TigerBlog still hasn't figured out which way to look when he crosses the street in England.
Logic, and a lifetime's experience, says the cars are coming from one direction, until you realize that they aren't. It's a very weird phenomenon. Fortunately, TB hasn't been hit yet, through all his confusion.
If you spend any time at all here, you realize the English are very proud of their traditions and history. It's why, TB supposes, that the monarchy still exists and why the Queen had around an 80 percent approval rating at the time of her death.
This country is all about tradition and history. Walk past any church or cathedral, and odds are that it's easily 1,000 years old. Get something delivered by what is known as "the post," and it'll come in a red truck that doesn't just say "mail" on the side but "Royal Mail," complete with insignia.
One of the great traditions here is the Sunday Roast. Go into any pub, and you get your choice of beef, lamb or chicken, along with potatoes, vegetables and, if you like, Yorkshire Pudding.
Almost everyone in the pub is dressed up, with the possible exception of one of the young men TB saw yesterday in a pub about an hour north of London. This particular Brit was wearing a Texas Rangers jersey of all things.
Did he know anything about the team, TB asked him. Nope. At that point, TB figured that mentioning that the Rangers have the second-best record in the American League and that they're five games up in the division would be pointless, and it would be even more pointless to mention that former Princeton baseball/basketball star Chris Young was the team's General Manager.
TB was another one who wasn't dressed up. He wasn't even wearing anything that said "Princeton." Instead, he had his new longsleeve blue "Henley Royal Regatta" t shirt that he bought.
The world's best regatta, one that dates to 1839, ended yesterday with the championship races. Oxford Brookes, whom TB had never heard of until last week, won pretty much every Cup, and TB learned two things about the school: 1) it's not affiliated with Oxford University and 2) he was rooting against them.
The Leander Club is also hard to root for, considering that like Oxford Brookes, the club is dominant. TB did root for Leander is yesterday's Silver Goblets and Nickalls Challenge Cup, which Leander's duo of O.H. Wynne-Griffin and TJE George won yesterday by 1.5 lengths over a Canadian boat.
TJE George, by the way, is Princeton alum Tom George, Class of 2018. George, and English native, won an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics two summers ago in the Great Britain 8.
Princeton's current athletes had great experiences here, on the water and off, one that they'll never forget. The racing here is tremendous, with Olympic and international rowers all over the place.
Remember, though, that TB told you the English are all about their traditions and history. And that's what leads to what had to be the best part of the Henley Regatta this year for Princeton.
Back in 1973, Princeton's lightweights won the Thames Cup at Henley. This past Saturday, every member of that boat, all nine of them, were back on the Thames for a ceremonial 50th anniversary row by.
You have to watch this video to fully appreciate it:
It's extraordinary on so many levels. First, there is the mere fact that 50 years later, they can still not only row together but also can get the boat in and out of the water.
Second, there's also the idea that this was important enough that every one of them made it back.
Then there is the simple idea of what Princeton Rowing means to them and to everyone else who is a part of it. TB wrote a story last week about some of the current rowers here, and men's lightweight rising junior (and 2023 IRA national champion) Nick Aronow said this: "Princeton Rower. Princeton Rower For Life."
Nowhere was that more apparent than with the 1973 boat.
The Henley Royal Regatta ended yesterday with the final races. TB has never seen anything quite like this event, and he couldn't be more glad that he was able to attend.
Tradition being what it is here, all of the festivities and pomp will be back on display a year from now.
Never been? Start planning now.
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