Search This Blog

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

The Biggest Difference Between Brits and Americans Is We Share A Common Language

It is 10 AM our time - 5 AM back in Florida. Lulu and I are sitting around the breakfast table - enjoying a little afterglow of the 5 weeks we spent in London.

All of a sudden - an unexpected knock comes on the door. Since everyone else has gone back to the States already  - we wondered who it could be. The manager was at the door - reminding us that it was checkout time at 10 AM. Lulu and I expected to leave tomorrow morning early.  We asked the manager to go back to the office to check the books - meanwhile Lulu and I got on the computer feverishly looking for a place to spend our last night. I wanted to go west of town - and stay somewhere we never visited - Lulu said let's just stay at the airport.

In a few minutes - the manager came back apologizing for his mistake. We were booked until tomorrow at 10AM. He did say - "a man was coming in - would 11 be okay?"

I thought - wow - we are taking on a roomer. I thought maybe it was a custom over here. I quickly figured we could live with that - I could negotiate a lower price - since they were opening up the deal. It turns out the guy was only coming in to lay down an alarm cable - not stay with us. We all had a good laugh.

Sometimes - even English to English - things get lost in the translation.

We will be leaving here at 8 AM tomorrow - taking the blue line subway west from Russell Square Station to Heathrow Airport - then flying to Tallahassee via Atlanta. We will spend Wednesday night in our own bed on Seminole Drive.

No comments: