TRAVEL BLOG
Friday, November 16, 2007
British Trash Mags
Being a nomad I don't watch much TV. Youtube has replaced my tv. Sometimes I watch DVD's of TV shows but generally speaking I have no idea what's on the box anymore.
I do like to scan the headlines of trashy magazines though in newsagencies, if only to keep up with names of the day.
Who the hell are Chanelle and Ziggy?
I do like to scan the headlines of trashy magazines though in newsagencies, if only to keep up with names of the day.
Who the hell are Chanelle and Ziggy?
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Sunday, August 06, 2006
London coffee shops - What could have been.
I love London and I consider it my second home, so it pains me to tell you that it has a terrible cafe scene. Britain is well regarded for its cozy pubs with its polished brass and potted flowers. Probably the most endearing feature of British pubs though are their names and accompanying sign boards. This is a feature which goes back to 1393, when Richard II made it compulsory for every inn in England to display a sign. Examples of which can be found at The Inn Sign Society.
The British pub scene left no room for a cafe society like on the continent. Up until the 1990's getting a coffee in Britain usually meant instant coffee in a greasy spoon diner.
Lack of cafes in Britian meant that when coffee became fashionable in the early days of New Labour, there was no resistance to the onslaught of the American style coffee franchises. Just about every British High St now has a Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa or Coffee Republic. Big High Streets will have all of the franchises. Really big High Streets (like Oxford St London) will have a all of the francises two or three times over. Small independents are few and far between.
I was pondering all this while walking through Regents Park in London. In the park there is a cafe in what was probably a gatehouse. This hole in the wall sized coffee shop is called the Cow and Coffee Bean. It has a great sign out the front that Richard II would have approved of. This sign made me think of would could have been here if cafes developed along the same path as the pubs.
The British pub scene left no room for a cafe society like on the continent. Up until the 1990's getting a coffee in Britain usually meant instant coffee in a greasy spoon diner.
Lack of cafes in Britian meant that when coffee became fashionable in the early days of New Labour, there was no resistance to the onslaught of the American style coffee franchises. Just about every British High St now has a Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa or Coffee Republic. Big High Streets will have all of the franchises. Really big High Streets (like Oxford St London) will have a all of the francises two or three times over. Small independents are few and far between.
I was pondering all this while walking through Regents Park in London. In the park there is a cafe in what was probably a gatehouse. This hole in the wall sized coffee shop is called the Cow and Coffee Bean. It has a great sign out the front that Richard II would have approved of. This sign made me think of would could have been here if cafes developed along the same path as the pubs.
Labels: britain, cafe, cow and coffee bean, england, iced coffee, london, pub, regents park, richard II
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Newquay - Surf capital of Britain
Newquay in Cornwall, Southwest England is the surf capital of Britain, if you can say such a thing.
Labels: britain, cornwall, england, newquay, surf
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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