in Canad myself for over 10 years now I know the traffic patterns on both sides, and I think I understand where she was going wrong:
In North America you have stop signs everywhere, and very few roundabouts. So you're used to traffic stopping at junctions, and to having pedestrian crossings (crosswalks) at those junctions. So unless there is a car at the junction, a pedestrian expects all cars to stop and it is therefore safe to cross without really looking for cars. In fact, the concept of pedestrians crossing at junctions is so entrenched that you have the offence of jay-walking to cross the road anywhere else. Does that make sense?
In Britain, we don't use stop signs, and we have roundabouts instead. The whole idea of roundabouts is that unless there is a reason to stop (i.e. there's a car on the roundabout, coming at you from the right) you keep going. If there's no need to stop, you don't. So roundabouts are not generally good places to cross the road, and we don't put pedestrian crossings there. We tend to cross roads anywhere there's a gap in the traffic, and jay-walking is not an offence. For wider, busy roads we have used zebra crossings for decades, now with traffic lights and called pelican crossings, to force a gap in the traffic. Or else we put a traffic island in the middle of the road so that you can cross one stream of traffic and wait in the middle for a gap in the other direction. But we definitely don't put crossings at roundabouts, because we don't want to break up the flow of traffic there.
But where I live in Canada, they have replaced traffic lights with roundabouts in a couple of places. Good move? No, because they don't understand them. They've built roundabouts with pedestrian crossings (crosswalks) across the road at the entrance to the roundabout, simply because that's where people expect them to be. And as a driver who is used to roundabouts, that really confuses me - just as roundabouts tend to confuse the locals. There's more to roundabouts than meets the eye, and there are wider implications of their use that go far beyond just keeping the traffic flowing - they should change your whole mindset about how traffic interacts with pedestrians and cyclists, too.
Thankfully my daughter survived her brushes with death, walking across the roads in Manchester, and is now safely back home. :o) Her strategy was to always look for the traffic-light controlled crossings, and to always obey the lights. As we saw with the locals here, that was unusual: If there was a break in the traffic, even though your pedestrian light was red, they would cross. We didn't. I couldn't persuade her to follow them... :o)
I totally got your anxiety on the roundabouts / driving on the left - As a Brit I found driving in the US to be so so hard - turning out of a mall and turning right directly in to on-coming traffic - so tough!!
My sister & family live in California. On my 2nd visit, we went touring to lots of places from Las Vegas to Phoenix & Taos, and it meant that I also had to drive to give my sister & brother-in-law a rest. My niece had just passed her driving test but wasn't considered an experienced enough driver to tackle the Freeways & Interstate roads. The first time I got behind the wheel I was ok but once we hit the first major Freeway and I discovered that you are allowed to undertake in the States I did get scared as I had no idea where the next passing car was going to be coming from. My sister said you get used to it but I didn't because it's you're just not allowed to undertake on our Motorways
It's like turning right on a red light! Yes, that's a thing too, as long as there is no traffic coming from the left you can turn right on a red light. If you go through a red light, any red light in the U.K. if you are spotted by the police, you can be prosecuted. I felt so uncomfortable being yelled at - it's ok you can go through the light, just turn the wheel & drive - that by the time I decided that I was going to go through the red light, it was too late & the lights had changed. When they changed back I was off like a shot but I felt so guilty, doing something that I knew I could get prosecuted for back home..
England is famous for its beautiful picturesque villages like the Cotswolds, Peak District and coastal Cornwall where the sea is azure blue with mini palm trees.
On the subject of driving, I don't drive and wouldn't want to either, I just jump on a bus or take the tube or train, and I get free travel!
The biggest difference between the police is the USA its known as the Police force in the UK its called the police service. I think that sums it up best. Police in the USA will try and force a situation to end where in the UK they try and talk it down.
British police think reasonable force on an unwilling suspect is tacking them to the ground, cuffing them, then sitting then up so they are more comfortable while they wait for the police van....
American police think 300 bullets is reasonable force
@@dasy2k1 British police will fight if necessary but the force they use is different. I get that it's 2 completely different cultures. And usa cops never know if someone is armed with a gun or knife so are straight on the defensive. Most would then go to what the rest of Europe would call attack mode. British police and European police will use the force necessary for a situation. Personally I think they are better at reading people and situations.
@@samstevens7888 absolutely.
