なりきりアテレコ

　用意するのはお気に入りの映画のDVDとその映画の台本（スクリプト）。DVDでは英語の字幕を表示させる機能もありますが、俳優の口の動きに合わせてセリフを言うには、字幕の表示が遅い場合があります。ストリーの流れがつかみやすく、分からない単語や表現を調べて書き込むことができるので、台本（スクリプト）を使うことをオススメします。スクリプトはネット上でもいろいろ見つかりますので、下記のサイトなどを参考にしてください。

■The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)
■Simply Scripts

　あとは友達同士で配役を決めて、映像を見ながらそのキャラクターそっくりに台詞を読んでいきます。短い台詞でも俳優と同じテンポで感情のこもった表現にするのはかなり難しいので、まずは映像をしっかり見て雰囲気を覚える。次は自分の台詞を映像なしで言ってみる、最後に映像に合わせて俳優とシンクロするように台詞を言います。ちょっと恥ずかしい気もするのですが、逆に「ものまね」だと割り切って挑戦してください！上手く言えても言えなくても、かなり楽しいです。もちろん一人でも練習できますが、友達同士でやると大盛り上がりです。

イギリス関連のおすすめ映画

　当サイトはイギリス旅行を楽しむためのサイトですので、イギリス英語がふんだんに含まれた作品を紹介しておきます。

ロード・オブ・ザ・リング（The Lord of the Rings）

　世界的にヒットした作品ですね。監督はニュージーランド人ですが、イギリス人俳優も多く出演しています。台詞は古めかしい言い回しも多いですが、とにかく素晴らしい作品です。映画のスクリプトはここにあります。
■The Council of Elrond – サイト左側のナビゲーションバー、”Film Fun & Facts”の中に”Scripts”というコーナーがあります。

アバウト・ア・ボーイ（About a boy）

　イギリス人作家、ニック・ホーンビィの同名作品を映画化。設定も現代ですし、ヒュー・グラントの聞きやすいイギリス英語、ニコラス・ホルト（マーカス少年）のイギリスの男の子の英語など、英語学習には良い教材だと思います。話も面白いですしね！
■About A Boy Script – Dialogue Transcript

番外：炎の英雄シャープ（Sharpe）

　管理人はショーン・ビーン・ファン。まだこの作品が日本で放送されていなかった時に３作品ばかり、スクリプトを起こしました。せっかくなので再掲します。ショーン・ビーン自身は若干北部訛していますが（役柄によって訛がヒドクなったり、あまりなくなったり…）、万人受けする声質でイギリスではCMのナレーションなどを結構やってます。イギリスのラジオを聞いていると、たびたび彼の声を耳にします。※O2（携帯電話）やMorrisons（スーパーマーケット）、イギリスのラジオの聞き方はこちら
■Sharpe’s Rifles スクリプト
■Sharpe’s Eagle スクリプト
■Sharpe’s Company スクリプト

会話・ナレーション中心に聞きたい人向け

BBC Radio 4　身の上相談から演劇、ニュースまで…バランスの取れたラジオ曲だと思います。BBCのホームページを訪れ、”Listen Live”をクリックするとBBC Radio Playerがたちあがります。「Live radio」タブをクリックすると、そこからRadio4だけでなくすべてのBBCのラジオ番組が選択できますよ。

BBC Radio 7　　オススメです。コメディ、ドラマをメインに子供向け番組まで、とことんイギリス英語を堪能したいかたは是非お試しあれ！BBCのラジオ局の中では新しい局でデジタル・ラジオ・ネットワーク。

LBC News 　Erikoが好きなニュースラジオ。ラジオCMも楽しいのですよ。サイトに直接アクセスして、右側にある「Listen Live」を選択してください。 FM放送のLBC News97.3と1152AMがありますが、今チェックしたらFMしか聞けなくなっていました（番組が異るハズ…）。

BBC World Service　BBCワールド・サービス。イギリス国内のニュースではなく、世界のニュースをイギリス英語で聞きたい方は是非。

音楽中心に聞きたい人向け

　イギリスの音楽著作を管理する会社PPL（Phonographic Performance Limited）との問題がありイギリス国外住居者は郵便場号を入力しないと聞けなかったりします（面倒くさ〜）。 Virgin RadioがAbsolute Radioに社名変更しています。

Capital FM　WMP/今すぐ聞く→クリック　サイトから「Listen Live」ボタンを押すと郵便番号を聞かれます（参考：マーブルアーチのマークス＆スペンサー付近 W1C 1AP、オックスフォードサーカスのH&M付近 W1D 1NX）。Windows Media Playerにお気に入り登録をしておくと、いちいち郵便番号を入れずに済むようです。

Absolute Radio 　旧Virgin Radio。こちらは郵便番号は聞かれません。プレーヤーにonAir中の曲名、バンド名がでるのがいいですね！

BBC Radio 1 　BBC Radio Stationsの中ではターゲット層が一番若い、HIT曲盛り沢山のラジオ局。ちょっと古めのHIT曲をお探しならRadio2をどうぞ！

