Comments on: Sheffield a la mar

By: On behalf of wildness

On behalf of wildness — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 13:54:34 +0000

Hello, nice to be here with you!
I need some advice. I am looking for media or literary sources which contain information about stereotyping Britishness. And I am wondering if anybody could give me a hint, maybe some titles of books, films, TV programmes. I would be extremely grateful!

By: real estate advice

real estate advice — Tue, 18 Jan 2005 21:31:54 +0000

i agree with scott, the costa blanca is a bit cliche at times, but then it only depends where you go, i happen to live in Javea, which is a great place to live and work, calpe is another place that is so beautiful, with clean water and great places like altea too. i am a real estate agent in the costa blanca, i show people their dream homes and i love doing it! Summary = i love the costa blanca

By: Michael D

Michael D — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 17:02:20 +0000

I used to take pride in going native when I was young. Now, it hardly seems worth the trouble.

Do you think those unwelcome ‘heritage’ features really do grow more blatant the more you fight? Or, is one simply more concious of them?

Either way, I agree. Feelings that such things are important do fade away.

By: Scott Martens

Scott Martens — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 01:47:23 +0000

Mrs T, sorry, I have not come across such a restaurant in my far from intensive exploration of Costa Blanca.

Random, the folks in my office laughed a lot at that one. I’m not quite sure why, but it struck a funny bone among the translators.

Michael D, I used to take pride in going native when I was young. Now, it hardly seems worth the trouble. Age has something to with it.

I agree – I’ve always prefered to avoid packages. It’s just harder – at least for me – to be willing to take big risks when I travel. My vacations are shorter and feel a greater need to worry less when I take them.

By: gpr/Athens

gpr/Athens — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 18:47:13 +0000

These are the consequences of tourism having developped into a mass industry.

You can see the same phenomenon in Greece, Italy, Portugal etc. I suppose.

Advice to prospective tourists to southern countries: avoid these terrible package tours (or at least use them only to get cheap accomodation) and then follow your own schedule. So you won’t be labelled as “sheep”. Discover the inland, find good local friends (especially people not involved in tourism business; those who want to befriend strangers for the sheer joy of it).

As for the Chinese traders they are coming to Europe in unbelievable numbers. In Athens they already have a whole neighbourhood with clothing shops. But I suspect that there are also some tragic personal stories behind all this boom.

By: Michael D.

Michael D. — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 03:42:43 +0000

People abroad *do* become more stereotypical

As a brit that’s survived Rotterdam, Brussels, Boston, Nice, Bavaria and Riyadh; I’ve now become the German in an Indian-English speaking realm. I can only agree.

By: Random

Random — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 00:53:43 +0000

People abroad *do* become more stereotypical. White people tend to become a lot *more* white at, say, Indian weddings, as well. It’s almost a defence at being the outsider. You know you can’t blend in properly, but you can certainly do a good job of standing out…
I worked in the netherlands (for a whole two weeks) and learned a few words – enough for me to decide that I might as well have a go at learning it properly. There’s a dutch pub in soho, and I nip in occasionally to have vlammetjes and Wieckse Witte for lunch. Every time I’ve been in there, the bar staff have all been Dutch. Today, I got up the courage to order in Dutch. Unfortunately, I was talking to the new Aussie barman…

By: Mrs Tilton

Mrs Tilton — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 23:13:04 +0000

As long as we are on this vital topic, have any of you come across a wee restaurant on the coast between Alacant and Benidorm; it’s situated just above a tiny fishing harbour, serves decent fish, the wine comes in those alarmingly urological hospital-flask thingies, its walls are covered with paintings by Benjam?n Palencia?

If so, what is it called and where, exactly, is it? (And is it still there?)

By: Scott Martens

Scott Martens — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 21:24:14 +0000

Charlie, I know that accents are all relative. I had the same experience one time in Detroit, and saw it from the other side when I moved from Jersey to Indiana and no one could understand me.

As for Strongbow, well, I guess I haven’t been in enough Irish pubs in Brussels. I just live there, I still spend all my time in Leuven.

Glue sniffing? I shall have to inform the wife. She’ll get a kick out of it.

By: jamie

jamie — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 21:19:50 +0000

“The wife has a thing for Strongbow cider…”

Blimey. Central heating for tramps. In British pop culture terms, this is actually a bit like saying that she has a thing for glue sniffing.