Our police will generally use the minimum amount of force necessary in the situation. A rugby tackle being fairly low in the spectrum of force all things considered.... And they will move up that ladder only as the situation dictates
It may be an exaggeration sometimes but it appears American police start with lethal force and then sometimes decide to move down the ladder if they feel like it
@@dasy2k1 totally agree. Although most American small town police don't seem to be aggressive from what I've personally witnessed. My dad moved over there over 40 years ago so I've spent alot of time in a few different small cities in florida and tennessee. I also know alot of people who run farms out there and they have the same opinion. A few came from big cities we often talk about the differences of life here and there.
Big Ben is not a tower, it’s a bell. The tower is the Queen Elizabeth II Tower.
i come from a working class family, if i told you we hoilday in a stately howm for 2 weeks a year for 15 years, it was worthely hall, 70's through 80's im happy to send you pics and the full info, as its long winded, to comment, im happy to comment long description if people want to know, best time of my life as a child and teenager
We're a great bunch, we love visitors. Especially Americans cos there is always plenty of humour and sarcasm related to our overseas buddies. All in good faith.
Many stately homes and almost all castles, manor houses, abbeys etc are owned by English Heritage or the National Trust or a third party who of course will want as many people as possible to pay to visit them. Some are privately owned - but many of these privately owned stately home owners are desperate for cash to keep the houses going, they don't heat or maintain themselves and it can cost a lot of money, so even they will allow tourists to visit the areas of the house that they aren't living in. And they'll even convert the grounds into landscape gardens, zoos, aviaries, theme parks etc. Anything to get the punters through the gates...
Tyler! Your reactions and honest comments about America/Americans are soooo funny, I’m laughing my head off 🤣🤣🤣
Despite many roundabouts and narrow streets, often forcing the drivers to pull up to let each other pass through, driving in the UK is very easy and safe as the drivers are mainly considered and polite, always giving each other way! When you drive in the UK, you’ll just have to constantly remind yourself to drive in the left lane and then your brain will register it pretty quickly! I had driven only in the UK for 24 years, and this summer, I started driving abroad on the other side for the first time😬it was quite nerve wrecking in the beginning😰 I drove into the wrong lane on a number of occasions but thankfully no accidents happened🙏 I then kept on repeating to myself “right side, right side, right side!” After a few days, I started getting better and better, and now I’m totally confident😊
You should do a reaction to the UK National Trust and English Heritage websites. Downton Abbey is filmed at Highclere Castle near Newbury which also has it's own website.
You can stay in castles.
AND (wait for it) - guess what ?
You can stay in haunted castles.!
Its just basic manners, it costs nothing to be kind/polite, to say please and thank you, hold a door open for someone. etc.
Treat Others The Way You'd Expect To Be Treated.
i live in england and there is 12 roundabouts within 5 miles of my house
when your a child you're always told to find a police officer if you get lost and to either ask directions or tell them you're lost and who you're parents are so they can help you find them
I remember being shocked at visiting New York in the early 1990s and asking a policeman for directions, Was totally shocked at the US cops reply. Taught me me UK Police are there to help, not just Police.
I had the same experience. Remember that you don’t need to have an education to be an American policeman.
It's still pleasantly warm on the east cost of England, even in October.
Im sitting out in the garden enjoying it.
The weather in Britain its unreliable. You can get 4 distinct seasons in one day. As for Downton Abbey, I was addicted to Maggie Smiths one liners as the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley.
You can get around uk without a car, it is nice to have but its really not essential.
The first time I drove on the right was in 1991 in the US it was between Miami International airport to Orlando which I did I was nervous at first but soon got it that you have to look in both mirrors to see if it’s clear over here in England it’s illegal to undertake another car!
I went to US for the first time in 1996, arrived at Houston Airport and saw a policeman carrying this huge gun. It was certainly an eye opener. I had only seen it in TV so it was quite a shock
London has a lower average rainfall than Newyork
Much lower.
I used to work for Microsoft in the UK and we had a lot of American visitors. One of the things that I would do is take them for a drive to explain how to navigate roundabouts. There were 2 that you had to use to get to the office.
On a recent trip to NYC I asked a policeman for directions and he was very friendly and helpful. Was I just lucky or is it a question of expectations?
Lucky 😊
I work for a police force in wales and our forces do have firearm teams. They typically deal with security of visitors VIP etc and all forces have a different level of gun crime. We also have officers who patrol on foot so that they are in the community and can interact with tourists or local residents
That's how the old families who own their ancestral manors etc pay for the upkeep. Tourists! It's very expensive to maintain a huge old pile of bricks like that.
Roundabouts are extremely common in the UK, my 5 minute drive to the shop has 2 of them, a 10 minute journey to my partners house has 4 of them!
