I Kicked Smokey's Ass and All I Got Was an Awesome Vacation in Great Britain

I just barely evaded "Smokey" twice in the past two weeks -- once to get to London and once to get out of London, yesterday.  Heathrow was closed between 1am and 7am, and I was supposed to leave at 10am.  That pissant ash cloud could only delay me by a mere hour and fifteen minutes.  Eejit!

Anyway, here are some quick hits on the Brits:
- The Brits are unrepentant jaywalkers, and I both love them (for not obeying dumb rules) and hate them for it (almost got killed several times for being a blind follower).
- The food was great. The fried haddock and steak ale pie at World's End in Edinburgh was top notch.  Don't listen to the naysayers.
- It wasn't that expensive.  Transportation costs were high (get the Oyster card in London!), but you can find reasonable lodging (Travelodge) and food (pubs) if you try.
- I love traveling during elections.  Saw Sarkozy get elected in Japan, Merkel get elected while in Paris, and Obama get elected while in Barcelona.  This time I got to be there during the election and aftermath of a hung parliament (not as sexy as it sounds) and then watched as the  the Tories and the Lib Dems eked out a coalition.  Exciting stuff.
- According to British folk, I have a very strange accent.  They couldn't really understand me all the time, even though I had no problem hearing most of them, most of the time.  It's good to learn about how others perceive you. Now I will fashion myself a King's English the quality of which Chicago has never seen.