luka

Well-known member
It's interesting this stuff. I recoiled when I went to Paris from the first time in years but after a while you get used to it and Londin starts to feels very sterile. Washed and scrubbed to be presentable to international business
 

luka

Well-known member
There's obviously a sense in which those well scrubbed cheeks are an index of violence and repression and conformity
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Switzerland and residential areas in the Netherlands make the UK look derelict, shabby and noxious. It's better here now that it was when I was a kid. Less dogshit and glue bags
Co-sign this, having lived in both countries. Litter in towns is bad enough but it's when you go for a walk in the woods or along the beach and there's junk everywhere that I find the most depressing.
 
I predict England will become more shabbily dressed as the decade grinds on. Ragged sportswear, genuinely distressed jeans, shoes gone all fucked and open toed. The Ragged Twenties. Calling it.
 

yyaldrin

in je ogen waait de wind
there's also countries where they spray the streets with some sort of chemical in the early morning, i think they do it in southern europe mainly? i've gotten to like it just like i like the food, the weather and the wine.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Not especially no. But I've been to a few places. Britain is really, really tidy. We don't litter much and we employ armies of street sweepers.
Portugal is covered in litter. Beautiful grassy verges and stuff completely covered. GF was saying that in Russia on Lenin day or something they all go out and pick up a load of litter and keep their town tidy, wants to organise something like here but I guess she won't. But it's what's needed if you got like ten people and they all picked - I dunno - fifty things up it would make a huge difference, but setting about improving the litter on your own here would be overwhelming.
 
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luka

Well-known member
I predict England will become more shabbily dressed as the decade grinds on. Ragged sportswear, genuinely distressed jeans, shoes gone all fucked and open toed. The Ragged Twenties. Calling it.

If there's one thing England insists on its decent standards of dress, although perhaps this only applies to London and Essex.
 

WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
I heard a pair of 20somethings in the shop today talking about getting their eyebrows ‘re-tattooed’.

Know of cancer survivors having this done, eyebrows tattooed on, but just for looks? Grim Britannia indeed.
 

catalog

Well-known member
I
there's also countries where they spray the streets with some sort of chemical in the early morning, i think they do it in southern europe mainly? i've gotten to like it just like i like the food, the weather and the wine.
Yeah, all over the tourist hotpots of southern Spain and in the balerics, if you are out at 7am after a night out, you'll see the huge clean up session, plus gardeners. All well tech'd up with ghost busters style apparatus. There's a chain gang vibe to some of the proceedings. Once I was waiting at a square in Madrid for someone and idly people watching and saw the street sweeper come up and I was amazed how smart she looked, very fancy uniform, lots of technical brushes. Looked like a good life, bit of sweeping, plenty of fags, outdoor life. My secret plan for if I ever make it to southern Spain.
 

catalog

Well-known member
"The success of the Netherlands model lends to itself it's own air of sterile melancholia."
A lot of people I know what to move to the Netherlands. Why, I ask? 'Cos they speak good English and it's like England but nicer, in every way' .
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
A lot of people I know what to move to the Netherlands. Why, I ask? 'Cos they speak good English and it's like England but nicer, in every way' .
Food's definitely worse though. Bike-oriented towns are a plus. I missed hills, definitely.
 

luka

Well-known member
Yyaldrin our very own Dutchman says its so boring there it's like having your face wrapped in cellophane
 

luka

Well-known member
Which goes back to the (obvious, cliched, yet undeniable) point I was making about the correlation between clean streets and dying of boredom.
 
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