What ho, pip pip, jolly good, etc.

[Ecthy]

sorry, 2.5 marks is pound 1, 2.5 euros is pound 2

but still Mike, those London rates are hell!

[Demerzel]

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip, seem like you had a great time.

I've spent several hours at a time in the British Museum and not seen more than a fraction of what they have to offer. Rosetta stone & pantheon are musts though, all the assyrian/babylonian stuff too.

AC is only slowly starting to appear over here, in offices mostly and I agree the tube definitely needs it. Used to commute into london and it could be hell on hot days.

Foodwise, it can vary here from superb to bloody awful - just got to avoid the places as mentioned above that production line it and find somewhere that puts a bit more individual craft in.

Did you find time to visit the tower of london? or some of the other museums?

oh and yeah the 11pm shutting time rule sucks, they are "making" plans to change this but its been happening for several years now, so who knows when we'll finally get more continental style hours.

[Solly]

I remember getting a pint of water (well, Foster's) in London for £2 . In a Wetherspoon's as well, should be about £1.49.

London hasn't converged with the rest of the country yet.

[Ecthy]

1.49 sterling seems alright!

[MikeH]

London never will. Aside from the pull of people within the country to live in London it also has a global pull so demand for living there is always going to be higher than anywhere else in the country. That pushes up living costs, rental costs, and therefore wages and prices in shops. Plus there are all the tourists to rip off.

Bodds Whetherspoons has a whole range of pricings for its pubs depending on what area you live in.

[Ecthy]

I can imagine it's basically cheaper in the north of England (Manchester, York, Hull) than it is in the south (London)?

[CerberusIV]

York isn't cheap - too many tourists so the city centre can be expensive. Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds are better pricewise and certainly a lot cheaper than London

[TheStinger]

Leeds is now quite expensive.

[Buck Birdseed]

FP: Whaddyamean there's no English food? Cornish Pasty, Shepherd's Pie, Yorkshire Pudding, Mushy Peas, Gravy, Custard, Steak and Ale Pie, Sausage Rolls, Jam Roly-Poly, Flapjacks, Fish and Chips, The Full English Breakfast, Chicken Tikka Masala, Bangers & Mash, Macaroni Cheese, Cumberland Sausages, Christmas Pudding, etc. etc.

I'm probably the only foreigner who likes the stuff.

[TheStinger]

A proper Steak and ale pie is one of the finest foods on offer

[Demerzel]

Southampton dockside bars were charging £3 a pint three years ago, so god knows what they charge now. Easily on par with the most expensive of London pubs though.

Yes the north is generally far cheaper than the south, but far more boring!

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Demerzel
Southampton dockside bars were charging £3 a pint three years ago

They still were 18 months ago too.

[Solly]

We got the situation in Manchester a while ago where some clubs would only offer drinks in multiples of 50p.

So, no incremental increases in price.

You'll prob see pints go to £3.50 or £4 in Southampton next.

A pub near does pints of Guinness all day for £1.09, Fosters and Carling for 99p, and John Smith's for 89p. Must be in the lowest tier for Wetherspoon's.

[MikeH]

We used to get pints of Scotch Bitter in the Monk's Retreat (Reading Wetherspoons) for 59p. That ruled. Especially as I was unemployed at the time.

[Ecthy]

beer smiley!