#note/sourcereview/article | #note/sourcereview/book ## What is the thesis? England is simultaneously a wondrous land full of quirky and delightful places and people, and a land in withdrawal with a decaying center. As the UK declines its support for things beautiful, and constrains itself with fiscal prudence and investments in technology, it becomes a shell of its charming self. ## Summarize the story Bill Bryson navigates the UK on the longest straight line that can be drawn north to south, seen here and lifted from the website "[Follow Andy](https://www.followandy.com/brysonline)" ![[Bryson Line Graphic - Square.jpg.avif]] Along the way, Bryson chronicles the country as only an [[insider-outsider]] can, he captures the simltaneous beauty and sadness of neglect of the English countryside. He stops in quirky villages and walks lanes and hidden treasures, he also sees garbage, decay, and loss. He chronicles what makes the UK special, from her countless churches, castles, and museums, to her fish and chips shops, coffee shops, and inns. ## What else do I wonder about? What will our experience be in our trip to [[Wales April 2025]]? ## Action One of the things I like about having an electric car, is that it forces you to slow down. You *must* take breaks in unusual places. I like to walk around during those breaks. I have had deeper experiences in rural Vermont, Cape Cod, and Connecticut, than I ever would have had if I had just filled up and kept driving. I want to do this on purpose! ## When do I want to stumble across this? Any time I need a laugh. See Chapter 10 for an amazing description of England's systems as told through the lens of the highway numbering "system." ## Source: Bryson, B. (2016). _The Road to Little Dribbling_. Vintage Books.