My newsfeed was filled with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II today. I have no love for the British Empire. It did, however, trigger a walk down memory lane of the time I was in the UK back in 2008-2010. I dug around for some memorabilia.
It's funny. It's only a measly £1.45, but it's a monarch that's no longer there. When I returned from the UK, I converted all my pound sterling into USD. British paper money looked like monopoly money anyways.
I have silver rounds that have her face on them. I guess we will see Charles III's visage from now on. Will the Elizabeth II coins ever gain more value? Who cares. Fiat is fiat. Silver is silver. I hope Charles' face looks somewhat decent on the new mints.
Bonus content:
As I dug for more items from a bygone age, I found several old cards.
Once upon a time, I ate my meal from Cap'n Jasper's at the Barbican. I traversed through the St. Paul area in Bristol unscathed. People had mistaken me for an American operative in the English countryside. A group of Polish asylum seekers ran away from me because they thought I was with the police.
Multiple Africans invited me to eat fufu with them. Most Muslims were surprisingly friendly toward me. I couldn't say the same for my English colleagues. I almost got into a fight when a smart-alec thought it was wise to put his hands on me. My colleague at the time had to pull me back after I gave the guy the death stare.
As memorable as it was, it's time to move on. Just like the Queen has moved on.