Britain is one of the most attractive destinations in the world, attracting more than 19 million international visitors in 2016. It is a common home to a number of major global attractions, such as Big Ben, the Natural History Museum, and London as one of the world's largest cities. But it is a shame that many rumors are not right here. Some of them are true since decades ago, some are simply misunderstandings and others seem to only believe in small paintings, and spread their mouths to the whole world. So what's wrong with the United Kingdom? Let's find out the top 10 misunderstandings about England.
1 Tea and coffee
Tea and coffee
Let's start with the story that many American tourists give up: people rumor that delicious coffee is impossible to find in London. This may have been true a few decades ago, but the coffee scene in London is now much more impressive than the year 2000. Large coffee chains such as Starbucks, Nero Cafe and Costa Coffee can be found in almost every street corner, just like in any other big city around the globe. In fact, the largest coffee chain in Europe, Cafe Nero and the world's second largest chain, Costa, are all based in London. In recent times, people searching for a more professional coffee experience will have to travel the circle to the continent, but the independent coffee studios and small chains of London have been thriving in the last decade. There are currently hundreds of expert stores scattered throughout the capital that offer thousands of unique coffee brewing (and offer work for many barista millennia) enough to satisfy even the most connoisseurs.
2 Bad food
British food is not bad!
England "Famous" because there is bland and boring food. It is not difficult to explain this: one of the traditional dishes of London, for example, is London's special. What is it? Well, it is basically a pea-big grain and ham. Well, fortunately for us, modern London is a global city. There are thousands of restaurants, from cheap dishes to Michelin-starred restaurants, that can include any culinary background you can think of. But to find the best food in London, you'll have to get off the road. London has a centuries-old history of Creative street food from the Middle Ages. Before that, most of the laborers in the city would come to a bakery at their break, where they would find everything from donuts to meat pies. Today, London's Street food is one of the world's finest foods, strongly influenced by the city's population. In modern London, you can find a local stopover to grab a pot of curry as easy as taking a chicken sandwich!
3 People are not friendly
People are hurried, not unfriendly.
If you ask people around the world that the person you are, and you will get a pretty similar answer: they are quiet, they are reserved, they are not friendly, etc. and the London especially has a bad reputation, even the other British people say that the people in London are rude! In fact, the London people are not more friendly than anyone else in Britain, or most people in the world, for that matter. An examination was done on the streets of London, suggesting that, when faced with an old lady who needs help with her bag, or a woman who is dropped off, the nearby ones have quickly intervened and offer help. So not London people are not friendly, but they are almost very rushed. London is a fast-paced global city, and most people out in the daytime are going somewhere in a hurry. This may mean that they forgot to say sorry when they crossed you in the terminal, but met them after hours of work and they would be completely different!
4 Cramped and filthy
England has 47% of the vegetation surrounding the city!
In 1952, the giant smog came down to London, killing thousands of people. It is the worst air pollution event in the history of England and news of it has spread throughout the world. It resulted in new government regulations and plans to cut down on the city's pollution levels, but the city's reputation was permanently compromised. For the rest of the world, London is known as an ancient, filthy, Victorian city to meet modern clean standards. The Voice = that this is still present to this day, though it is completely false. Although studies have shown that London air still affects people's health, it is relatively clean according to modern standards. In fact, London has not even been shortlisted as a World Health Organization in the list of 500 most polluted cities. In short, visitors to the city have nothing to worry about when it comes to air quality! Perhaps more astonishing, London is one of the greenest cities on earth by region. 47% of the city is green space, so almost half are covered by parks, woodland and other open areas enough to some say that the Greater London area should be transformed into a national park.
5 Never sleep
The City still sleeps
When someone mentions the city without ever sleeping, they often refer to New York. However, in recent years, this phrase has also been applied to the British capital, leading to the idea that London is a busy place with vibrant nightlife and not the place to come if you already have children! Like any other city, London can be very bustling, especially on weekends, when the city runs bus services all night long. The famed black taxis in London work all the time, and many clubs in London don't close up to 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. But even in central London, bus and bus services regularly end at midnight and start again until the early morning. Most pubs closed before midnight and at that time, the vast majority of London's people would go to bed. In London, the outside area is quieter, you can even forget you are in a city!