JAZZ FM 　すごく素敵なジャズ満載のラジオ局。Mac(OS9)だとプラグインの関係で聞けないかも…。

　ちょっと番外編ですが、iPod製品をお持ちならBBCのポッドキャストもオススメ！ものスゴイ数のポッドキャストがあります。
●BBC Podcast

　あとiPhoneがネットラジオになっちゃうアプリを発見！自宅のWifi環境ではBBCもCapital FMも問題なく聞けております。ただPCでもそうだけど、Capital FMは人気局なので時間帯によっては人が殺到してネットでの放送が途切れがちになるかも…。
●ユーロラジオ（Euro Radio – Intersect World LLC）

テレビ番組＆動画を見よう！

　「近い将来インターネットでイギリスのテレビ番組がみれるようにならないかなぁ」と思う毎日。BBCもイギリス国内なら豊富なビデオクリップをネットで見れるのにね〜。やっぱりYouTubeが最強かしら…。

YouTube.com　世界中の動画が見られるサイト。大人気ゆえにサーバーが落ちていることもありますが、見たいイギリスの番組などがあるなら検索してみると意外と見つかるかも…。イギリスのバンドや俳優などの名前で検索するとテレビ番組のゲストとして出演してるものが見つかる可能性大！ちなみに「East Enders」で検索をしたら、最新はないものの、古いエピソードなら結構見つかりました！

部屋の種

　まずは宿泊したい施設のサイトを訪れると、どこかに料金表があるはず。「Rooms & Rates」と表示されていることが多いです。「Tariff（タリフ）」と表示されているところもあります。部屋の種類は大別するとこんなカンジです。

1. Single room=シングル・ルーム／一人部屋、ベッド1つ
2. Double room=ダブル・ルーム／二人部屋、ベッド1つ
3. Twin room=ツイン・ルーム／二人部屋、ベッド2つ
4. Family room=ファミリー・ルーム／家族用の部屋。内容は施設によって異なる（と思う）。

たまに、Triple room=トリプル・ルーム／三人部屋、があるホテルもあります。

en suite、トイレ・風呂・シャワー

　よくお見かけする「en suite（エンスイート）」という表示。「一揃いになって、一続きになって」と言う意味で部屋にトイレやシャワーがついていることを示します。B&Bなどはトイレ・シャワーが部屋の外にあって、共同というところも多いです。

　たまにその部屋の宿泊者専用だけど、部屋の外にトイレ・バスがあるところもあります。その場合は”Private Shower and Toilet, not ensuite”などと書いてあると思います。サイトによってはあまり詳しい情報を載せていないところもありますので、その場合はE-mailで尋ねてみましょう。

　イギリスではバスタブがなくシャワーのみという所も多いので、どうしてもバスタブが必要ならリクエストしたほうが良いです。 I’d like a room with a bath.（バス付きの部屋が欲しい）

あとB&Bはベッド＆ブレックファーストの略なので朝ごはん付きですが、ホテルはついていないところもあるので、料金が朝食込みなのか込みじゃないのか確認しましょう。

サイトから予約する

　多くのホテル・B&Bはサイトから予約ができるようになっています。希望の日が空いていない時、予約が取れた時、いずれも折り返しメールが送られてきます。良く出てくる表現を確認しておきましょう。

★Title：ここはMr（男性）、Mrs（既婚女性）、Miss（未婚女性）、Ms（未婚既婚問わず女性）などを入れます。
★FAMILY NAME または SURNAME：名字を記入。　例：TANAKA
★FIRST NAME：名前を記入。　例：TARO
★ADDRESS：住所を記入。　例：札幌市中央区大通1丁目10-10なら10-10, Odori-1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
★E-MAIL：Eメールのアドレスを記入。
★TEL：電話番号を国番号から記入。例：+81-11-000-0000　※日本の国番号は81です。市街局番の初めの0は落とすこと。札幌011→11
★FAX：FAX番号を国番号から記入。
★ARRIVAL DATE：到着日。
★DEPARTURE DATE：出発日。
★No.OF NIGHTS：宿泊日数。　例：3泊なら3 nights
★No.OF GUESTS：宿泊人数。　※3才以上（3-years above）の人数などと指定があることも。
★TIME OF ARRIVAL：到着時間。　※だいたいの時間でOK。当日遅れる場合は電話を！
★ROOM TYPE：部屋の種類。たいていは選択するようになっている。
★No.OF ROOMS：部屋の数。

メールで予約する

　オンライン・ブッキングが出来ない場合はメールで確認することになります。以下に例文を上げます。

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to know whether the room described bellow is available.
（下記の部屋がとれるかどうか教えてください。）

ARRIVAL DATE:1 5 July 2005
DEPARTURE DATE: 20 July 2005
No.OF NIGHTS: 5 nights
No.OF GUESTS: 2 persons
ROOM TYPE: Twin Room

I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.
（すぐに返事をいただけることを楽しみにしています）

Yours faithfully
Taro Tanaka (Mr)
aaa@aaaaa.com

クレジットカードの番号を教える

　大きなホテルやホテル・B&B予約サイトでは、その場で空き状況がわかり、そのままクレジットカードで予約できたりします。その他の宿泊施設も上記の方法で予約が取れたら、「保証としてクレジットカード番号を知らせて欲しい」と言ってくることがほとんど。
　実際の支払いはチェックアウト時にそのカードでも現金でOKです。クレジットカードにまつわる英単語を確認しておきましょう。

★CARD TYPE: VISA、Masterなどカードの種類。
★CARD NUMBER: カード番号。
★CARD HOLDER’S NAME: カード所有者の名前。
★EXPIRY DATE: 有効期限。
★Security code: 最近はコレが必要になってきました。カードの裏面、名前をサインする欄に記載されている数字の右側3つがそうです。アメックスだと4ケタだカードの表面にかかれてるんだっけか？
★SWITCH ISSUE NUMBER: 日本人には関係なにので記入する必要なし。
★VALID FROM: いつから有効か。これも日本人には関係なし。

予約が確定された旨のメールをもらう

　クレジットカード番号を教える時に必ず「予約が確定されたかどうかの返信メールをください」と付け加えておきましょう。それをプリントアウトして持っていくと、もし予約が取れていなかった時（ありうるから困る）に泣き寝入りしなくて済みます。

↓この一文を最後に足す。
Please let me know whether my request has been confirmed.

　日本のようにすぐに返信が来ない場合もありますが、私の経験では少なくとも２、３日中には返信が来ます。こない場合は、「何月何日にどういう内容でメールをしたのか」ハッキリと記してメールが届いているかどうかの確認をしてみてください。サイトではそれなりに立派なホテル（B&B）にみえるけど、家族経営だったりオフシーズンは担当者が短い時間しかいなかったりする場合があります。

縦長のノートパッドはイギリスではどの文房具店てもみかけます。

　英文学部卒にもかかわらず大学で勉強したことはほとんど覚えていないのはど～いうこと～？ボキャブラリーの少なさがスラスラ英語を話せない大きな原因かっ？！

　語彙力を上げるため、私がイギリス留学中にやっていた方法は「お気楽極楽」！しかも役に立ったのでご紹介します。まずは「使いやすい小さなノート」を用意します。気張って高価なものを買ってはいけません！書きづらいから、あまり小さいのもダメ。左の写真はイギリスでは結構一般的なショートハンドとよばれるサイズのノートで幅13cm×縦21cmくらいのものです。安い店で3冊1ポンド。WH.Smithのような文房具屋でも1冊1ポンドくらいで売っています。日本ではお見かけしないので、似たようなサイズのリングノートがオススメです。と、言うのも常に最新のページを表にくるようにして使用するので、リングの方がいいですね。紙はオモテ面しか使わないので、気軽に使える値段のものがよいです。
　　どのように使うかと言うと「知らない単語」「使えそうな表現」「耳にした聞き慣れない言葉」などすべてを書き込むだけ。後で見やすいように単語なら四角でくくったWの文字を頭に、表現ならEXの文字をなどと自分なりに工夫するとよいです。キレイに書こうと神経質になってはいけません。ラジオで耳にした単語などは正確なつづりもわからないんですから、カタカナでソレらしい音を書き込んじゃいます。

　一応後で辞書を引いたりネットで調べたりして、結果をノートに書き込みますが、ポイントは躍起になって覚えようとしないこと！
　この次その単語や表現に出会って意味が理解できなかったら、また書けばいいだけのこと。不思議なことに意味は思い出せなくても、その言葉をノートにいつ書き込んだかというのは結構覚えてるんですよね～。よく使う単語は必然的に覚えるまでノートに書き込むことになるし、一度しかノートに書かずにその後も書くことのない単語は覚える必要もないんじゃないでしょうか、ねぇ？

　もう一つ大事なことは、特に単語の意味を書き込む場合、かならず例文も一緒に書き込むようにします。単に物の名前なら必要ないのですが、形容詞、副詞、動詞などは「どのように使うのか」という例文とともに覚えないと、その単語を自分で使うことはできません。

　この単語の反意語は「コレ」とか同義語は「コレ」なんて書き込めるようになったら、かなりの英語の使い手になれるのではないでしょうか？
そうそう本などを読んでいて見知らぬ単語に出会った場合、発音がわからないってことありますよね。その場合はウェブスターのサイトで調べてみてください。

http://www.m-w.com/home.htm

残念ながらアメリカン・イングリッシュですが、まったくどう発音するかわからないよりいいですよね。あとはインターネットでイギリスのラジオをたくさん聞いてリスニング力をアップさせてください。声を出して本を読むというのも良いエクササイズですよ。

Tipping: a nice idea, but a terrible reality. For many people it can be a nightmare, especially perhaps in the UK. It’s not like America where the rule is simple: tip everyone who even smiles at you. In the UK, a tip is a small thank you (usually in the form of cash) for good service, and so the decision is completely up to you, the customer. There is one basic rule: if you are not happy with the service, then do not tip!
But, if the service is at least satisfactory, then there are still other questions to answer: Who do I tip? When do I tip? How much should I give?
Here are some simple guidelines:

Pubs

Never actually tip, even if food is served. However, if you have been in the pub for quite a long time, or you think the bar staff is particularly helpful, then you can offer to buy them a drink. When you are ordering your drinks at the bar, just say something like “and have one for yourself” or “and whatever you’re having”. The bar staff will understand, and usually take a little extra money from you – just enough to buy a half pint or a small drink. They probably won’t actually get a drink for themselves, especially if the pub is busy.
If they say no, don’t worry. Some pubs have a policy, so don’t be offended. You can always put some extra money in the charity box that pubs almost always have on the bar.
If you are just having one or two drinks, there is definitely no need to worry about tipping. Just say a friendly “thanks!” on your way out of the pub.

Restaurants

Tipping is a good idea in restaurants, but remember that tipping is a thank you for service, not the quality of the food or toilets. A tip is usually between 10 and 20%, so perhaps you can use this system:

- the waiter or waitress did a very, very good job: 20%
- the waiter or waitress did their job to a usual standard: 15%
- the waiter or waitress made a mistake but were polite: 10%

It is rude not to give any tip at all – only do this if you feel they treated you very badly, or you are not planning to go back to that restaurant again!
But, read the menu or bill very carefully! Many times you will see something like “10% service charge included”. This means the restaurant has automatically added a 10% tip. You can add a little more if you want. But you don’t have to!

Cafes/Tearooms/Coffee shops

It is not usual to tip in places like this. Sometimes there is a jar or box for tips on the counter – if you want to, you can put some of your spare change in there.

Taxis

At the end of the journey, it’s good to add at least 10% to the fare. You can wait until the driver has given you change, and then give him the tip with a “thank you very much!” Or, before you pay, add on the tip and round up the fare to the nearest 50p or pound. This makes it easier for both of you as you don’t have to bother with change. If you don’t have the right money and need change, make it clear to the driver how much you want him to take, by saying “Make it…”
For example, let’s say the fare is ￡8.75. Add on 10% (88p), so the bill becomes ￡9.63. Then round up and give the driver 10 pounds exactly.
Or, imagine the fare is ￡3.75. Add on 38p and round up, and the bill becomes ￡4.50. Give him a 5 pound note, and say “Thanks! Make it 4.50!”

Hotels/B&Bs

In small hotels or B&Bs, tipping is not done. In a larger hotel with a porter who carries your luggage to your room, you can give him from 1 to 3 pounds, depending on how many bags he had to carry! If you don’t have much luggage and want to avoid worrying about a tip, tell them you can carry your bags yourself when you check in.
You don’t need to tip any other hotel staff, but if someone did a very good job for you then it’s a good idea to tell the hotel manager.
Also remember that a tip does not have to be money. When you leave the hotel you could give a helpful concierge an unused phone card or even a lottery ticket!

The customer is,usually,right

In the UK, although we say that “the customer is always right”, maybe we should say “if the customer is polite, they are right”! If you are polite, you will get better service. So remember these points to help give a good impression.

Unlike in Japan, there is not a standard way for staff to speak in shops. Often the staff will not say very much to the customer. But if the worker does talk to you, remember that this is more special than it is in Japan, so never ignore them!

When you walk into a shop, you might not hear any special greetings from the staff. Don’t worry, it is not expected! However, in some shops, especially smaller ones, the shopkeeper or staff might say “hello” as you enter. If this happens, it is very important to answer them! Smile and say “hello” or “hi” and then start browsing. In other shops, the worker might not say anything, but if they catch your eye and smile, then nod and smile back.

If you are asked “can I help you?” or “are you looking for anything in particular?”, then it is normal to say “no, I’m just browsing” or “no, I’m just looking”, if you don’t need any help.

And when you leave a small shop, it is polite to say “thanks” before you leave – don’t wait for the staff to say it to you first!

Read this article in Japanese

Phil Taylor／日本語で読む

Many people in the UK have green fingers – have you ever noticed? If not, don’t worry – you can’t see them! "To have green fingers" means to love gardening and anything related to growing plants. Gardening seems to be in the blood of British people, but it has not always been a hobby for everyone: it used to be a pastime for richer people who had a lot of land. Then, thanks partly to a BBC TV show called Gardener’s World, from the 1970s gardening suddenly became a lot more popular with everyone.

In the 1990s gardening TV shows also exploded in popularity: Ground Force was the first "garden makeover" show, where a team come to someone’s garden and transform it in only 2 days. There has been a lot of gardening inspiration in the UK, which means that even people with small gardens or tiny city balconies now spend a lot of time and money making them beautiful.

Even if you are just visiting the UK for a short time, you can enjoy British garden culture in many ways.
The first is to visit the shops that British people use. For basic garden needs, most people shop at one of the large chain DIY stores such as Homebase or B&Q, which usually have an extensive garden section. However, although these are great, cheap places to buy garden furniture, soil, plant food and other supplies, the flowers and plants are not usually of such good quality. A better bet is to visit a "garden centre" or "nursery". A garden centre is often quite large, and stocks all kinds of garden supplies as well as plants – there are some large garden centre chains such as Notcutts
and Wyevale which often have a restaurant too. A "nursery" tends to specialise more in flowers and plants, and usually grows its own.

