Very pleasantly surprised.
 

Insince arriving back in the UK I have been very pleasantly surprised by many things, especially things I was 'warned' about. Fresh food in supermarkets is easily as good and as fresh as in Australia and importantly mostly cheaper. The variety available in shops, especially food, is extraordinary and still makes my wife smile when we go into a huge Asda or Tesco. Almost without exception the people are happy, helpful and cheerful, it helps living In a village but when I try to do any work outside I am constantly having to stop to chat with neighbours and locals. I'm certainly not complaining. :)
Generally we have found most things to be either cheaper or comparable in price here.
We haven't encountered any hoodies and we haven't seen any gangs on street corners.
It isn't all rosey of course but nowhere near as bad as some would have us believe.
All in all in :thumbsup:

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

What a lovely post! :thumbsup:

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

Thank you. I just don't see the UK some people describe, rubbish everywhere, ignorant, rude, miserable people, the country going down the toilet etc.

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

Great thread/posts - thanks for sharing!

I'll soon be returning to the UK with my US citizen wife so it's great to read stuff like this.

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

No problem at all. Don't get me wrong, like every other country there are problems but they really are nowhere near as bad as some would have us believe.Me

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

I totally agree with you. The place that is often described on this board certainly isnt the Britain I am fortunate enough to live in. I dare say if I lived in central Bradford I may think differently but, even then, my friend's son does own a house in Bradford and is very happy with his situation!

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

Thanks for the great report. Look forward to hearing more! :thumbsup:

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Yes if I lived in some deprived area in an inner city I would have a different opinion but I hope unlike some I wouldnt use that experience to tar the whole country with the same brush. I have heard people often say 'well you could never do that in the UK', well we must be special as we do it all the time. :D You couldnt leave anything outside here as it would get nicked, thank goodness there is no crime in Australia :rofl: I'm not sure if people think before they make these ridiculous statements or it makes them feel better about the decision they have made ?

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

What’s wrong with Bradford ?

Not everyone’s cup of tea granted but nevertheless it has character and facilities many people enjoy.

• Culturally diverse
• Excellent world class Photography Museum.
• Museum of ‘Colour’
• Excellent authentic curry restaurants
• New paved city centre that puts Brisbane’s City Square to shame.
• New city centre precinct being built.

Not everyone is able to live in middle class ‘posh’ areas in Britain and seem to look down at working class people who live in less salubrious areas.

I for one admire what Bradford City Council has done to the city over the last few years to modernize and regenerate while trying to keep the character of an old working class, industrial city.

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

My waistline is showing how much I`m enjoying food back in England:rofl:

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

I totally agree!
We've been back in London 6 weeks now and loving every minute of it, though it still feels very much like an extended vacation at the moment! :thumbsup:

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

True. I wouldn't want to live there, but my two oldest friends live in the Bradford metropolitan area and they genuinely love it. One said to me recently "I wish I loved Harrogate - it would make life much easier - but I don't. I love Bradford." He is an integral part of the community and has worked to create a thriving artistic community in the city. My other close friend is enamored of the food and is taking us out for a curry two weeks from now. My mouth is watering in advance!

Jemima55, amen, I needed to lose weight when I arrived back and the chocolate and pub grub and chippies haven't made it any easier.

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

I am fed up of being ripped off on food prices in NZ, we have just returned from a holiday in OZ where according to Kiwis is way cheaper blah blah blah
The 10 day holiday cost us far more than a fortnight in Italy where we ate out everynight. we could not afford more than 3/10 nights, the accomodation was a rip off, dirty and disgusting:thumbdown:

Agreed more choice than NZ but still expensive can not wait to return so looking forward to the choice and muller yogurts!!!
:thumbsup:

Re: Very pleasantly surprised.
 

Despite all of the negativity about Bradford, it has character and history. There are still many magnificent Victorian buildings and the Wool Exchange in Bradford was where all of the wool once bought and sold throughout the British Empire was traded. Also, Bronte Country, Saltaire Village, Worth Valley Railway, and Ilkley fall in the Bradford tourist area. Bradford was a significent city during the Industrial Revolution. It also probably has the best Indian/Pakistani food in the UK. Major national restaurant chains like Akbars originated there. Happy eating!

Have a look at their tourist website:

http://www.visitbradford.com/

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I know what you're saying Johnh009, but I think you'd that it's a stretch to put Ilkley in with Bradford - and I say that as someone who went to "Ilkley and Bradford College" back when it existed.

One recent survey found that Ilkley is now the most expensive market town outside the south of England - it's even more affluent than Harrogate. I don't know anyone from round here who would claim Bradford and Ilkley had anything more to do with each other than Ilkley and Sheffield.