Harper Hope 

Street in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom for eight days with my mother and father. With little knowledge of what to expect, I went into the experience with an open mind. Although the trip there took 19 hours, and the weather was cold and raining, this did not stop me from learning about the culture and how it differs and compares to the United States. We spent our time exploring the two cities of Durham, England and Edinburgh, Scotland.

To begin, I must highlight the impeccable food, as every meal I had in Durham was cooked to perfection. The “food-norm” either consisted of a café or a pub; no in-between. Breakfast typically dwelled on a croissant, biscuits, porridge, eggs benedict, or yogurt bowl. Dinner consisted of either fish and chips, haggis, burgers, steak, or loaded fries. These seemed to be the staples in Durham, at the top of every menu I laid eyes on. 

With every meal, I additionally ordered hot chocolate. This was a personal challenge, as I was determined to rank every hot chocolate I possibly could in Durham. After thoughtful consideration, I would give my number one ranking to Spoons, a chain pub in the United Kingdom, with the cheapest prices by far. Although it was only a self-serve hot chocolate machine, it had the perfect milk-to-cocoa ratio. In addition, I also tried cocoa powder for the first time, which enhanced the flavor of the chocolate unduly. 

Yogurt bowl and hot chocolate from a local café, Chapters, in Durham, England.

In a close second place, I give my ranking to Costa, the largest coffee chain in the United Kingdom. Costa’s hot chocolate instantly grasped my attention with its presentation. I thoroughly enjoyed the large glass cup with a side of pink marshmallows. This hot cocoa was also white hot cocoa, which I had never tried before, and tasted precisely like Lucky Charms. Costa is considered the “Starbucks” of England. Walking almost everywhere, I saw people with their Costa cups in hand, all day, every day. Prime tea time was around 3:00 p.m., which was when you could almost never get a table. Although there are Starbucks in the UK as well, I never saw a single person walk into the store; completely different from Richmond.

In an honest review, the food in Scotland simply did not compare to Durham’s. As I was enjoying a rich chocolate piece of cake at a local café, I saw an employee bring out a chocolate Costco boxed cake. It was then when I realized that it was the same chocolate cake I was eating. This completely ruined Scotland cafés for me, as I harshly found out that a majority of the baked goods were not homemade. I asked my sister Anne Ross Hope (‘21), a junior at Rhodes College who is currently taking a semester abroad in Italy and joined us on the trip, how the food is different. She said, “Italy has way better food that offers more of a scenic and architectural environment.” 

Street in Durham, England.

Another highlight of my trip was learning about transportation. To our surprise, driving on the opposite side of the road was extremely difficult. I quickly learned that English drivers are way more experienced, as the speed limit was 70 miles per hour on almost every street we drove on. This was extremely shocking to me, as most of the roads have roundabouts, and the streets are tremendously narrow. However, I did not see any car accidents, dents, or scratches, which surprised me. Parking was excessively limited, and the spaces were almost three feet smaller in width than in the United States.

In addition, walking or taking the bus is a very common activity in the cities of both Durham and Edinburgh, and there is not a metro system. My brother Talmadge Hope (‘19), a graduate student at Durham University who is playing on Durham’s lacrosse team, shared that he notably walks from classes to lacrosse practice. As I asked him about his day-to-day life so far this semester, he summed up his experience with four broad sentences: “There are very very good McDonald’s items. The streets are very slippery, hilly, and steep. All the cars are very small and compact, the train system is super efficient, and the most reliable source of transportation is walking. I walk a lot.” After his experience of driving our entire family around the United Kingdom, my father David Hope shared that if he were to come back and visit, he would walk much more, as it was proven to be most efficient. 

One of my main curiosities on the trip was sparked by the large quantities of poppy flowers I saw everywhere I went. There were wreaths made of poppies and people wearing them on their shirts, blazers, and coats. I wondered if the United Kingdom just really liked poppies or if they represented something more. 

Poppy flower donation stand in the town square in Durham, England.

After a few more days of exploring, I found a booth in the town square accepting donations in return for various kinds of pendant poppies. After talking to the man running the booth, I learned that in the United Kingdom, fallen soldiers are recognized and honored throughout the entire month of November. Unlike in the United States, where we celebrate those who died for our country on a single day, Veterans Day on Nov. 11, the United Kingdom extends their thanks over the course of four weeks. In addition to the month as a whole, the entire country completely stops to take a moment of silence on November 11 at 11:00 a.m. to recognize their troops that fought and lost their lives. This moment alone is known as Remembrance Day, which annually falls on the 11th month of the year, on the 11th day of the month, and on the 11th hour, commemorating the moment of World War I’s armistice in 1918. Unfortunately, I did not get to experience this meaningful moment of silence, as I left on November 9. 

Overall, I am beyond grateful for the experiences and memories I made during this trip. Although I did not realize it at the moment, I learned much more than I intended to. I now know the history behind Remembrance Day, what public transportation looks like in an unfamiliar country’s environment, key aspects to making the perfect cup of hot chocolate, and, most importantly, to never be deceived by certain cafés in Scotland, because it may just be a slice of Costo cake. 

All photos by Harper Hope.