this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2025
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I've only been abroad one time, and there were little gecko/lizard things everywhere, climbing up walls and scurrying across roads, and nobody cared. I was constantly fascinated but to the locals they're just kinda there.

Bonus question to anyone who visited the UK - was there anything that fascinated you but I'd be taking for granted?

Pic unrelated.

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[–] IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world 4 points 49 minutes ago (3 children)

Leaves.

Yes, tree leaves.

Each fall when they start changing color flocks of tourists come up to gawk at them.

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 2 points 34 minutes ago

To be fair it's very pretty. I get that one

[–] jahayk@sh.itjust.works 1 points 27 minutes ago

This is what I was going to say.

In the late 1800s when Jasper Cropsey was exhibiting landscape paintings in the UK, folks didn't believe that his colour palette was accurate

https://collections.brandywine.org/objects/2656/autumn-on-the-brandywine-river

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 1 points 27 minutes ago

When I was a kid we hosted two Trinidadians as part of an exchange in the Autumn and they'd never seen the leaves falling - they were worried that all the trees were dying off. This isn't a "stupid foreigner" gag, it was probably just the thing that shocked them the most. They loved the trains and the narrowboats.

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 1 points 12 minutes ago

The ocean! So fascinated by it! I love it, but it is always there, waiting. No need to go to it. It will get you eventually.

[–] Typewar@infosec.pub 12 points 1 hour ago (3 children)

Depositing bottles.

Put them into a machine, and it gives you money back 🤯

Honestly this needs to be more of things in the States. And the deposit cost needs to go up.

If companies were forced to retake their garbage, we'd see far less pollution.

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 1 points 26 minutes ago

I'm in this picture and I don't like it.

But, yeah, seems like such an obviously good idea and it works so well. Why can't we do that?

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 hour ago

Nun weiß ganz Deutschland, dass du hier bist

[–] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I'm originally from the Orlando area and worked for Disney for a while. Tourism folks there pass stories around and have their own folk tales of sorts. Your question reminds me of one of them.

Central Florida has anoles, little lizards, absolutely everywhere. A woman was working the front desk at a hotel, and a couple comes up to check in. She tells them the room number and hands then the key. A few minutes later the husband runs back up to the desk and tells her that "there's an alligator in our room!" "An alligator?!" She replies and they both rush to the hotel room, where she finds the wife screaming and pointing at the couch. "The alligator is under there!" The front desk worker lifts up one end of the couch and spots a four inch green anole. She catches it and sets it outside.

OP, I've never been to the UK, but don't you have hedgehogs? How common are they?

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 3 points 39 minutes ago

Not OP, but can confirm we have hedgehogs and they are adorable.

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 hour ago

Lakes. My small city has 330 lakes. There are more lakes in Canada than the rest of the world combined.

[–] bacon_pdp@lemmy.world 6 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

There is this bridge over a river that people come from all over the world to fuck under.

I have no idea why. It doesn’t even show up in search results for the bridge.

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 2 points 38 minutes ago

Look, some bridges just do be like that.

[–] wall_socket@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

Whitetail dear. Don't stop to look at them. They are dear. Keep moving.

[–] eightpix@lemmy.world 6 points 1 hour ago

The first time my cousins from FL visited Canada, it was July. They were surprised there was no snow. So, we took them over to the rec centre and they saw a small pile of snow out back. They were thrilled.

It was dumped out of a Zamboni.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 56 minutes ago (1 children)

When visiting the UK. Arriving at St. Pancrias International station and needed to get to waterloo. I had no idea how to move about.

But i found it weird how you have the power lines of trains ON THE GROUND and have TV adds of "hey dont get on the rails!". Plus that you cant even get onto the platforms without a ticket. That you cant get into the underground without a ticket!! That there are cameras and cops EVERYWHERE! And i only visited 2 years ago!

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 2 points 40 minutes ago (1 children)

Only some metro systems, like the tube, have third rail - standard railways have overhead power. But since a lot of metro trains run outside tunnels as well it's not always obvious which rails are and aren't electrified.

The whole thing with gates is because the UK train system is privately run for profit and so respecting human dignity is less important than making sure every individual adequately prostates themselves before the company decides to provide service. Even TfL, the council-owned operator of the tube, is forbidden by law from receiving any taxpayer subsidy so must run at a profit.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 11 minutes ago

Germanys trains are also private and we dont have that. So this isnt an excuse

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

A statue of a dog pissing into a girl's mouth. It's a fountain. Not kidding either.

[–] Technoworcester@feddit.uk 2 points 55 minutes ago

Ok. Need a picture of that.

I'm not putting that into a search engine on works WIFI.

[–] MrFinnbean@lemmy.world 35 points 3 hours ago

I was visiting my friends in centrall europe and one if them wanted to show me the local speciality. We travelled 45 minutes by car and other 45 minutes by foot to look teeny tiny swamp. It was line 4m² and It was protectect area. My friend was really proud to show it to me.

I live in country where 26% of our landmass is swamps and wetlands...

[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 28 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

These fellas

On the flipside, when I was in Japan some old guy mocked me for taking a photo of a no littering sign.

[–] TastehWaffleZ@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Hahaha that sign is so charming though

[–] rmuk@feddit.uk 1 points 37 minutes ago

And it's another example of "if you don't want me to do it, don't make it look so fun".

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 35 points 3 hours ago (12 children)

When I visited the US I was excited to see squirrels running around. We don't have squirrels where I'm from. We took pictures.

It must have looked like we were excited to witness a cloud in the sky.

[–] Landless2029@lemmy.world 3 points 38 minutes ago

I saw my first chipmunk last week and I totally screamed oh shit there's Alvin! in my heart.

Don't let your inner child die!

[–] hovercat@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I love when people see deer here in North America. You'd think they're seeing a unicorn, when it's just some plain ol' mule deer.

[–] NABDad@lemmy.world 4 points 55 minutes ago

Forest rats.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I love this and was about to post something similar because my family met a family from Australia at Disney World and the little girl was SO excited about the squirrels. It was adorable.

I live in the Midwest, so squirrels are just always there.

Used to work at Disney World. Can confirm the squirrel amazement. (And I worked at Animal Kingdom, the squirrels occasionally got more attention than the actual zoo animals. Although the local ibises hanging out with the spoonbills were still cool.)

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[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 hour ago

All the castles and historical buildings. My city having a golden room. Old towns

[–] SkaraBrae@lemmy.world 13 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Kangaroos, wombats and platypuses.

Kangaroos and wombats are dangerous when you're driving at night.

To be fair, I'm probably unique in my apathy toward, borderline dislike of, platypuses. When I'm out fishing and I see a platypus I pack up and go somewhere else because I know I won't be catching any fish.

[–] null@piefed.au 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I remember I was maybe 8 years old and lucky enough to go out on my dad and uncle's fishing boat. They were commercial fishermen, netting sardines.

I was so excited when dolphins showed up, only to discover that not everyone loves dolphins when my uncle got the shotgun out. He didn't actually murder any dolphins that day but not for lack of trying.

Suffice to say, I think most fishermen have a healthy dislike for other predators.

[–] SkaraBrae@lemmy.world 1 points 32 minutes ago

Platypuses don't eat fish. They eat worms and yabbies and insect larvae. I don't know why the fish stay away from them, but they do... Maybe the platypuses are territorial as they're competing for the same food? 🤷

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