In London too there are some very special places where you could spend a few hours walking around just enjoying the scenery, even if you think that visiting a garden centre is not a typical sightseeing activity! Probably the best place for this is Clifton Nurseries (in W9, near Warwick Avenue station on the Bakerloo line). This is London’s oldest garden centre, dating from 1851, and it supplies many famous businesses and people around the city. It’s situated in the middle of Little Venice, an expensive area of large houses, cafes, historic pubs and canals filled with colourful boats. Walking into the centre feels like stepping back in time – you are suddenly away from the city and in a peaceful, romantic walled garden full of high quality plants, flowers and trees and well as hand-made furniture, accessories and antique pots.

Clifton also sells smaller items such as books and ornaments which would make ideal souvenirs, and there’s a recently opened cafe- you are even allowed to walk around the centre with your coffee or tea! Elsewhere in London, try Camden Garden Centre (St Pancras Way, NW1) orChelsea Gardener (just off the Kings Road, SW3).

As well as garden shops and centres, Britain is home to many public gardens which are great places to visit all year round. Some are very large, and feel more like parks. Maybe the most famous and spectacular is Kew Gardens (now a World Heritage site) where you can see plants from all around the world as well as some amazing buildings; many stately homes have beautiful gardens and Britain even has a gardening charity, the Royal Horticultural Society, which owns four spectacular public gardens in Yorkshire, Essex, Devon and Surrey.

It’s not only public gardens that are open to view – you can actually visit many private gardens around the country at certain times of the year. Some towns and villages run special events where volunteers open their gardens to the public and there is a national event called the National Gardens Scheme where hundreds of gardens all over the country are opened to the public for a small charge (the money goes to charity). Schemes like this are a great opportunity to see real British gardens and maybe practice your English while speaking to the owners!

Green fingers and sore thumbs: Gardening and DIY Part 2

DIY (Do It Yourself) is another pastime which has sky-rocketed in popularity in the UK over the past few decades. DIY means making things, repairing things or painting and decorating your house by yourself, rather than paying someone else to do it.

Like gardening, DIY became popular in the UK thanks to TV. One of the first TV DIY presenters was Barry Bucknell, who presented a live show called "Do It Yourselfﾓ in the 1950s and 60s – some people say he actually invented the expression. Since then there have been various similar shows, but in 1996 the first "home makeoverﾓ show (where ordinary people’s houses were decorated and drastically changed on TV) started: the BBC’s Changing Rooms. This show restarted the craze for DIY, and in many ways helped improve the condition of British houses and create a lot of new business for shops like B&Q, Homebase and IKEA.

However, DIY is not always a good thing! When inexperienced people start using dangerous tools, climbing on ladders or painting ceilings, the results can be disastrous. In 1999, the number of DIY accidents in the UK reached 200,000, and 70 people died. Bank Holidays, especially Easter Monday, are traditionally the most popular days to try home improvements, and so they are also the most dangerous days for accidents. There have been many campaigns, news articles and websites set up to try to warn people of the dangers, but unfortunately too many people seem to want to copy their favourite TV designer’s latest project.

So if you feel like trying some DIY, remember to take care and don’t try to do anything too ambitious yourself; if in doubt, call the professionals!

London
Clifton Nurseries: http://www.clifton.co.ukCamden Garden Centre: http://www.camdengardencentre.co.uk
Chelsea Gardener: http://www.chelseagardener.com/home.html
Kew Gardens: http://www.rbgkew.org.uk

Say “London” and many people think “markets”, thanks to some famous films over the years. Most people know of Portobello Road (from Mary Poppins and Notting Hill) and perhaps Borough market, which has been used as a location for many films including Bridget Jones’ Diary. Of course these markets were and are real, and make a great place for a weekend day out. But they should only be thought of as an introduction – somewhere to start your market experiences. There are many many more markets to be discovered around the UK, and there are several main types:

- wholesale markets (for restaurants and shops to buy their supplies at – usually open early in the morning)
- normal “fruit and veg.” (vegetable) markets
- bric-a-brac or flea markets (selling almost anything)
- farmer’s markets (where farmers and food makers sell their produce directly to the public)
- flower markets etc.

However, there are also lots of occasional, special themed markets which we’ll look at later. But first let’s start off at some of the more well-known markets of London before we roam further to discover some of the lesser known but no less fascinating spots around the UK.

London Markets

One of the best places in London for food (perhaps for a picnic) is the farmer’s market at Borough Market on a Friday afternoon or Saturday. There are also some good restaurants and food shops in the area too. Another great one if you prefer to stay north of the river is the farmer’s market in Islington.

Somewhere not so famous but a nice place to walk around is Columbia Road Flower Market, which runs on Sunday mornings. There are some good cafes for breakfast in this area too. From here you can walk down Brick Lane which is famous for curry and a great bric-a-brac market on Sundays.

