An American woman visiting the UK has left Brits amused after sharing a list of culture shocks she encountered during her travels. The student, known as '@alwaysdressbest' on Instagram, has been exploring England over the past few weeks, taking in sights such as Buckingham Palace and various cathedrals, as well as catching some of the Euros action.
Despite declaring York to be 'cooler than New York', she admitted to being baffled by several British quirks. First on her list was the early closing times of shops outside London, with most shutting by 5-6pm – a stark contrast to the 24/7 US Walmart 'Supercenters'. She also noted that 'nobody drinks water here', claiming she had not seen any European take a sip of water, even in restaurants.
Her third shock was the public nature of smoking and vaping in Britain. 'In America, if you want to have a cigarette or take a hit of your vape, you usually go to like the side of the street or in a corner. But here, I'll be walking and the person legit next to me, the smoke and vape is just like flying in my face,' she said.
Finally, she was stunned by Britain's perception of time, recounting a three-hour bus journey that included two 'mandatory' breaks. 'Three hours might be considered a long time here, but it baffles me that it was considered long enough to have not one but two breaks. I know in America we would just drive right through,' she explained.
The post sparked a flurry of reactions online, with one Brit joking: 'Scottish person here. Nobody in England drinks water cause it's polluted c***. Scottish water is all pure glacial water and we drink it by the gallon daily.' Others dismissed her claims, with one writing: 'Haha the bus driver is trolling you. That's not true.'
