My wife and I were in London on July 4th, Independence Day for Americans. For the British, of course, July 4th represents the beginning of a losing war effort and the ultimate loss of the American colonies. So I was prepared to receive a cold shoulder from the folks in London that day.
At lunch, an American at a table next to us was complaining about his hotel. Each morning he had received a complimentary copy of USA Today. But on July 4th, nothing showed up on his doorstep. He called the front desk to complain, and was told by a man in a snooty voice, “We don’t distribute that paper on July 4th.” Our lunch mate seemed to think this was a serious comment. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been said with typical dry British wit. Who knows? (Photo to the right: The Black Lion is just to the right of Cheqepoint.)