6 Expensive
England is really expensive when you have no knowledge
London is expensive. This is truly one of the most expensive cities in the world if you want to live there. Renting an average three-bedroom apartment in central London cost more than 5000 pounds (6,450), which is out of the payment range of most adult people in the UK. The rumours about the London high prices made many people give up, but could enjoy London with a small budget. Don't be discouraged! You can have a day out in London and hardly spend any money: most of London's leading museums are free of charge, as well as its amazing art galleries and parks. And those where the entrance fee is not too expensive: a visit to Kew Gardens, the world's leading botanical garden, is just 12 pounds (15.50 dollars). There are thousands of pubs and restaurants in the capital that are not much more expensive with a common ground. If you are willing to take risks, you can find food at extremely cheap prices. Asking around, local people will quickly tell you the best places.
7 Prohibited areas
No-go zones
"No-go zones" or "no-go zones" are areas within a town that are blocked by civilian agencies by a force such as paramilitary, or an area that prohibits certain individuals or groups.
Unfortunately, one of the more recent misconceptions about London is that some areas of the city are ‘no-go zones, where ordinary so-called Londoners are even members of the police. In extreme cases, some conspiracy claims that these are places where English law is ignored and local people are forced to follow Sharia Law by Islamic councils. While all cities have the best areas to avoid at night, some components say parts of the capital are too dangerous. The Metropolitan Police completely denied it, despite the ramblings of some people on the internet. This misconception became widespread in 2016, when Donald Trump said that there was no no-go zone in London. This was rejected by then-mayor, Vladimir Johnson, who said that London London has a proud history of tolerance and diversity and shows that there are areas where police officers cannot go because extremes are simply ridiculous.
8 Submarines are the only vehicles
Submarines in London
The London Metro (also known as Tube) is one of London's most famous landmarks. It was first opened in the years 1860, making it the oldest underground passenger rail in the world. And with millions of people using it every day, this is also one of the world's busiest worlds. On the other hand, London is quite famous as not being built on the grid, unlike many more modern cities. When the city was burned down in 1666, it was actually rebuilt by the old road system, meaning that some streets in the city were hundreds of years old. This means that the city is not optimized for traffic: driving by car can be like torture. With this mindset, it's easy to understand why many people think that the subway is the only way to travel around London, but there are many other types of options. Like the famous London red bus, for example. You can see these in old movies, but they still exist: they carry millions of people across the city every day, more than any other bus network in Europe. There is also a popular taxi service, with drivers having to take the harsh training in the name of knowledge, teaching them the layout of London. However, if you want to travel on your own, your best choice is Santander Ciking. Known in a affectionate way is the Boris bike, you can go one of these bikes from one of the hundreds of stations across the city to any other station with just £3 ($3.87).
9 Always moist and cold
Rainfall in London is lower than New York
Britain is famous for its gray weather and rainy days. So most people say that London, as his capital, is no different! Now, nobody says the UK is a warm country. Winters in Scotland and northern England can be very harsh, and summers are often dominated by cloudy days. But London is in the south, and the temperature is there much warmer. The London average was a bit cooler than New York, but remained above the freezing level during most of the winter months. And contrary to popular belief, London is no where almost raining as you imagine. Rainfall averages about 23 inches of precipitation per year, almost half compared to New York! Precipitation is also low throughout the winter: very rare snow in London, in England, if the snow falls on Christmas Day in the capital, it is called "White Christmas ". We're not saying you should just pack a T-shirt and shorts for your London visit, but also won't be dull and humid as you think. In summer, you can even see a blue sky!
10 City of London?
City of London?
If someone tells us that they will visit the City of London, we will not be confused. But the people of London really know that there is a problem with this statement: it means Greater London, the uproar metropolis that we are familiar with for those small independent local governments in central London, where the population is only a few thousand?
The city of London is a long-standing financial district where there is both the stock exchange and the Bank of England. The modern skyscrapers are towering over the soaring alleys of the medieval ruins below. About the upstream office or access to elegant restaurants and bars. Tourists visit the iconic St. Paul's Cathedral from the 17th century, following the city's historic sign at the London Museum and feeling performances at the Giant Barbican Arts Centre.
Oh, and just to make things become more confusing: Greater London is even a city. Does it have a county?
