English Postcards: Slim's Euro Trip Conclusion

English Postcards: Slim's Euro Trip Conclusion

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on the last video of my European travels   I boarded a train from Glasgow  Scotland and was heading south Well I made it to Birmingham which is I guess  central England more or less It's uh it's north   of London at least Uh interesting place It's a  little cool but it's not raining so that's good   And you can see the ferris wheel in the background one of the reasons I'm here is   there are a few of my YouTube friends  actually lived in the area and so gives me   a chance to chat and see how things are with  them and uh you know maybe go for a pint or two Birmingham is England's second largest city  and is well known as a manufacturers's hub  at the center of Great Britain While blessed with plenty of green space It also is famous for its locks  Not just the ones on Lover's Bridge but  that other kind that connected the canals  and moved supplies and goods since the industrial revolution Now those waterways are still in use and there's more canals in Birmingham than in Venice Now throughout those prosperous years those laborers needed somewhere to spend  their cash and Broad Street became a hot spot for food bars and entertainment So it's no surprise that many musicians came from Birmingham like Jeff Lynn of ELO the band UB40 and some other rock band whose name escapes me And it was by a famous bridge that I was now headed to meet a fellow music lover and his buddies Hi Mark Pleased to meet you ! All right This is my friend called Steve How are you doing Well we made it right on With Mark Paul and Steve  leading the way we only had one destination This was my first British pub And what a beautiful sight it was All decked out in wooden brass with all those tap handles  reminding me of a big brass pipe organ full of beer With each pipe a different note  the key I chose was in the tune of Guinness Cheers Slim Cheers Cheers Here we go Cheers Here's to a safe journey back to Canada Yeah And just a safe journey back to London I think it's about a safe journey back to my hotel is  a way to start! and We'll worry about Canada later At least when I got to Birmingham I get to see you guys Yep Which is good I appreciate it You  got me taking your time and show me around   Well it's been it's an honor to meet you for a start of because as I say you you did help with the camper and if it wasn't for you none of the  camper for the things that I did would would ever  have happened anyway So uh it's all good Well hey  you know if if it wasn't for people who watch my   videos I wouldn't be inspired to come to the UK  either But uh I have a very small I think it was   about 6% or something UK Okay Um Canada's only  13% So it's not that big in Canada So you know   all you know it's like only you know 50% less  for UK is pretty good Yeah Um Australia but I'm   not ready to fork over the dollars for Australia  Yet let's start with the UK cuz it's just across the  pond! right I said yeah Yeah You know what I mean I think best the best thing you've done is come   to Birmingham because it would be we was when I  told everybody that you were coming and they said   uh well I believe that when we see it Yeah So when  you first hinted to me that you were coming it was   a few months back way back and he said I might  do this Yeah I was I was thinking of it Yeah And   then I was around his and I said well you know  what this this could happen and he said yeah I   and then when it didn't happen you thought well  that's never going to happen Yeah Yeah And in   typical Canadian planning you know what I wouldn't  even say I wouldn't even say it's Canadian It's   just my planning which is none I just try to do  things in the spur of the moment and it's just   it's almost impossible Here's the plan I don't have one Yeah And to do Europe without a plan   uh I mean I it's just really really tough I mean travel is so more difficult now Yeah than when I started you know like 40-45 years ago Oh it's harder to travel now with the traffic   as well It's there's more traffic So intense It's harder to get accommodation Everything's  more money Um but I think it's because the world  has gone electronic social media I you can't you know most people book everything over their phones  Yeah Oh and everything's got to be booked as well   Yeah that's it and using GPS and uh communication  uh everything is by the phone Yeah which is good   and it's bad It's instant but if you lose your  phone you're see it's made it so convenient that   everybody's doing it Yeah It's not an effort  to you know back in the day you got a booking   People wouldn't really bother But now now it's  so simple to do You know it's so easy to do Just   everybody just picks it up and I'm on I'm on the  way Well it's kind of simple Whereas with me I mean I have a I have a phone Yeah And I can do  anything with this phone except make a phone call   Yeah that's right You can make and uh I cannot  make a phone call with this ever since I got to   Europe It has not worked as I put a a French SIM  card in it and I can't make a phone call So hey   go figure No you can't text Can't text No So but I  can talk The phone has not taken away my privilege   to have a one-to-one conversation to people And  that's that's kind of what this was about Yeah   You know I've had people well virtually all over  the world that have watched my videos one time or another  Um and I like to reach out every once in a while to them and actually shake