Also almost every entrance to a motorway (highway) is a large roundabout allowing you to leave or join without waiting for traffic lights or stopping at a junction.
You may have heard them mentioned more than you realise as we tend to call them an island :)
There are a lot of stately homes that are maintained and turned into sort of museums by the national Trust. Who generally acquire any historical architecture who's owners are no longer able to keep it up or who don't want it anymore. They maintain some of the rooms in states that they would have been in 200 - 300 years ago, or even longer. So yeah, you can just go in and look around, tho you may have to pay (the trust has to be able to afford all the stuff they do somehow)
My husband was quite shocked while on vacation in the US 8:30 8:31 to come across several roundabouts. We thought we only had them in the UK
We use them a lot in Australia too
As a child you’re always taught that if you get lost you find a policeman and tell him you’re lost and your parents have gone AWOL.
Roundabouts are VERY common in the UK and Europe. One to avoid is Swindon’s Magic Roundabout 😳
It might also be a shock that 'tea and crumpets' isn't a thing. We drink tea and eat crumpets but it's not a thing. Tea and a biscuit to dunk, that's a thing.
I have had tea and crumpets at the same time, but that's just a case of having my daily morning mug of tea and treating myself to some crumpets. It's a coincidence, not a thing I go outta my way to do.
Tea though is most definitely a thing. I can't get by without about 10 cups a day. And I make sure I have plenty in my suitcase when I travel.
As a Brit, it took me 3 days to get used to driving on the right. It made it easier as I also went from manual in England to automatic in the USA, Automatically geared cars almost drive themselves, compared to manual cars!
Each area in Britain has its own distinct beauty. Fens, Broads, Moors, Heathlands, Mountains, Lake Districts, Peak Districts, Wolds and Dales. And areas have their own dialects and accents. It is a really lovely and historic set of countries. But most of our places are not as sprawling as yours our high streets for example are usually only wide enough for two lanes and a third lane that is for parking. It seems that your towns are almost the size of small cities. It’s no wonder you have to drive everywhere! If you want to see cops with guns there are armed police at the main entrance of St James palace. That is where you can see the Horse Guards but it is where the two regiments are stationed to guard the Place. But they are incredibly helpful and are still polite when they are peed off by stoopid tourists! They command with manners and polite firmness! You will find that it’s typically Britain if Scotland or Wales win an international competition but it’s England if England wins one! 😂🤭🖖
Swindon Wiltshire is famous from 1 particular roundabout which has 5 mini roundabouts arranged in a circle ( look it up ) its known as the magic roundabout which the Swindoners nicked named it. The local council legally changed it
I remember one time I was staying with my in-laws who are Tennesseans, I am from Wales and they kept saying England meaning the U.K. I corrected them but they kept doing it… I then just kept referring to the entirety of the USA as New York and then they realised haha
I'm English and can see why people from other parts of the UK would not want to be called English. You used a very good analogy to get your point across.
When it comes down to basics, the police are people too, they have good days and bad days like all of us, on average they have an awful lot of patience dealing with people.I worked for a civilian contract and got on alright with them, when they are not under pressure, they are happy to have a laugh and joke. I picked up a police woman whose car had broken down, had a laugh, teased her a bit about an incident that happened sometime before and even played with her police dog, a beautiful German shepherd, treat them with respect and they will respond the same way
Calling all of the UK England would be like referring to all of the US as Florida
This...
Americans don't know the difference.
No matter how many times they're told.
I have just travelled there and back to the supermarket approx 4 miles in that time I have used 4 roundabouts , each way, easy
The roundabouts are not bad, there is a couple of reasons for this and a couple that helps, i drove 4 times from the uk to spain, having to drive the length of france and spain, they also have roundabouts, its not a uk thing, but i was in right hand drive, van, it was hard because i sat on the right, had to position myseld to see traffic at the cirlcles lol, when i first did it, i had sat nav, it tells you where to drive, that aside, if you rent a car, your going to be on the right side to drive, its easier that a car that is on the wrong side like right hand drive i uk, to left hand drive.
The biggest problem his habbit, if you rent a car, your brain with tell you to get in the car, but, you guessed it, your sitting the seat with no steering wheel, seen it happy, i actualy have done it 5 times and i now prefer to be on the wrong side going through europe, only trouble is toll booths, you have to pull up climb over seats to pay, but i normally get myselft ready,
Roundabouts are the most efficient and safest way to manage traffic from 3, 4 or more directions. No stopping for lights, no delays and no risk of someone T boning you. Just merge in and go.
Funfact: Roundabouts are becoming more popular with local administrations all over the USA.