Covent Garden no longer has a real market, and is really aimed at tourists now, but to see what it used to be like in the days Alfred Hitchcock used it in his films, head over instead to Spitalfields Market. On a Sunday here you can buy art, crafts, books and much more – as well as fruit and vegetables of course.

The Tsukiji of London is Billingsgate fish market which starts at 5am, and is open to the public. Another early and very historic market is Smithfields meat market. It’s open from 4am, and the local pubs are allowed to sell beer with breakfast, from 6 o’clock in the morning! To the north, Camden Market is another famous one. It is perhaps a little crowded and touristy these days, but still good for cheap clothes, collectibles, music and souvenirs on Saturdays and Sundays.

If you walk around almost any area in central London on weekday mornings, you’ll probably come across some very down-to-earth markets. These are great places to buy your supplies and to see some interesting London characters! There are usually markets around Edgware Road (W2), Leather Lane (EC1), Whitechapel (E1), Walthamstow (E17), Brixton (SW1), East Street (SE17), Fulham (SW6) and Shepherd’s Bush (W12).

Other market towns

A lot of towns in England are known as “market towns”: some even have the word as part of their name (for example Market Harborough in Leicestershire, or Market Drayton in Shropshire). These are small towns which, unlike villages, were historically allowed to hold markets, often in a special market square or “marketplace”. Nowadays too, these towns often have markets at least once a week. Local newspapers and websites list the days and times.

Themed markets

Themed markets are often the most interesting. In late November and early December there are many Christmas markets all over the country. There is a German style one in Birmingham, and another famous one in Lincoln. Many cities including Edinburgh, York, Durham, and Bath hold Christmas markets around the old cathedral areas, which look very beautiful at this time of year decorated with Christmas trees and lights. These markets often have a Victorian theme too – sellers dress in old-fashioned clothes, groups sing carols and there are traditional crafts and hot snacks on sale. Rochester (in Kent) holds a well-known “Dickensian Christmas market”.

Market English and customs

At many markets, especially the more simple fruit and veg markets, you might find it hard to understand the very quick, loud calls of the sellers who often shout out the prices of their goods to try to entice passersby to make a purchase. For example, what might at first sound like “Getcha bananas ear, luvlee narnas! Too-pounda-pounda bana-nas!” is actually “Get your bananas here, lovely bananas! 2 pound(s) (for) a pound of bananas!” meaning that you can buy 1 pound (about 500 grams) of bananas for 1 pound. Although, by law, sellers must now use metric measurements (kilos and grams), many might still like to use the older system of pounds and ounces.
Stall keepers usually call women “love” and men “mate”, and if customers seem interested, stall holders will often try the hard sell, perhaps saying “OK luv, I’ve got some luvlee apples ﾔere too, ﾔow about it?” (“Would you like to buy some apples too madam?” in standard English). If you’re not interested you can just say “Not today thanks” or “That’s OK”

When you ask for something at this kind of market, you don’t need to worry about being too polite – just use simple expressions like “2 kilos of apples please” or “How much are the lemons?” Remember that it’s not usual to ask for discounts (or “haggle”) at most kinds of markets, except at bric-a-brac markets where people are selling used goods.

*Read in Japanese(you can find pictures here)

And so, after our introduction to Wales from the south, let’s head northwards! Although it’s all the same country, the difference between the north and south is quite noticeable. The north is less industrial, there are no cities, and more people actually use Welsh – for some it’s their first language. English is spoken with a different, slightly thicker and “throatier” accent. As always, there is really too much to recommend, but here are a few interesting places that you shouldn’t miss…

Our first stop, and perhaps a good base from which to explore the north coast, is Llandudno. If you want to experience a really good example of a Victorian seaside town, from the days that “bathing” and “taking the waters” became popular, then this is the place to go. It’s also quite a unique town due to the Great and Little Ormes – huge limestone rocks (almost mountains) – at each end of the town. There are lots of slightly old-fashioned attractions here, like the tramway to the top of the Great Orme, the pier and the sea-front promenade complete with bandstand. Just near Llandudno along the coast is Conwy, which is definitely worth a visit. It’s one of the few walled towns in the UK, and also has a very beautiful and ancient castle. On the pretty quayside in Conwy is Britain’s smallest house, which is open to tourists. It has two floors with one room on each, and measures only about 3 by 2 metres.

Continue west and you can cross one of the bridges onto the isle of Anglesey. This island has many interesting historical towns, a lot of unspoiled nature great for walking and some nice sandy beaches on the east coast. One of the most famous places however, is the town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (sometimes written as LlanfairPG for short) – the village with the longest place name in the UK. Many people stop at the railway station for photographs with the (long) sign, but there’s not really much else to see here!