their hand   and have a beer with them Yeah that's the correct  way to do it Yeah I think so Anyway Sim it's been a pleasure to meet you Yeah Same here it's been great Right on Never thought it would happen In fact   when you're here I didn't think it was going to happen Well well the next time you're in Canada and you want a pint Yeah in New Brunswick We'll  definitely be there Cheers Slim Cheers Cheers Cheers Cheers Well that pint cleared my head and  I suddenly remembered something about that canal  bridge that I'd mentioned earlier because on top of it sits a park bench The perfect place to sober  up after a night of partying And there's even some drug-crazed hippies to keep you company   How cool is that? Birmingham is home to something else which was very dear to my childhood Um when I was like 12 or 13 I was really into music and one of my favorite bands had this guy for a singer That's Ozzy! Black Sabbath I had their first  album I had Master of Reality I had Paranoid I had Volume 4 I love that I grew up with that  music along with Alice Cooper and the Rolling Stones and all that But I never thought I'd be  where it all started out which is Birmingham   They've got this bench here There's the Black Sabbath Bridge And we've got Ozzy We've got  Tony We've got Terry Geezer Butler and Bill Ward's in the back Bill's not looking too good He's by himself there But hey I finally made it My uh what do you call pilgrimage to Black Sabbath is now complete So beer and  Black Sabbath with friends was a great way to start my day But as the clock struck noon I  headed down the canal for another rendevous   Well unfortunately I'm not in Birmingham for  long And later on today I'm going to grab a train head for London  But before I go there's  one more person I really wanted to meet because   he's got a unique way of traveling camping so  to speak and just getting around to see the  sites that uh is very unique to this location  Hopefully I can meet him and we can grab a pint   And on the way I passed four Canada  geese who are obviously here on vacation As I watched a narrow boat maneuver a tight turn   I noticed a familiar face on  the other side of the canal Mr Potato Head I recognize this guy saying  "I'm doing to meet Slim potato head!"   I'm doing very well A viewer such a Fan Oh right on  Me too Just trying to get quick selfie Yeah Yeah   Yeah So uh there we go Got a bit of canal Well well well How are you I'm great And uh welcome to Birmingham Well thank you As is tradition here we went off to chat in another local pub Look who I've got here Hello it's David from "Cruising the Cut" One of my favorite of all time vloggers and I get to meet him in person Well likewise Slim one of my favorite uh video makers I don't even call you a vlogger You are a  craftsman of the art a storyteller supreme Well   I do try to tell a story as do you generally  try to Yes And uh what are the chances? Here you are in Birmingham England Hey you know what  I needed a break So you know I've been through   the US many many times I think it was time  to go somewhere different My uh grandmother I think was from the Kent area right And uh the  other side I think was Enfield somewhere around  there right Southern southern part of uh of  England Yeah Now you call it England you call it Great Britain but which is a preference? right  Uh England is England Wales is Wales and Scotland  is Scotland Yeah Those three together are Great  Britain If you then add in Northern Ireland you  have the United Kingdom of Great Britain and  Northern Ireland Makes sense Yeah So what are you? personally Half English half Welsh Okay but I call myself Canadian British British works You can't really say UK-ish  It doesn't work British If you notice in the background I know this is not a good angle  but we're by a canal and David literally camps and  travels on the canal It's totally an awesome uh concept You know can't do anything like that in  Canada No you've got a small amount of canals haven't you Somewhere I don't know a lot about  it but you've got some Well I guess around Niagara Falls and stuff like that You don't want  to go down the falls Ideally not No But there's uh for anyone who doesn't know there's about 2,000  miles of inland waterway canals um in England and  Wales All connected It's a big network You can  go all the way from London up north and east   and west and just travel about in these very long thin boats that are not called long boats   Uh they are narrow boats Uh because they are  long and narrow And look at this No gridlock If you don't if if you're tired of gridlock and I think there's a little bit of gridlock in uh in Birmingham is there not Uh there can be on the  roads Yes there can be on the canals Well there can be in summertime Yeah But but otherwise it's  a peaceful way But they have another instead of grid lock they have locks and uh you do get stuck on  that Maybe that's where the word grid lock comes from because when you have to go up down a lock  or up a lock this can take all day Well it's uh doing it single-handed it's about 15 minutes per lock Uh but if you got a whole flight of locks  it can take you all day Yes As the sign says it  takes 38 locks to get to Fazeley And just near here there's one with how many steps to go down? There's one with 13 locks in quick succession followed by another 12 locks in quick succession And I did  do that once on my own in a day and it did take  all day So be prepared It it might be better than going on the road but you know there's a little  give and take There's