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Question for the Brits

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finlay
Member
#11 · Posted: 25 Sep 2004 18:57
We have hotels in service stations next to motorways, but we don't call them motels.
Jyrki21
Member
#12 · Posted: 19 Oct 2004 03:45
Okay, my British friends, a couple more questions:

1) with about 10 days in Nottingham, are there any can't-misses for me? I'm mostly going to hang out with my cousin, and I'll spend a fair bit of the time working on a paper, but there'll be plenty of leisure too.

2) what is the thing I want to do/place I want to be for Guy Fawkes Day? I'll be there for both it and Hallowe'en -- which I understand you folks do now as well. :)

3) what are reasonable day-trips from Nottingham? I'm willing to see anything from quaint tiny towns to other city to the middle of Sherwood Forest.

Thanks!
jockosjungle
Member
#13 · Posted: 19 Oct 2004 09:24
There is plenty to do in and around Nottingham, my family is from there and I've spent many a happy summer in Nottm!

Are you a fan of Robin Hood? Plenty to see and do regarding him.

1. Nottingham Castle
2. Sherwood Forest (a bus ride away but worth it to see the Major Oak)
3. Tales of Robin Hood (this is basically a ride and a souvenir shop, i'd avoid this)
4. Robin Hood statue

Guy Fawkes night, there will be a number of large fireworks/bonfires in Nottingham I would imagine, check with your cousin and go to one of them. There is probably one at the castle but i'm not sure.

Halloween - Not really sure what you expect to do for this, stay at home and hand out sweets to any children who come knocking? it's not really a massive deal in England unless you are a child.

Plenty of stuff is a reasonabe day trip from Nottingham, it is pretty centralised. Not sure what your travel arrangements will be, whether you have a car, etc, or whether you have been to Enfland before.

But lots of things are a bus/train/car trip away.

1. Alton Towers, UK's best Theme Park
2. York
3. Skegness (typical British seaside resort)

Not really sure what your tastes are. But the Robin Hood stuff is definitely a must see. If you tell people in Canada that you went to Nottingham it will be the first thing they ask, did you see Sherwood Forest and the Castle.

Rik
finlay
Member
#14 · Posted: 20 Oct 2004 12:11
One interesting thing about Hallowe'en in Scotland is that we don't really have trick-or-treat, we have guising, where people go round houses dressed up and asking for sweets, but they also sing a song (or do a little dance or something); instead of having that sentiment of "give me sweeties or I'll egg you". OTOH, I've heard that Asda throughout Britain have banned sales of eggs to children, which just shows that England isn't quite as kind-hearted on Hallowe'en. :P
We also have little traditions like apple-dooking (sp?), where there's lots of apples floating in a bowl and you have to pick them out with just your mouth, and I'm not sure at all if this ever happens in England, and I have the feeling it doesn't.

But anyway, I hardly have a clue about what to do or see while in England. All I know is that York is an impressive historic town with a massive cathedral (which you can climb up).
jock123
Moderator
#15 · Posted: 20 Oct 2004 13:50
Ah, apple-dooking!! A way to get wet, cold and miserable very quickly, I recall!! Did you ever do the one with eating jeelly pieces (bread and jam, to the un-initiated) hanging from strings? That was messy too - worse if bread and treacle were used!

The Scottish/ Irish roots of the American Halloween are fairly well documented on the net, and Trick or Treat grew out of Guising (which survives in Yorkshire too - Mischevious night, they call it, and it had/ has some of the more anti-social tricking involved).
jockosjungle
Member
#16 · Posted: 20 Oct 2004 14:54
Haha, in England we call it Apple Bobbing. Also done the eating apples from strings but not jelly pieces.

I don't think egging is a tradition of halloween in this country TBH. It is more teenage yobs causing trouble rather than genuine trick or treaters

Rik
jock123
Moderator
#17 · Posted: 20 Oct 2004 16:44
jockosjungle
I don't think egging is a tradition of halloween in this country

In the case of my girlfriend's flat in London, which got hit, it was the middle-aged man from upstairs, who, coming home inibriated, lobbed an egg at his own windows, and missed.

Due to the position of the window, we've never quite managed to get it off...

So no, it isn't traditional, but all the perps aren't youngsters either... ;-)
Jyrki21
Member
#18 · Posted: 20 Oct 2004 22:06
"Bobbing for apples" in New World English. :)
finlay
Member
#19 · Posted: 24 Oct 2004 12:06
Did you ever do the one with eating jeelly pieces (bread and jam, to the un-initiated) hanging from strings? That was messy too - worse if bread and treacle were used!
Yes, I did that with treacle once and got very messy.

Trick or Treat is like a dumbened down, far more mean-spirited version of guising. I know a song that some people sing on Hallowe'en that goes:
Hallowe'en is coming, the goose is getting fat.
Please put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you don't have a penny,
Then a sweetie will do,
If you don't have a sweetie,
Then God bless you.

None of that "give me sweeties or I'll egg you" sentiment, see?

It could have been apple-bobbing, just I'm pretty sure it's apple-dooking for some reason.
jockosjungle
Member
#20 · Posted: 24 Oct 2004 13:39
It could well be that apple bobbing is just a regional dialect (cumbria)

That song is actually a Christmas song I believe, it is what I have always sung it as...

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.
Please put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you don't have a penny,
Then a ha'penny will do,
If you don't have a ha'penny,
Then God bless you.

Rik

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