Back on the mainland near Anglesey, in the town of Caernarfon there’s another beautiful castle which looks very special when seen from the waterfront. There are a lot of Welsh-speakers here, and the town also has its own quite strange dialect which mixes Welsh and English words and grammar – not something you’ll find on a TOEIC test!
The inland part of North Wales is very rural and undeveloped, with some wild mountainous scenery, especially in Snowdonia National Park. This is a great place for walking and climbing, and is home to Snowdon which is the highest peak in England and Wales. If you are brave you can climb the whole thing, or you can use the very steep and unique Victorian “rack” railway, which still uses steam trains.

Links

http://www.nwt.co.uk/ – the official North Wales tourism site
http://www.llandudno-tourism.co.uk/ – the official Llandudno tourism site with a good clickable map of the town
http://www.eryri-npa.co.uk/english/ – the Snowdonia National Park site
http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/ – a nice site about the Snowdon Mountain Railway
http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk – the longest URL in the world! Has an interesting section about how to pronounce the name!
http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/wales/ – a lot of information about walking in Wales including Snowdonia.

Read this article in Japanes

Wales is probably the least famous of the three countries that make up Great Britain. Not many tourists include it on their itineraries, preferring to visit Scotland to see castles and wild scenery. However, Wales is not only closer to London but is home to some very beautiful unspoiled mountainous countryside, dramatic coastlines, plenty of castles and friendly people, who speak in a unique and beautifully lilting accent. As soon as you cross the border, you know you are not in England anymore. There’s something indefinable in the air; an unforgettable Welsh atmosphere which many grow to love!

The history of Wales (or “Cymru” in Welsh) is incredibly long and full of strange facts…did you know that Saint Patrick (of Irish fame) was actually Welsh? Did you know that the red dragon on the unique Welsh flag is said to have escaped to Wales after being chased out of England by Saint George? Or that North Wales is home to the town with the longest station name in Britain? Or that all signs in Wales must be written in both English and the ancient Welsh language, although few people can understand it?!
So, let’s cross the River Severn into this amazing country, and start by exploring a little of South Wales…

The one place many people do visit in Wales is the capital city, Cardiff. In the last few years the city has really become special and is now known to be a fashionable and cultural place. The main attraction here is Cardiff Castle which is found conveniently in the compact city centre. You will see the moat and the huge walls right next to the main shopping area, not far from the railway station. The castle is also interesting as it is made up of different ages and styles of buildings, including some Victorian apartments decorated in a really lavish style. Next to the castle is Bute Park and the River Taff.

A quite unique feature of Cardiff is the arcades – a total of six beautiful narrow glass-covered shopping streets, which were constructed in Victorian and Edwardian times and are now home to small specialist shops.
Away from the centre a little, at the end of a new wide tree-lined boulevard, is the redeveloped Cardiff Bay area. This is home to some interesting old and new architecture, a science museum and a good fish and chip shop! It’s a nice place to walk around on a warm afternoon.

Once you’re out of the city you will immediately see the beautiful Welsh countryside. A great place to go if you like walking and enjoying nature is the Brecon Beacons National Park. If you’re driving around the area you might see wild ponies on the moors, or find tiny ancient churches and windswept standing stones. These are a reminder of the history of Wales, which goes back thousands of years to times before the Romans came.
To walk, you can start off at the Mountain Centre and hike for miles across the fields and hills, or of course climb the mountains. None are particularly tall or challenging, but the views are amazing. Pen-y-fan is the highest peak in South Wales, but is only 886 metres high and takes only an hour or two to climb on the most popular route, which starts at the Storey Arms visitors centre on the A470.

There are lots of other interesting attractions not too far from Cardiff. The Museum of Welsh Life in St Fagans has over 30 old buildings from all around Wales which have been moved here and restored. You can go inside them all, and see how people lived in Wales over the past few hundred years. You can also go down a real coal mine, at the Big Pit, and see the underground machinery and stables where “pit ponies” were once kept. If you enjoy being underground then you should also try the Dan-yr-Ogof caves, which are lit up beautifully and contain huge caverns and underground waterfalls.

If you want to have a taste of the real South Wales, visit some of the valleys and their ex-coal mining villages. These villages were once busy and prosperous places which were home to thousands of coal miners and their families. Sadly these places are now quite poor and run down, as the mines have now all closed and there are very few jobs. A good way to see some of these places, as well as some of the beautiful surrounding scenery, is to walk or cycle along part of the 55 mile (88km) Taff Trail (which actually starts in Cardiff Bay).

LINKS

http://www.visitwales.com – the official tourist site
http://www.cardiffcastle.com – for details of Cardiff Castle
http://www.south-wales.org.uk – an independent guide to South Wales
http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/wales – a lot of information about walking in Wales including the Brecon Beacons.
http://www.wales-underground.org.uk – contains information about the Big Pit and Dan-yr-Ogof caves
http://www.tafftrail.org.uk – good details and pictures of the whole 55 mile trail.

Read this article in Japanese

We know that British pubs are unique. But in the UK a pub is just a pub; they’re all pretty much the same, right? Well not quite. Even in London there are hundreds of pubs, and they are all very different. Different types of customers pay different prices to drink different kinds of beer in very different looking places. By going to the pub you can learn a lot about people, culture and history.