some disadvantages as well   as well but the thing is you probably don't use  a lot of fuel? No very uh parsimmonious on the  field just chugging along at 3 mph enjoying the canals enjoying the peace It's all about slowing down And I don't think there's a lot of noise either No noise of the diesel engine which some  are quieter than others but generally you   get bird song nature people talking to you from  the tow bar It's a it's a pleasant way of life All right yeh all right and what got you into this in the first  place? Uh just a whim really I just decided to quit my job and sell my house and pop about and live on it So I did That's the way to do it I'm a whim guy myself It's it's a whim for me to be here  in the first place I didn't plan anything I just   sort of went I did want to go with my daughter I  needed some time off with her because I hadn't  seen her for a while So I went to France I went  to Italy Now I'm in the UK and I'm loving it   So if you're looking for a unique lifestyle try narrow boating in Birmingham Now David's a wealth of info on the subject and I could talk to him  forever but those beers were taking effect and suddenly all I heard was blah blah blah blah  blah blah Anything else to say No How about goodbye Welcome to the UK and goodbye Exactly Check out David you know uh cruising the cut and uh you're really going to love it I know a  lot of people in the US are probably not as familiar but totally recommend it you know  he could talk about anything and it's still interesting You are very very kind! and He's a good photographer too Thank you! Well I'm not going to be in Birmingham much longer I actually uh go on a train tonight to London which leads me to that British  icon called the Underground And as my feet finally touch a London  street the first thing I see is Big Ben As I glanced across the temps my stomach  started to growl but finding good places to eat was a little confusing to  me Some names didn't seem that appetizing and I didn't find a lot of vegetarian  choices Plus where I come from spotted dick means go see a doctor !!! I usually love Indian food but  this name made me a little queasy so I settled for noodles Lunchtime downtown  London Ned's noodles which is uh rice noodles sweet and sour sauce  and tofu About 10 lbs What do we get? That's it! Looks like a meal I'm feeling I'm going to lose some  of it but there we go Noodle time Seriously nothing special I'm just hungry London is one of the most diverse cities in the world where Charles Dickens meets the devil and traditions complement the modern But it was George Gershwin that inspired my first visit to a landmark as I wanted to see if the  lyrics to "a foggy day" were actually true Well two things were instantly charming as soon as I walked through the front doors No reservation was required and it was free It had all the stuff a museum should  have and the architecture was quite interesting Now don't get me wrong it's  a very impressive museum However perhaps because I just visited the Louvre in France and  the Kelvingrove in Scotland I was feeling a little bit of museum fatigue by the time  I arrived here but it does have some very impressive artifacts like the Rosetta Stone It's famous for being the key piece of the puzzle in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as it  was written in two languages and three scripts Unfortunately there's no infinite wisdom written here just a promo piece for King Ptolomy V from 196 BC Well after the British  Museum had lost its charm you go for ice cream and waffles Now don't be too discouraged by my  diet as it did get a little healthier later on After a little history I craved a little  nature so headed to the famous parks of London In Hyde Park this lowhanging tree  caught my eye and curiosity got the best of me Now this is cool I'm inside a tree underneath its branches I don't know what kind of tree it is but it's got its own little room underneath  here It's so uh the branches are just so tight The little pigeon likes it too So cool St James Park has a lake  that's known for its water fowl And between St James Park and  Hyde Park is another famous landmark Buckingham Palace Big Ben showed me the afternoon was  almost over so back to the underground I went Well I couldn't go to UK without  seeing Stonehenge Today is the day Trains are the prime way  to travel in England and most destinations here are connected by rail but the last part of this trip was by bus Thank you Home to the crows and still visited by  modern-day druids This is where an ancient Neolithic  temple has stood for 4500 years Welcome to the place now known as Stonehenge Now one thing that I found surprising is it's pretty casual here at Stonehenge The way it should be But I was expecting a lot of security  and massive fences and like all these and signs   Don't go here don't go here But uh I mean there are fences you know these little ropes   around And as far as access no you can't go in amongst the rocks but you can walk around them fine  Walking around them as as many times as you want And there's these areas these grassy areas you can sit out in And uh it's kind of neat And you know I mean you're supposed to be relaxed You're supposed to you know take  this you know for whatever spiritual meaning   or historical meaning that you may This is far  more casual and it's a lot easier to appreciate   As the sun dipped lower thousands of  spider webs glistened in the grass As each time of day reveals a different Stonehenge Uh it's probably a little harder at sunset because