This news comes via The Guardian - London is no longer in the top 10 most expensive cities on the planet. It's moved down to the 16 spot. It was 3 last year. This is great news for travelers and the people that live there. Due to the econopocalypse, everything in London is cheaper these days. So, … [Read more...]
Dorset Students Make Their Own Impressive Film Version of “Far From a Madding Crowd”
July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Most people know that I'm not easily impressed - but I'm impressed by this. Far from the Madding Crowd is my favorite book of British Literature. Hardy's beautiful prose and tale of unrequited love grip me every time I read it. To read Far From the Madding Crowd is to be in the Dorsetshire … [Read more...]
Remembering 7-7-05
July 7, 2009 By 2 Comments
My lovely wife Jackie, who kindly puts up with my Anglophile obsession, has put together a few words in memory of the Terrorist attacks of 7-7-05. It's a subject I'm just not ready to talk about yet and she does a better job than I could. Four years ago on July 7 2005, my morning started like any … [Read more...]
Anglophile in Exile: The Day History Totally Blew My Mind
July 6, 2009 By 1 Comment
Everytime I find myself in London, I always make a point to visit new locations instead of visiting the old standbys. Last June, I found myself with a day and a half in London. By chance I walked by the Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, and noticed that I could go in, … [Read more...]
For the Anglophiles Who’d Rather Not Celebrate the Fourth of July
July 4, 2009 By 4 Comments
The Fourth of July is often a day or mourning for Anglophile Americans who wonder what might have been if America hadn't fought for it's independence (perhaps a proper parliament perhaps, The Queen, no Civil War, a bigger appreciate for tea cozies). Well, the folk over at the sci-fi blog io9 put … [Read more...]
A Little Brit History: Mr Harkus Does His Bit
July 2, 2009 By 2 Comments
“This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, This earth of majesty,this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set … [Read more...]
Video Thursday: Luke Jackson – Goodbye London
July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This is a really cool music video using stop motion animation of London overlaid with hand drawn animation. Very cool. From the description: Luke Jackson's video for Goodbye London, written and directed by Murray John. Goodbye London is taken from Luke's new album ...And Then Some Luke Jackson … [Read more...]
Dreams of Britain – How I Almost Got a Job in London – An Internet Marketing Tale
July 1, 2009 By 5 Comments
Let me preface this by saying that, though I did not get the job in London, I managed to find an even cooler job in Chicago which has deadened my desire to move to London for now. I can't wait to start it. I thought this would be a story worth sharing for people looking for innovative ways to try … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the North: Weather, or not…
July 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment
English weather is a pretty standard topic of conversation, but I am not just talking about the climate. I am specifically talking about meteorology, or the lack thereof really. I have not seen a single Doppler radar map in about a year now. I am sure by now the American local news channels are … [Read more...]
Bruce Springsteen Covers London Calling – Live
June 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Bruce Springsteen sang London Calling to crowds at Hard Rock Live this past weekend. It's awesome. Well worth the watch! … [Read more...]
Dreams of Britain: My Top 10 London To Do’s – My London Traditions
June 29, 2009 By 64 Comments
As I countdown to our trip to London in November, it's time to start making lists of things to do in order to make the most of my time there. So, I thought it'd be cool to share my list of things that I do in London every time I go. You can call them my London Traditions. I've been to London 5 … [Read more...]
The Boat That Rocked Being Hacked to Bits
June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Boat That Rocked, the latest outing from Richard Curtis (Love, Actually), opened in Britain several months ago. I've been excitedly waiting for it to open in the US and it looks like we're going to have to wait longer. The movie was scheduled to open at the end of August, but it looks like now … [Read more...]
In Memorium: London Honors Michael Jackson
June 27, 2009 By 3 Comments
I've commented in the past that the British had a strange obsession with Michael Jackson, more so than Americans. Even with everything that happened with him in the last 10 years, they still mobbed to see him when he was in town. Well, in honor of his death, Londoners got together for a flash mob … [Read more...]
Anglophile Alert: Win a Dream Home in London
June 25, 2009 By 2 Comments
This is a rather unique use of social media that I think is worth mentioning. A house that was featured on one of my Favorite British shows, Grand Designs, is being given away in a contest that anyone can enter! They've been trying to sell the house, but in the down economy, they can't find a … [Read more...]
Dreams of Britain: Spoonfed – Vote for them – Great iPhone App
June 25, 2009 By 1 Comment
Screenshot from the Spoonfed Radar iPhone App I'm going to be putting together an uber-post on London related iPhone apps soon, but I wanted to spotlight this little gem now. I wrote a few months ago about Spoonfed, a web based London Events Guide that has become indispensable in planning my trip … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the North: Ode to my Kettle
June 24, 2009 By 2 Comments
This week we suffered a loss. Our electric kettle kicked the bucket. I am not sure exactly what happened, the light still came on and it appeared to be working but when I touched it a few minutes later it was still cold. This is sad for two reasons, first of all it is discontinued and we got the … [Read more...]