One quite unique kind of historical pub is the “Gin Palace”. In 17th century England many French drinks such as wine and brandy were banned, so by the 1800s a lot of pubs were converted into shops selling English gin, and nothing else! In Victorian times they were lavishly decorated with gas lights, mirrors, glass and tiles so they would look more attractive to people passing by. In the 20th century many gin palaces were converted and redecorated back to usual looking pubs, but some have been very well preserved. One of the best to see in London is The Princess Louise at 208 High Holborn, WC2 (walk towards Oxford Street from Holborn station, and it’s on the left).
It was built in 1872, and may not look very interesting outside. But be prepared for a visual onslaught when you go inside. It is a true shrine to Victorian craftsmanship with virtually every surface from floor to high ceiling decorated with painted tiling and engraved glass from famous London makers of the time. Even the toilets are beautiful! The bar is oval-shaped, and features a “bar wagon” with a miniature clock tower. Behind it is the original “publican’s office”, which is very rare. Before the bar was built, the beer was “drawn” (pumped up from the barrels in the cellar) here and then served to customers by waiters. This pub now serves Sam Smiths beer, which is good and quite cheap.

So, while we’re in the Holborn area I’ll recommend a few other places to stop by. The Lamb at 94 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1 (off Theobald’s Road) is a real gem of a pub. It’s named after Sir William Lamb (not the cute animal) who built a conduit to bring clean water to this area in 1577.

The Lamb is not a gin palace, but the interior is another one of the best in London, dating from 1894. When you go to the bar to order your drink you will see a set of small windows over the bar. They are quite low and you will have to talk through them or bend down to talk under them. These are called “snob screens” and they can be turned so that the customer can not be identified by the staff! In Victorian England, which was very class-conscious, many pubs had snob-screens as well as wood and glass partitions to separate the drinkers. At the Lamb, the partitions are now gone, but the pub is still broken up into nice snug sections with a dining room at the back and a cosy seating area with dark green leather sofas and small round tables at the front of the horseshoe shaped bar. There is a lot of dark wood and old photographs on the walls, the food is good and I also recommend the Young’s beer.

The Cittie of Yorke is at 22 High Holborn and is quite old. Some parts of the building have been standing since 1645, and there have been inns on the site from as far back as 1430. When you enter this pub you will be in an entry corridor. The bar at the front is quite small and the style is fairly typical. But go to the end of the corridor and you will find the Long Bar which is a lot more special.
In the early 1900s people had become bored with the decorative gin-palaces and wanted a more simple style again. The result was the “back-to-the-inn” style, and the Long Bar is a great example. It looks like a medieval banqueting hall with a very high beamed ceiling, a bare floor, lots of wood paneling and small booths with individual lights and wrought ironwork.
The name of this pub also has an interesting history. Long ago it belonged to a different pub nearby, and when Sam Smiths took over they stole the name!

So now that we’ve seen the fancy gin-palace and the simple back-to-the inn, it’s time for something more simple – just cosy and typically English. If you are near the Royal Courts of Justice, walk around behind them to 53 Carey Street, WC2 and find The Seven Stars which recently celebrated its 400th birthday. The pub used to be called the League of Seven Stars, named after the seven provinces of the Netherlands. Its early customers were Dutch sailors who settled in the area in the 17th century, but now you will probably just find lawyers and law students enjoying the food and drink here.
Something special about this pub is how small it is! The main bar is quite long and very narrow, decorated with carpet, black wood beams and interesting pictures and ornaments on the walls. The owner is another special feature – a local character named Roxy Beaujolais who also serves and cooks delicious food all day, and in the evenings too if she feels like it! You can also buy copies of her book from behind the bar for an interesting souvenir.

You can find more pictures, maps and information about all these pubs at www.pubs.com

Pubs in London 2

If you’re ever in Hyde Park or maybe going to Paddington station for a trip West or to Heathrow airport, then you’re in a good place to see some very typical West London architecture and visit some unique pubs.

One, slightly hard to find pub, is the Archery Tavern, 4 Bathurst Street W2. It’s just north of Bayswater Road near the Victoria Gate and famous Italian Fountains of Hyde Park (nearest tube station is Lancaster Gate). The archway next to the pub leads to a “mews” – an old, narrow cobbled street behind the main street. Mews used to be house stables and living quarters for stable workers from the large houses in many parts of London. Most mews are now very trendy and expensive places to live or work, but the one by the Tavern is still used as a working stable for a riding school. This gives the pub a very nice country atmosphere, especially in summer when you can sit outside. Badger ales are served here, which are brewed in Dorset and add to the countryside feeling.

It’s a short walk from here to the Victoria, 10a Strathearn Place W2, a triangular pub on the corner of a terrace. Most of the inside is genuine Victorian and beautifully decorated with a low bar, working fireplaces, mirrors, etched glass and painted tiles. It’s almost a gin palace! The manager and his wife are very friendly, traditional Fullers ales are served, the food is great and the customers are a very interesting mix of businessmen, diplomats and local residents. A local street-skating group seems to meet here occasionally, which can get very interesting!

*Read in Japanese(you can find pictures here)