England Trip Continued - PART TWO - London

Hey All,

So I'm back with more pics and tidbits to share on my trip to England. When I first got there I realized several things were very crucial. 1. Warmth. 2. Warmth. 3. Wearing comfortable socks and shoes (as mentioned in previous posts, I got major blisters the second day I arrived, ironically, from snowboarder grade socks. Sounds impossible, right? Nope. Its not). I will confess it was a shock to be in a new foreign country... one that was night and day from Los Angeles. But it was also VERY exciting! It took some getting used to crossing the streets looking the opposite way for oncoming traffic, or never knowing which direction was which, and where everything was, getting used to the funky appliances or showers/tubs. I did get sick on my trip...I came with a cold, lost my voice one night, got blisters, got a cold sore, and other ailments.... but I was so lucky as Pete took great care of me and I couldn't have been in better hands.

I really had the time of my life. And I'll tell you why...let's start with the supermarket first, haha. Every night Pete and I shopped at Tesco's. I felt like a kid in a candy store and everything seemed like a novelty. All the unrecognizable and new products that I haven't seen in America I wanted to try (except for maybe haggis, or other weird unidentifiable meat, haha). I quickly learned what my favorite English food/snacks were.

Breakfast always consisted of buttered croissants, a banana, and black current tea (positively the most divine tea of all mankind, in my humble opinion). I'm one of those people that if I find something I like, I stick with it, and I'm practically obsessed with it. So every morning like clockwork I ate this.

I also found that the bakery made cookies from Tesco's were actually quite cheap, (and also exquisitely divine). Pete was amused by how much I loved these chocolate chip cookies. I confess I began to convert him to their calorie-ridden goodness (and Pete is a health nut!). When his mum asked him what kind of stuff I liked, the above items were what Pete mentioned. She was so nice to have them on hand we traveled up north and stayed at his parent's house.

We bought some Vimto which is a black current flavored drink. It comes concentrated like this and you add water....tasted pretty good. I was noticing a pattern that I loved everything black current, lol!


I also was in love with Chicken Tikka Masala (which isn't an English cuisine, but its very popular there, and it's my favorite dish any where; any time. I think I asked to eat this almost every night, haha! Poor Pete!)

People say that English food isn't always the best. I never ate anything that tasted bad. We cooked most of our food (well mostly Pete did, upon his gentlemanly insistence!) and when we went out everything tasted fabulous. No complaints, only compliments!

I also fell in love with British candy bars....particularly one called Toffee Crisp
and Munchies (which Pete introduced me to in the Lake District). The best!

Unfortunately, all the junk food I purchased from England and brought home to the states has now been consumed. I should feel guilty, but I don't, and only wish I had more of those chocolate/orange Kit Kats! HAHA!

Walker's Crisps (potato chips) Worcester Sauce flavored

and lastly, Sticky Toffee Pudding (the most divine dessert, an earthly creation with heavenly taste!)


We spent our first week touring London and the nearby countryside....Thursday the 12th we stayed in the neighborhood, (after my blister incident), Friday the 12th we saw Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Covent Garden, then we stopped at a cafe near the Thames River...then by moonlight walked hand-in-hand along the river... and finished the evening with a meal at the pub. I confess it was all very romantic. I might have been wearing 4 layers of clothing, 2 pairs of socks, plus leg warmers, a scarf, and the hood of my sweatshirt covering my ears, but I was blissfully content.

Saturday, Valentine's Day, we spent in Cambridge(pics to follow in my next blog). Sunday we stayed around Finchley. Monday and Tuesday we traveled on the tube and saw more of London. Wednesday we drove around the beautiful countryside of Essex, near London. The next part of the journey we went up north to Derbyshire, then Manchester, then the Lake District.

Here are some more captures of our travels through London. We managed to cover a lot of ground during that time. Big Ben, Parliament Buildings, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, some museum (which the name fails me), and some other great sights. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!