We are finally back home. It feels good!

Three weeks in the UK have made our skin tones darker (a couple of days were the hottest May days in UK’s history!), waistlines larger (they eat a lot of chips and mashed potatoes!), pockets lighter (boy, it’s an expensive place and the rupee’s depreciation didn’t help!)… but hearts full with some incredible memories.

Sharing some of them in the long-form notes.

And now, on to the newsletter.

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Welcome to the one hundred and seventieth edition of ‘3-to-1 by Story Rules‘*.

A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:

3 tweets, and
A vacation note from the week 🙂

Let’s dive in.

𝕏 3 Tweets of the week

Good use of contrasting data points in a slide.

Fascinating history of the Swiss watchmaking expertise

Haha, well expressed!

📄 Vacation note of the week 🙂

Notes from the UK – Part 3

So the three-week UK trip was our annual family vacation. Apart from me, there was my wife, son (14), daughter (8) and dad (78).

While this is not a detailed travel journal, what I would like to share are just my quick summary impressions from the holiday.

Before that, here’s the broad itinerary of the trip:

We started with London (about a week)
Then moved on to Scotland (with a day halt at York on the way).
At Scotland, three nights in Edinburgh followed by three nights in the Highlands.
We then drove to Liverpool (one night)…
… and then on to Oxford and the Cotswolds.
We ended with a three-day boating trip on the Thames.

Here are some quick notes from each place

London:

Surprisingly beautiful for such a mega-city. Most striking part? The architecture. The old-yet-clean-sturdy-and-majestic-looking buildings give the city LOADS of character (We realised that this is a feature throughout the UK, especially in the older parts of most cities).
Lots of lovely green areas, large parks, and play areas for children
INCREDIBLY easy to get around using public transport. Perhaps the best in the Western world? Definitely better than any city in the US. I thought Singapore and HK had amazing connectivity… I think London is probably even better in its spread and variety of options.
Lots of things to do, with some amazing free museums.
The weather is a BIG factor. When we were there, it was quite cold (temperatures ranged from 7 to 13-14 degrees Celsius). We rarely got a 20-degree day. Coupled with the wind, occasional showers (one day there was even hail), and intermittent sunshine, we got the proper four-seasons-in-a-day experience in London. Weather forecasts were a godsend, but we still struggled with the cold (especially my dad)
The Beefeater tour at the Tower of London was a highlight, given how well the speaker held our attention with his storytelling.

Travel to the North from London

We rented a car from London and drove for the rest of the trip. Would highly recommend doing that. The English countryside is picture-postcard gorgeous, with rolling green meadows, flocks of grazing sheep, lazy meandering rivers and the odd forest or hill to add some variety. Plus, they drive on the left side of the road (where we got it from!), and all signs are in English.
A key challenge is curbing our innate instincts to drive freestyle… but soon you get used to the consistent rules and regulations. They mostly have roundabouts instead of signals. Once you get the hang of it, it is fun and surprisingly well-managed!

York

We stayed for one night in York on the way to Edinburgh
Superb and incredibly atmospheric town centre with a street called the Shambles, which is said to have inspired Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.

Edinburgh

The Royal Mile is a must-visit—just to walk around and take in the tall dark-grey sandstone buildings.
We did a tour called ‘The Real Mary King’s Close’ which was a guided tour into one of the old houses off the Royal Mile. It was cool to see how people lived many centuries ago.
Also dotted with beautiful gardens (The Meadows, Princes Gardens), where you can walk around during the evenings.

The Scottish Highlands

The most jaw-dropping vistas. More rugged than England, and more picturesque. The combination of lakes, mountains, meadows, sheep and quaint cottages make this an absolute stunner. Super easy to get around by car.

Liverpool

One of my favourite stops on the trip, because… of the Beatles. Spent a few magical hours at The Cavern Club (where the Beatles actually performed!). Currently, many bands play Beatles covers all day. Also visited the Beatles Story Museum. Both are absolute must-visits if you are a big Beatles fan like me.

Oxford and the Cotswolds

Oxford is a beautiful University town that was teeming with joyful young students in serious black robes walking around with their parents (many were graduating)
Loved the Covered Market and the walk through the town centre (expertly navigated by a relative who lives in Oxford!)
The Cotswolds is a vast region dotted with historic villages which are dialled-to-the-max on old English charm.
Think stone cottages with sloping roofs and chimneys, cobblestone streets (in some areas), meandering rivers, vast green meadows… And add to that kids play activities, great restaurants and high-tea destinations… basically, it’s like a giant 2,000-sq-km picnic area
A highlight was watching a Punch and Judy puppet show at a village fair at Stow-on-the-Wold!

Boating in the Thames

An unexpected highlight. In this activity, we rented a large-ish boat (with no prior boating experience!) and sailed down (and up!) the Thames River between the towns of Benson and Reading.
There’s something magical about being on the upper deck and going at a leisurely pace of 7-8 kmph, with a gentle breeze blowing, while soaking in the vast green vistas, lovely townhouses and farms on either side… (and sipping on an ice-cold beer from the in-house fridge!)
There was a MASSIVE learning curve in learning how to handle the boat, especially at locks and when mooring. But once you learnt the ropes (heh), it was a magical experience.
Whenever we got stuck, we could rely on the friendly and helpful nature of other folks who were experts in boating. Once, especially, a super-friendly guy helped us out of a very tricky situation and allowed us to moor our boat right next to his.

Unique aspects/idiosyncrasies about the UK 🙂

Place name pronunciations are all awry. Edinburgh is pronounced ‘Edin-borough’, Southwark is ‘Sa-dherk’, Warwick is ‘Warrick’, ‘Magdalen’ is ‘Modellin’…!
Marks and Spencer Food stores (M&S Food) are something gloriously unique… It’s like restaurant-quality food (often better, and with jaw-dropping variety) available as takeaway in a supermarket format. Super useful for folks who don’t have the time or inclination to cook and don’t want to order from a restaurant.
The country is studded with pubs in every nook and corner, so you are never far away from a beer cask. And so, while I would give high points on availability and freshness of the beer, as regards the taste…. well, let’s just say, my palate is more used to the lagers (KF zindabad) and IPAs (especially some great West Coast IPAs) in India. But overall, it’s a great country for beer-lovers!