That is a point that we East pond-siders often forget.

I am better-off than many in this respect with 4 weekly sessions, 1 monthly, and 3 annual festivals all taking place within a 5-15 minutes walking distance.

Within a 40 minute drive there are 3 more weekly possibilities, and if it came to that I could drive almost anywhere in the country in a (long) day.

Mind you my decission to come here was largely driven by such considerations, most of the country doesn't seem to be quite as lucky.

I'm unsure how this extends to our respective world views, however.

The impression that seems prevalent here is that as a former imperial power, though lodged in a small island, Britons think in global terms; that they tolerate other cultures, viewing them with everything from deep knowledge and enthusiasm through to vague disdain. The impression of US attitudes to the rest of the world is that many US citizens have little knowledge of, or interest in, anything outside national boundaries, and that anything "unamerican" is viewed with deep suspicion.

My own view of it is that we Brits are actually as parochial and suspicious as any nation, and often shockingly ignorant of our own culture, never mind anybody elses. Having only met those Americans who have travelled outside their homeland I am unqualified to speak of those who have not travelled.