There is a more European feel about the place, and Britain has, in some ways, lost its idiosyncrasy, becoming a little more like Belgium. Innovation has proceeded relentlessly but largely inwardly, refining the details of a drawing on a finite-sized piece of paper, filling the last vestiges of space for opportunity. Variation within a confined space. Some ideas seem to have been lifted straight out of Prague, such as the spoken announcements on London Underground trains, telling you which station comes next. Some ideas are new to me, such as bus-stop kerbstones with Emmental cheese holes in them, so that rainwater drains under the pavement, and the bus does not splash the waiting passengers when it pulls in.
Fuel prices are ridiculous.
Diesel costs me almost twice the German rates. The buses still don't run on time, but they now publish histograms of how they are doing. British zebra crossings are very distinctive. Drivers actually stop at them, for one thing. They have always been a particular feature, with zigzags painted along the kerb fore and aft where you must not park, to keep the view clear.