8 Random Things You Didn’t Know About Londoners

My 9-day winter getaway to London was incredible! Me and Prashi stayed in London longer than we had planned (due to my passport issues) so we made the most of our remaining time in London. No one spends that much time in a foreign country without picking up a few things, right? Here are 8 things I noticed about Londoners after a few days!

For simplicity of writing this post “they” refers to people of London.

They love 2-seater tables

Me and Prashi had at least 2 meals per day out at a restaurant for 9 days (about 18 meals). We were only able to sit next to each other twice throughout our entire trip. My best guess was that this type of seating was more convenient in a larger city like London.

They wear black shoes

So. Many. Black. Shoes! It didn’t matter where we were the majority of shoes were black. Maybe because it’s winter, maybe because they walk a lot and black shoes show less dirt? I don’t know, but by day 3 I felt like I didn’t fit in in my white sneakers and I was tempted to buy black shoes.

They think 60 degrees is warm

It was very cold throughout our trip with a high of 60 on one day, but easily averaging in the 30’s on all other days. The one day it was warm I passed by a fountain to see at least a dozen children in swimsuits running through water. I couldn’t believe my eyes!

They really do say things like…

Carry on, rubbish, lift, and queue were heard so frequently. I chatted up a girl in the underground to pet her dog and she something along the lines of, “my friend wanted to carry on for the night so I’m taking care of her dog.” Listening to them was so entertaining, I wish I could hear someone say “rubbish” one more time!

They have terrible service

The worst part is I don’t think they know they have bad service. Every restaurant took easily 15 minutes to bring the bill to the table after we asked for it. No one comes to check on you throughout your meal either. Prashi says the bad service is a result of the already built-in service charge when dining. All I’m saying is that I love American dining!

They can’t decide what side to walk on

They drive on the left and walk on the left, opposite of how we Americans walk on right and drive on the right lanes. However, sometimes they’d randomly walk on the right side and I couldn’t figure out when it was appropriate to walk on the left or right.

They have you sign for every transaction

Maybe they did this because we were from out of the country? I 100% know all my Americans out there do not sign receipts like they sign official documents (i.e. drivers license, passport). We quickly learned that they have you sign a receipt after every credit card transaction then ask for “something with a signature” to crosscheck you are who you say. Just as he would in America, Prashi scribbled his name on a receipt when we first arrived to London. The cashier refused to finish the transaction because the signatures weren’t the same. Lesson learned.

They act like it isn’t cold in winter

I’m Texan, ok? I’m used to warm temps and mild-moderate winters. Even during the winter Texas have cars so we drive straight up to a store and total time spent in the cold is 5 minutes tops. These Londoners walk and walk (in mini skirts!) straight-faced like winter isn’t even happening to them. Meanwhile, I’m there bundled up with tense shoulders drawn up to my ears from how cold it is. So glad to be a Texan!

Although I didn’t plan on experiencing London for so long, I’m happy I got to know the people and the area a little more intimately. I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have you been to London before? Did you notice any of these random things? Let me know in a comment below!

XO, Vivian