Hello, again, Blogonauts!

Since I have already abandoned the dubious virtue of chronological blogging, let's try a topic. What's one of the best ways to manage the awkwardness of getting involved in the conversations with the locals in the UK?

My answer? Pub Quizzes!

Now, I cannot speak for everyone. Putting your accumulation of clever on display for judgment and potential ridicule is not everyone's cup of tea. But on the two occasions I sought out a pub quiz (once in Bath, and another in York), I had a genuine ace of a time. Nothing like shared purpose and an attempt to beat a foe to build an interpersonal bridge.

And while neither of my teams won, I didn't contribute to the losses. At least not much.

In Bath, we played a standard quiz, with sheets of paper on each table whereon we scribbled answers to the questions announced by the quiz master. My teammates were a couple of Aussie tourists and their mate who lives in Bath On the final round, we had to identify photos of about 20 celebrities. (I was the only one who knew Grace Kelly and Calvin Coolidge.)

In York, things had moved to a bit more high tech. Every participating team had a smart device (tablet or phone) with a downloaded app enabled on the pub's WiFi. To answer questions, you tapped on the screen. Not only were there points for correct answers, but also for being fastest.

Before start of play and between rounds, I chatted with the other teammates. And they asked about me and my impressions of England. And finally, all those trivia quizzes on-line seemed to pay off.

So there's more to tell about city walls built to keep people apart. But pub quizzes get my vote for tearing down walls while touring around England.

Blog to you later!