My first trip abroad with a special someone.. Well this vacation was all the more meaningful and close to my heart for a variety of other reasons.. culture, culture, culture.
Witnessing over 200 years of history in a week can make a head turn.
The Victoria Station: Was the crux of my existence here :) Nevertheless lugging the bags wasn't an option so guess who was waiting for us at Heathrow! My first love will always be for Cooper, but this one isn't far off.
Suffolk: Tucked into our 'carriage' for the week, off we went on a 3 hour goose-chase around confusing round-abouts (you might as well throw the GPS into the Thames) till we finally arrived at John's cottage in Suffolk.
The long drive was definitely worth our gracious host waiting with farm-fresh dinner. Most people dream of mansions, I could settle in this cosy, snug home.
Our home for the week, this place was close to Blue Boar Inn that served the best butternut squash soup I've had.
Stowmarket: For the next two days, we drove till a small town called Stowmarket where we parked our car and hopped onto the train to London -Victoria Station and took countless connections to go over some popular spots.
Trafalgar Square: Reminded me of Portland downtown for some reason - maybe it was the big town centre with the lions.. Anyway here is where we boarded the open-top bus to tour whats-what in London. It didnt matter that it was drizzling the whole day. The bus ride was a great trailer for Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Eye, the Jewel Tower, Hyde Park ...
Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace: We strolled through Hyde Park to witness the march of guards here to one of my favourite songs - "Its a long way to Tipperary.."
221 B Baker Street: Now we are talking! The first day we got off from the bus tour to enter the museum made for the greatest sleuth in the world. Alas they close at 5. So we shopped trinkets in the gift store below and vowed to return the next day. Finally saw how modestly Holmes lived, his most famous case transcripts and wax figures. For me it was like meeting an old flame.
KnightsBridge and Harrods: KinghtsBridge was the train station we got off at and walked in circles till we found Harrods. Fun places to dine and shop here. Couldn't really afford anything but the air at Harrods. London is supposed to have great Indian food and we weren't going to take that for granted. We found 'Handi' to be a decent place, was open quite late and we left content.
Piccadilly Circus: The name is enough to make one fall in love. True to that this place was abuzz with activity, ads, people, music, vehicles, restaurants... much like Times Square. We went to Chinatown here and tried some Pho.
The Old Globe: Kudos to my partner for making my dream come true. Witnessing 'Anthony and Cleopatra' in the original arena on the banks of Thames was magical. Every time the actors exited from 'side-doors' we could see the river beyond. It was open-air like the Old Globe usually is, had unparalleled sets, great crew! Shh.. photographs weren't allowed.. don't you tell anyone!
The Leaping Hare: A small farm and restaurant for home grown produce - this was a hidden gem close to Suffolk. The third day of our visit we set out to explore outside London, and what a way to start the day!
Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire: On from there was another surprise waiting for me. I was taken to this place I had never heard of before - on a 2-hr drive. I couldn't tell where we had arrived.
Suffice it to say it wasn't 'The Heartbreak House'. The home , now museum of the greatest playwright and the only man to have won both the Nobel [literature] and the Oscar. Hats off.
Cambridge: Last on our journey was the college town. I am amazed how anyone can excel, let alone manage to study here. It's so breathtaking I couldn't turn a page in a book if I was enrolled here..
We went punting on river Cam around the 7 colleges - Trinity, King's, Queen's, St. John's, Clare's... I forget the others, saw some buildings, had lunch at a Persian place in the extravagant food street minutes away from the campus. One is also spoilt for choice while shopping in the independent or branded stores that colourfully blend into one of the oldest campuses in the history of civilization.
Bury, St Edmunds: The last day before we took off, we couldn't help stopping by this cute little place for brunch. It was quite like Noddy-town :) I had English sandwiches (soft white bread triangles with just cucumbers) and coffee at a Scandinavian Coffee House.
Then it was adieu.. If there is one word for this experience - it has to be 'rich'.
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