Why do British cities look so ugly, grey and monochromatic compared with other European cities?
You don’t really know Europe do you. That’s fine you live in Brazil and I suspect you only know Europe by reputation.There are many British towns and cities which are easily an equal to anything on the continent and by the way Britain is Europe so your question is in error. Here are a fewYork (I lived here in my adolescence and have very happy memories, it has just been voted the best place in the UK to live but I have known that for 45 years)LANCASTER (Cannot mention York without Lancaster otherwise the North Westerners would kill me)Chester (I love this city)OxfordIf you mistake that for Rome I can understand however its a better University or anywhere on the continentCambridge(for balance you understand don’t want to start a war as my son is at University here, it also has a better University than Rome or anywhere on the continent)Robin Hoods Bay(I love this town I spent many a happy Sunday evening in the Pub just to the right of this picture.)I love this town I spent many a happy Sunday evenings in the Pub just to the right of this picture.Portmerion(This was the setting for the Danger Man spin off ‘The Prisoner’ in the late 60’s and most people never knew it existed, its one of the most beautiful towns in Britain without doubt and looks like a cinema set)Is that Italy NO its Wales no kiddingSt MawesCornwall (highly recommended)I could go on and on and on.I guess in Brazil you have a lot of very beautiful landscape but your cities are not that pleasant and there is nothing on the level of our towns and villages in the UK.As far as Europe is concerned I have always loved our Continent and have always felt fortunate to live in such a beautiful and incredible place. I am a proud European. To me and many who know our continent the UK has more than its fair share of beautiful towns and villages and it can also boast some of the most gorgeous landscapes as well, one of them from my homeland Wales I will leave you with, enjoy.
What is the biggest eyesore on the landscape of England? Buildings, artwork, anything manmade counts.
Oh city dwellers, get over the fact that concrete happened!Eyesores usually have an interesting history, and, from what I can see, a lot of the ugly buildings mentioned above are regarded with a sort of affection (The Barbican is not the prettiest building in the world, but I like it a lot). Some places have not done so well from the concrete revolution, and they are too numerous to list, but any small to middle sized city in Britain will have their own relics from the sixties.So, I'm resisting the urge to answer this question with 'the whole of Aberdeen' by nominating this peculiar hangover the days of early aviation: A set of acoustic mirrors based in Dungeness in Kent. They were used to to detect German bombers, and I think the government simply didn't bother to take them down after the war, and they have now become part of a nature reserve. I like this: I think it shows that even the most brutal and utilitarian of structures can be reinvented after they have finished their service life. I think it also reveals clues about how we regard and understand buildings (ie. we build up complex relationships with the places we inhabit, even if we are using them for a very narrow purpose).Anyway, here are some pictures that I have stolen off of the interwebz:
Someone told me that London is ugly compared to Paris and I should never visit. Is this true?
As someone who has lived in both cities I feel qualified to answer that. First, it would be good to understand your definition of beauty. It’s architecture? Weather? Cleaning? People?Architecture - to me they are both equally beautiful, but i can see why someone would prefer Paris. London buildings are more “squared”, like the typical red brick ones, while Paris buildings are more florished and decorated.Cleaning - London. The streets and the buildings are much cleaner and well taken care of. Everything is more organized and better maintained than in Paris.Weather - Paris. It has more sunny days and it’s slightly warmer than london.People - London (emphatically!). In my experience Londoners are much nicer to tourists than Parisians, and make a bigger effort to make you feel welcomed and wanted. Parisians are known for their lack of patience, arrogance and rudeness, and I’ve read that many Chinese tourists leave Paris depressed by the way they are treated.Food - London (whaaat? Sacrilege). Sure, Parisian high cuisine is creative and interesting, but the average bistro is just boring food. Everywhere you go is entrecote with fries, omelette with fries, burger with fries, duck leg with… fries. If you are lucky, they may replace the fries for green beans, but after a while I was bored to see the same menus over and over. Not that British food is much better, but in London you have a bigger diversity of restaurants and world cuisine so you don’t get stuck with fish and chips all the time.Overall I prefer London, but both cities are interesting enough that I’d suggest you visit both.
Anyone got a good christmas cracker joke?
Question: If a blonde and a brunette fell off a building, who would hit the ground first? Answer: The brunette - the blonde would have to stop for directions!
Why are modern Italians not as innovative and inventive as their ancestors were? what happened?
As Romans & there after as citizens of Tuscany, Piedmont, Venezia, the kingdom of Naples & so on they were really the most intellectual types in Europe. Arts need prosperity too to be nurtured, groomed & express itself. After Unification of Italy that verve was lost - with Garibaldi, who could be tagged a Frenchman creating confusion.The switch over from Roman identity to, Italian identity (shouting loud "We are not Romans") was not easy. There were periods of confusion who they were, standing where they were. Later on after Napoleonic wars Italians became suddenly trigger happy, but they couldn't match their prowess with other trigger happy people. When beaten they resorted to subterfuge & other unholy methods to get even. It all resulted in the evolution of the Sicilian clans who expanded into the New World where their natural instincts came very handy for survival. Though once in a while they dabbled in arts like music & occasionally sports they quickly retraced their steps & settled for the underworld. They were acutely aware of the limited size of their country & tried to migrate far & wide. They took to culinary arts later instead of mainstream arts & you see the result now. Pizzas are made & available in every nook & cranny of this world, albeit with the addition of local flavours. It is far better than the fussy cooking norms of the French that you can't carry outside France. I heard this story about 'Peter Sellers' who still lives in the movies, as the upright French Inspector Clouseau (pardon my spelling if it isn't correct). Sellers was vacationing on the Riviera (the Italian part) & enjoying the Sun on a deck chair on a lawn near the open air Italian kitchen, where there is an overhead wrought iron grille work (you find them often in Italy). The chief cook's pet monkey was practicing its acrobatics, when some unmentionable thing from it plopped into a soup cauldron. Sellers noticing it called the cook & told him what he saw. After listening it all the cook said "No, the taste of soup wouldn't be spoiled, don't worry".
What are the most underrated and overrated places to visit in London?
Underrated:Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road. It’s layer upon layer of book wonders. I never leave without buying at least two books.The Chelsea Physic Garden which grows all kinds if botanic plants. Cheaper and not as far to travel than Kew, though admittedly, it’s a lot smaller.I agree, the John Soane Museum is a must.Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath. For zero pounds see world class art and sculpture. Original Rembrandts and Singer Sargants abound. Bus from Golders Green.The Salisbury, a pub which used to be a London Gin Palace, in St Martin’s, round the corner from Leicester Square tube. The glass fittings are stunning, and the beer is good.Overrated:Avoid Madame Tussauds. Huge price tag, low returns.London Eye: For a view, go to the Sky Garden in the City, the viewing platform in the Shard, or, for a free view of St Paul’s cathedral, top of the Tate Modern, in the cafe. (Dodge the cafe servers, they will try and pin you down)Anything which claims to be a dungeon or wants to scare you.Westfield Shopping Malls. Soulless.Fish and chips. Universally terrible. For good fish and chips, you need to go coastal, preferably Whitby.