1) Driving. British drive on the left hand side of the road whereas in the US driving is on the right hand side. There are many round a bouts to navigate in Britain instead of traffic lights at a junction. In Britain the driver's seat is on the right hand side of the car and you can not turn left on a red light. Here in Scotland, most cars run on diesel fuel and you can't pay at the pump.
2) Electricity. The electric voltage throughout Europe is 220. American voltage is only 110. In the United States household electricity is normally supplied by your local power company or municipal utility at 110 or 120 volts at a frequency of 60 Hz. The European version of electricity is generally supplied at 220 volts and a frequency of 50 Hz. There are many dual voltage appliances available that have dual voltage (110-220) capability. All you have to do is attach an adaptor to the plug. However, those appliances that use specifically 110 volts can not be used in Europe unless on a transformer. Its much safer to just use the dual voltage appliances or appliances purchased here in Europe.
3) Food. Here in the UK at most places you can order fish and chips, scones, coffee and tea. You will find cottage pies, steak pies, yorkshire puddings, black puddings, sticky toffee puddings, hot cross buns, mince pies, etc. In Scotland a traditional meal is haggis with neeps and tattis. In Texas we can get lots of Barbeque and Mexican food but that is not available here. In Scotland, the produce in the stores is beautiful. We eat a lot more fruit and vegetables here and the selection in the grocery stores reminds me of a farmer's market. We do have a few American chain restaurants here in Scotland which we like. A weekly trip is a must, we love going to the TGIFridays at the Beach and the Pizza Hut!!
Fast food chains are not as popular here in Europe as they are in the US. Here in Scotland we have a McDonalds, Burger King and KFC with a drive through. There are not very many of them. Supermarkets are far fewer in number than the US, as people in Europe still buy their food daily from markets in the city centre and have small refrigerators. When eating dinner, most restaurants have a starter (appetizer), main course and dessert. Here in the UK, hot tea and coffee is usually served after a meal.
4) Sports. In Texas we watched a lot of baseball, American football, basketball, hockey and car racing. In the UK, the main sports are football (soccer), cricket, rugby and tennis. We love the football here, very exciting to watch!!
5) Language. In Texas we speak English with a completely different accent than in Scotland. People here are sometimes hard for me to understand, I call it "Scottish English". Also, some of the words have completely different meanings or some things are called a different name. Listed are some words used in Scotland and what they mean in Texas: ace - excellent, amber - yellow light, aubergine - eggplant, bin - trash can, biscuit - cookie, boot - trunk of car, bonnet - hood of car, bum - butt, candy floss - cotton candy, chips - french fries, coriander - cilantro, creche - day care or nursery, crisp - potato chips, diversion - detour, engaged - occupied, fancy dress - costume, football - soccer, footpath - sidewalk, garage - fuel station, garden - yard, holiday - vacation or break, jab - shot, jelly - jello, knickers - underwear, let - to rent, lift - elevator, lolly - popsicle, motorbike - motorcycle, nappy - diaper, pitch - tent or outdoor field, plaster - bandaid, post - mail, rug - sometimes blanket, push chair - stroller, skip - dumpster, Smarties - similar to US M&Ms, solicitor - lawyer, stone - used to describe weight "1 stone is 14 pounds", straight away - right away, surgery - doctor office, toilet - restroom, torch - flashlight, trolley - shopping cart, and zip - zipper.
6) Money. American currency is basic. Bills are used for anything for a $1 dollar and over (5, 10, 20, 50 etc. ) and coins for anything a quarter (25 cents) or less (dime - 10, nickel - 5, penny -1 cent). Europe uses the Euro for its currency except for Great Britain including Scotland. Scotland uses the British Pound for its currency. Bills are used for anything for £5 pounds and over (10, 20, 50). Coins are used for anything £2 pounds or less (£1 pound, 50 pence, 20 pence, 10 pence, 5 pence, 2 pence and 1 pence.)
7) Shopping. Shopping in the United States is very convenient and easy. You can easily drive to a building that you need to locate a specific good and purchase. There are tons of Walmarts, Targets, HEB, Kroger, Lowe's and Home Depot. There are a lot more open-air shops here in Europe. Grocery delivery is also very common here, while it is only seen occasionally in the US. However, if you are grocery shopping in a supermarket here, you have to be sure to bring in your recycling bags and bag your own groceries. Here in Europe these smaller shops have a display of vastly different foods available. In Europe there is more high street shopping than malls. It typically takes a lot more effort to find items you need here in Europe as you often have to go to many shops instead of one.
8) Weather and Time. Texas measures temperature in Fahrenheit and Scotland measures temperature in Celsius. Texas has a warm climate with temperatures above 100 F (38 C) and we have not seen temperatures in Scotland above 25 C (77 F). Scotland has a much colder climate and in the winter temperatures often get below 0 C. We saw a lot of snow in Scotland in the last year. Scotland is 6 hours ahead of Texas Central Standard Time.
9) Television. Here in Europe we watch the "tele". There is a wide range of TV stations in both the US and Europe. The programming is different, and BBC in Britain is free of advertising. There are a lot of American show spin offs in Britain. A lot of the reality shows are the same but filmed here in Britain such as X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Britain's Next Top Model, The Bachelorette, etc.
10) Government and Royalty. In Europe, the European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary body of the European Union. Together with the Council of the European Union it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions. Policy control is held by the states. In the US, the federal government carries out the roles assigned to the federation of individual states established by the Constitution. Its branches consist of the the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The head of the government is the President of the United States.
Royalty exists as a constitutional monarch. The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom. She does not "rule" the country, but fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to the Government. She is also Fount of Justice, Head of the Armed Forces and has important relationships with the established Churches of England and Scotland. Her son is The Prince of Wales along with The Duchess of Cornwall (Prince Charles and Camila). Prince Charles' son is The Duke along with the Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate). Prince Charles' other son is Prince Harry of Wales (Prince Harry).
Yesterday we visited Crathes Castle, which is the first castle we visited here in Aberdeen (Banchory) last year. In the Fall it is so beautiful in the gardens. We even took our picture in front of the castle like we did a year ago. Below are some of the pictures from our visit. We look forward to another year of traveling and seeing the country. Cheers to another year Across the Pond...from Texas to Scotland!!
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