Because going to London and saying you've seen England would be like going to New York and saying you've seen the entire United States

The internet is powerful stuff. This weekend, while I was staying in a bed and breakfast in Blackpool, I was talking to the man who owned the house about a British TV show called Top Gear, which features road tests and crazy stunts done with cars. The show is very popular in the United Kingdom (The security guard in my dorm even watches it through the windows of the TV room) but has not made its way to the United States yet. As we talked, the man mentioned an episode that I had watched on Youtube a while ago, before I even knew I was coming to London. It was great to make that cultural connection with him. Internet piracy is making our world smaller.

Blackpool was beautiful. It used to be the place to go to the beach for the weekend from anywhere in Britain, but in the past few decades it's gotten less attention because Ryanair can fly you to the coast of Spain for so little money. Because of this, it's retained a lot of its old-fashioned charm. In Blackpool, three piers extend over the beach, each with games and small rides and great views. At low tide, you can walk out for about 1,000 feet onto the beach below, which slopes very slowly into the Irish Sea. Blackpool was one of the first towns in the world to be wired up with electricity, and it still shows today. At night, the Illuminations festival, which runs through November, lit up the streets with lights strung across the street and on the sidewalk for miles, as if Christmas were coming early. Old double-deck streetcars ran along the waterfront, Britain's oldest continually-function tramway. Even though the beach is nice, it was cold, getting as low as 40 degrees at night. I'd like 1928 better if it were warmer.

Before Blackpool I had been in Manchester for one night. Famous football team, old industrial revolution history, but nothing to really see. Don't go to Manchester. It's not too exciting. The Museum of Industry was interesting, but that's about it.

Liverpool, on the other hand, was quite nice. Famous for being the birthplace of the Beatles, I biked out of the town center to see Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane beneath the blue suburban sky. Back in the city center, I went to The Cavern, the club that was active in the 1960s where The Beatles were discovered and many other musical group, including The Who and Queen, performed. The entire street The Cavern's on, actually, was dominated by live music on Saturday night, and the sounds of numerous guitars could be heard pouring out of the half a dozen or so venues on the street.

Britain outside of London was, like the United States outside of New York, less exciting and quieter. On the train ride up north, I passed a number of farms with sheep and cows. The center of all three places I went was dominated by an outdoor car-free shopping area. It appeared to be the local hangout for high school kids in each place. Even though these shopping areas featured all chain stores, it seemed to be a nicer solution than sticking Wal-Mart and Costco on the side of a busy road for retail.

This weekend was the Durham Fair. It's the biggest event in town that happens every year, and this is the first time in at least fifteen years I haven't gone. I knew this day would come sometime, when I'd have something bigger and better to do than head home for the weekend and enjoy popcorn, llama shows, and seeing old friends. Traveling around Britain is fun, but I did miss the fair this weekend. I'll go next year.

In Liverpool there was a modern art gallery. On an old wooden table in the museum, surrounded by paintings and sculptures, was a red binder. Inside, people had written all kinds of words of encouragement, drawn smiley faces, and shared funny stories. One man wrote a poem for his wife.

I love you so much

You light up my life

I'm so glad I met you

And made you my wife

And when we're both older

And wrinkly and gray

I'll love you as much

As I love you today

It made me smile.