Coins, Castles and the Queen
From the viewpoint of an alien: A motley mixture of unique and surprising aspects of British Culture.
The only place where two pence coins are not a pain in the pocket: The coin pushers in the coral island.
First of all, the Queen must be mentioned. Foreign people might wonder why a European country can still be ruled by blue-blooded instead of elected people in times of human rights. Of course Queen Elizabeth the II. doesn’t really have the power to decide anything.
But the monarchy still costs a lot of money, for example for security measures and maintaining all the properties. “It gives the UK something different”, explains an interviewee. Is it all about tradition?
It could also be simple: the subjects enjoy the ups and downs of the royal family like the ever-lasing TV-series Emmerdale and Coronation Street. The immense coverage of the royal wedding in 2011 and the public outcry after controversial pictures of Prince Harry had been published support this idea.
Reigning is arguably not just fun. The Queen and the entire royal family fulfil representative chores. They cut the mustard in WW II. by motivating the population during the daunting bombings.
However, it’s maybe her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and not the monarchy itself, which is popular. The poll showed that there are concerns about the line of succession: “William and Harry belong to another generation.” It remains to be seen.
Kings and castles are an inseparable combination. “Castles, Manors and country houses, I love them all!”, admits a questionee. Plenty of them can be found all over Great Britain.
Unfortunately, they are often in the countryside, with challenging ways to get there, especially when you rely on public transport as most students do.
There are exceptions. Harewood castle consists of a medieval castle and a country house as well as different gardens. It’s about twenty minutes by bus from Leeds.
The medieval castle is a bit tricky to find because there are no direction signs to it. For further information please get in touch with the author.
Another thing “Made in the UK” is the industrial revolution. However, none of the students asked reported this as a reason for coming here.
The legacy of the industrial revolution doesn’t exclusively consist of old factories, canals and steam engines, but can also be seen in Blackpool. The former hamlet was overrun by tourists after a railway was built and faced a rapid growth in the next decades. As the sea is too cold to bathe in, other attractions were built.
One of them is the ‘Coral Island’, sometimes denounced as a casino for children. One thing is coin pushers: A metal plate moves to and fro over another, piled with two pence coins. You can try to become rich by throwing another coin into the machine.
The problem is that you can’t really gain money, as in most casinos, unless you know some tricks of the trade. The cash cows are broken machines. Some launchers don’t work but are still fed with coins, which are difficult to get out again, unless you use a little piece of paper.
Another tip worth its weight in gold is to report the broken machines to the employees of the location. After they have fixed them, you usually get some extra coins.
The great thing about fascinating Britain is the broad range of activities; everybody can tailor their language stay to perfection.
By Martin Reinhard
But the monarchy still costs a lot of money, for example for security measures and maintaining all the properties. “It gives the UK something different”, explains an interviewee. Is it all about tradition?
It could also be simple: the subjects enjoy the ups and downs of the royal family like the ever-lasing TV-series Emmerdale and Coronation Street. The immense coverage of the royal wedding in 2011 and the public outcry after controversial pictures of Prince Harry had been published support this idea.
Reigning is arguably not just fun. The Queen and the entire royal family fulfil representative chores. They cut the mustard in WW II. by motivating the population during the daunting bombings.
However, it’s maybe her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and not the monarchy itself, which is popular. The poll showed that there are concerns about the line of succession: “William and Harry belong to another generation.” It remains to be seen.
Kings and castles are an inseparable combination. “Castles, Manors and country houses, I love them all!”, admits a questionee. Plenty of them can be found all over Great Britain.
Unfortunately, they are often in the countryside, with challenging ways to get there, especially when you rely on public transport as most students do.
There are exceptions. Harewood castle consists of a medieval castle and a country house as well as different gardens. It’s about twenty minutes by bus from Leeds.
The medieval castle is a bit tricky to find because there are no direction signs to it. For further information please get in touch with the author.
Another thing “Made in the UK” is the industrial revolution. However, none of the students asked reported this as a reason for coming here.
The legacy of the industrial revolution doesn’t exclusively consist of old factories, canals and steam engines, but can also be seen in Blackpool. The former hamlet was overrun by tourists after a railway was built and faced a rapid growth in the next decades. As the sea is too cold to bathe in, other attractions were built.
One of them is the ‘Coral Island’, sometimes denounced as a casino for children. One thing is coin pushers: A metal plate moves to and fro over another, piled with two pence coins. You can try to become rich by throwing another coin into the machine.
The problem is that you can’t really gain money, as in most casinos, unless you know some tricks of the trade. The cash cows are broken machines. Some launchers don’t work but are still fed with coins, which are difficult to get out again, unless you use a little piece of paper.
Another tip worth its weight in gold is to report the broken machines to the employees of the location. After they have fixed them, you usually get some extra coins.
The great thing about fascinating Britain is the broad range of activities; everybody can tailor their language stay to perfection.
By Martin Reinhard