Funny and not so funny comments you have heard tourists make.
Here is my top 5,
No5 Don’t go to London Bridge there’s nothing there (American tourists by Tower Bridge,)
No 4 Oh my god it looks nothing like the Eiffel tower,( American tourists by the London Eye,)
No 3 You cant see Big Ben (Tourists on the top of St Paul’s Cathedral,
No2 They should put a Henry Moor there (Tourist talking about Eros in Piccadilly circus,
And
No 1 Total Crap
French tourists Talking about Berkeley Homes
St Georges wharf.
So there you have it out the horses mouth.
Not an SE story, nor a recent one but...on the no. 9, picking up at Harrods and proceeding west along Knoghtsbridge, past the recently and magnificently restored Albert Memorial "Gee Honey, what's that?" "It's King Arthur's Tomb," the confident reply. Stifeld sniggers and groans around the top deck!
Years ago, while taking an American family, husband and wife in late forties to mid fifties, older couple, presumably parents or parents-in-law, from Trafalgar Square to Kensington.
While negotiating Hyde Park corner one of the younger couple asked "What is that statue in the centre of the island?"
I replied that it was the victory statue to commemorate WW1.
The older gentleman murmured, "Oh yeah, 1917 to 1918."
I couldn't resist it, "It might have been 1917 to 1918 to you pal, but for my grandad it was 1914 to 1918!"
This happened in New York where I met a couple in a bar.
When I told them I came from London the lady said "I love Paris" I corrected her and said "No I come from London". She turned to her husband and said "You remember Paris honey, you know the capital of London"
It's amazing how many tourists have asked me for directions to London Bridge when they actually meant Tower Bridge - and not only Americans. There seems to be a lot of confusion on this.
That's why the old London Bridge now spans a lake in Arizona, having been bought by the American entrpreneur, Robert McCulloch, in 1968 for the best part of $2,500,000. He thought he'd bought Tower Bridge. American's, we love you. Please don't ever change.
Happy to be corrected.
'You're never finished learning 'til they put you in the grave.'
But which part is the myth? I believe the old London Bridge still spans Lake Havasu, Arizona. so I guess the 'myth' part is that he knew all along that he was buying London Bridge and not Tower Bridge.
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