Vote for Me!
June 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Pardon this moment of self promotion. I'm currently in a photo contest over at BritFancy and the prize is a walk from London Walks - something I'd love to do on my trip to London in November. It's a close race and I would appreciate any votes in my favor. My picture is the first one - Gold … [Read more...]
British TV for Ex-pats and a Free Trial for Slingbox British TV
June 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
One unexpected result from the success of Anglotopia is that the site has become very popular with British Expats. Due to this, one question I get asked about quite a bit is how they can get the best TV from home, quickly and easily (and cheaply at that). British Television is one thing that … [Read more...]
Moving to the UK: How Do You Get Credit in the UK?
June 22, 2009 By 3 Comments
This post comes via a user submission. It's an issue I have a lot of interest in and covers how to establish credit in the UK when you move there. It's important because many people don't realize that when you move to another country you have no credit and just like in the US, you need credit to buy … [Read more...]
A Bit of Fry and Laurie: What’s in a name anyway?
June 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I came across this video quite randomly today and had to share it. It's a clip from the classic show "A Bit of Fry and Laurie." The bit is hilarious and well worth the three minutes mostly because it's so fun to watch Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie smack each other. Funny Hugh Laurie & Stephen … [Read more...]
High Speed Trains Debut in Britain
June 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Britain's first commuter high speed rail had it's debut yesterday. It's been a long time coming and it's all very impressive. Brits may sneer when you say good things about their railroads - but as least they have them. The Javelin Train, as it's being called, travels at 142mph and cuts travel … [Read more...]
Did You Get Your BA/VA Settlement Check?
June 11, 2009 By 1 Comment
I had a little surprise in my bank account a couple days ago. It looks like I finally got my settlement payment from the recent British Airways/Virgin Atlantic Price fixing lawsuit. The total was about $55. I traveled to Britain 3 times during the eligible period, so that's what my share was worth. … [Read more...]
How to Get a London Times Subscription in the USA – Times of London in America
June 11, 2009 By 4 Comments
Photo from Flickr My favorite British Newspaper is by far the London Times, specifically the Sunday Times. It's a great newspaper, with a great history backed up by strong journalism. The sheer amount of content in a Sunday Times is always impressive and keeps me occupied for weeks. You used … [Read more...]
Anglophile Alert: Win a Trip to London to the Premiere of “A Christmas Carol”
June 10, 2009 By 2 Comments
The latest contest from a trip to London is sponsored by British Airways and Amtrak. Up for offer is a free trip to London to go to the premiere of "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey. The trip will be the first week of November. The prizes are as follows: One Grand Prize: A … [Read more...]
The Best Job in the World Redux: Win a Free 3 Month Trip to New Zealand
June 10, 2009 By 1 Comment
Photo from Flickr I recently posted about New Zealand being rated the most peaceful country on the planet. Well, now anyone can have a chance to experience it for three months in the latest 'best job in the world' contest! Queensland in Australia made waves a few months ago when it offered the … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the North: Angel of the North
June 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, York Minster, London Eye, Stonehenge, the list goes on. There are far too many important structures in Britain to even begin to list here. Britain probably has more iconic sights crammed onto one island than any other country in the world. One of the lesser known … [Read more...]
BBC’s Merlin Coming to NBC Primetime
June 8, 2009 By 4 Comments
Big news today from NBC: the BBC's new tale of the magician Merlin will be coming to NBC primetime. This is big news mostly because this is the first time a British TV show will be aired in US primetime TV for 30 years. It's also interesting to note that BBC America failed to land the show. I … [Read more...]
Announcing the Official Anglotopia Store
June 6, 2009 By 1 Comment
It's been a long time coming and I've finally had the time to implement it: Anglotopia now has a small storefront. We've partnered with Amazon.com for an Anglotopia branded shopping experience. In our store you'll find the best British Books, DVD's, Music and other British Products. I'm … [Read more...]
The Most Peaceful Place on Earth
June 6, 2009 By 3 Comments
The Washington Times recently featured an article that caught my attention. It was a report on a study of the most peaceful countries on the world. What were the criteria? From the Article: According to the Institute for Economics and Peace that rated the relative tranquility of 144 nations … [Read more...]
Anglophile Facepalm: Jessia Biel, Culture Warrior
June 5, 2009 By 1 Comment
Jessica Biel is making the rounds, promoting her movie Easy Virtue. Sadly, her publicists thought it would be a good idea for her to speak in public. The video says it all: As for the movie she is talking about, Easy Virtue, it's terrible - mostly because she's in it. I'll have a review in the … [Read more...]
British Pound Exchange Rate
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dreams of traveling to the UK whenever we want a reality.