uh a lot of the buses go back at like 4:30 but um you can get around that as well And those are the people I really want to talk to Just beyond the gate at the fringes of a field the viewpoint is a little different This is where today's gypsies reside No longer in wagons but in vans or caravans as they call them here Britain has a large wild camping community And being blessed with  a more moderate climate than North America the travel season is a lot longer I see many  advantages to renting a van to explore Britain In the distance are small  mounds called barrows These are ancient burial grounds from the Bronze Age With dusk approaching this is the most magical time to view the rocks as it's believed they were all intentionally placed to align with  the rising and setting sun On the last few minutes of daylight  the stones glow in ghostly colors and the crows stake out their thrones as the tourists depart for those lucky enough to spend  a night here It must be a transcendental  experience But unfortunately I also have to uh rely on transportation   And the last bus leaves in a few minutes So I bit a dude to Stonehenge Got to go An orange full moon replaced the setting  sun and glowed all night as I slept By morning it had faded as  a new journey was about to begin I'm on my way to Dover Dover is a port town in Kent on  the southeast corner of England   It's known for its chalk white cliffs its  ferry terminal to France and the Dover Castle As I'd never visited a castle this  was my first destination But not without a classic British breakfast a vegetarian  one at that from Cafe Milange And it was awesome Dover Castle is one of the  largest in England Initially built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror But it was King Henry II that built the  stone fortress you see today in the 12th century Now there is at least one  structure that's much older This Roman lighthouse built when  the Romans invaded in AD43 This makes it one of the oldest  buildings still standing in England today Wandering these halls you feel the  sense of confinement in these massive walls And the eerie sounds  that echo in the corridors  are not howls from the dungeon Only  those whiny little kids of tourists It certainly had that medieval charm Although I wish the gate fee included  a jeweled goblet of wine I took one last look over the battlements and spotted a coastline that beckoned to be explored Fortunately there was even a foot path As the sun was getting low it was time  to put this walk into high gear After about half an hour I finally  reached the place I was looking for Well it was about an 8 mile walk  but I made it to the outlook for   the White Cliffs at Dover Right there is the  English Channel and way over there is France I watched one last ferry dock before nightfall Time to go back up North But on my way back I found  something I wasn't expecting to see   a pickup truck and with a camper  on the bed This was a nice setup and it confirms that even on the white cliffs of Dover they appreciate wheeled travelers Another day over another train to London  and one final destination I needed to reach New Barnett is a burrow northeast of London and I had a personal quest that  I had to fulfill from here This old photo from 1895 shows my late grandmother Violet seen in white out on a horse and buggy ride in Eping Forest Her father who is beside her on the rains also had a hardware shop in New Barnett I was curious to  see if the original building was still standing Well according to the phone I'm real close 61 I'm here I believe the original address took up two spaces and it was the one on the right that   had the identical pillars on each side  This was definitely the right building   but instead of a hardware store it now sold used clothing so I went inside to check it out When I told the lady at the counter she  was thrilled to find out its history   and passed on my picture to the local  historical society Time for a special photo Here's my great-grandfather Rudland in 1922 and his greatgrandson in 2024 102 years later Well it's great because it's now a  hospice and it sells used goods for really cheap prices to people who just can't afford new Is there anything I got? Well I had my eyes on something red A record Westside Story Not exactly British but hey it's only a pound My quest now fulfilled It was back to the trains one more time I did make a stop at Cambridge Circus and Charing Cross This gave me a chance to marvel  at Zach Lieberman's 4-minute work entitled "Color Stripe Study" at the Outermat Now remember the bad luck I had  at restaurants? I finally got it  right right by ordering banjan birani at the Baga restaurant home of authentic Persian cuisine   It's eggplant and yogurt with rice  vegetable nan and a fruit juice What a meal! Ummmm! Melts in your mouth Really good On my very last morning it finally  rained I had traveled through France Italy Scotland and England without even  an umbrella except this last day Well this is my last double-decker bus ride as I head for Heathrow airport I really love this tour of Europe but I really miss my cabin as well It's time to go home   I hope you enjoyed this  video Check out my others as well Perhaps the sky was crying as I bid Europe goodbye It was certainly a wonderful journey  a part of the world I would love to return to A special thanks to Mark Paul  Steve and David And a sincere thank you to all my viewers who came along  for the ride Safe travels everyone

2025-05-10 19:35

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