After I landed at Heathrow, London the first thing after unwinding which V and I did was watch ‘Mama-Mia’ at West end. The musical laid all the love on me and I fell hook, line & sinker for the beautiful cast. It was indeed the best welcome.
Second day at London was remarkable because my cousin M took me to the finest of London streets and introduced me to their manner and style. We walked past Trafalgar square admiring the four lions guarding the various plinths of contemporary art and culture. We had breakfast at Covent Garden and saw few street performances. We went to see various markets, Harrods, Princess Diana’s memorial and went further to Portobello and Notting Hill. The lunch was at Notting Hill and it was delicious. We ended the day at a pub sipping wine and taking delight in seeing the evening shower dowsing the stony streets.
The day after was quite eventful for it was a Saturday and V’s off. So we strategically planned a day trip to Cambridge. In the sprawl of lake beside universities, remarkable tales from the locals and punt tour we amassed great memories of this city of crocuses and daffodils. Going to Cambridge means savoring rich intricacy of Gothic architecture and lazy summer punting on the River Cam. Your life is sorted!
On Sunday, we attended little J’s birth day in Rainforest restaurant at Piccadilly Circus. It was good fun to be with kids and see the little princess cut her third birth day cake. Though it was a birthday party but we made the most out of it since it was sunny. The party extended till 2 in the afternoon after which all the families were taken to British Science Museum. My guy was super excited on seeing Pegasus, the ancient typewriter, Abacus and all the great scientific stuff which we have made and come through. V and I took my cousin’s leave and explored the street of London a bit. We went to Hyde Park, strolled a little, got amused by the invective narrations at speaker’s corner and sat on the lawn grass till sun set on us beckoning the wintery night. We ate at a lovely Italian restaurant and had my favorite red wine.
Monday was thankfully bank holiday for V so we did London city tour by the hop-on hop-off bus. It was good fun. We had immense fun in the sight-seeing, exploring nooks and corners of the city and doing the city cruise. We had lunch at a nice Persian restaurant. It was bright and sunny that day so the fun was topped with comfort. V had to go to work on Tuesday so I took the city tour on Tuesday as well and reveled in the beauty of the city. Thought I reinstate that London is amazing, but the rains and the blood curdling wind took a toll on me. I was too wet and too annoyed. V made it better for me and took me to a nice Chinese place. I had the most amazing chicken dumplings.
Wednesday was a day to bear out my doting affection for the greatest poet & playwright – William Shakespeare. Though London can boast of its theatres, play group and the globe theatre near Tate Modern... but the place where this master was born is worth of visiting once for every fan of his. M & I took the train to Stratford-Upon-Avon, a small town where he was born and baptized. The place is amazing for its serenity, beauty, old chapels and of course Shakespeare. We did a hop-on hop-off bus tour here and visited three houses, which were of Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway & Nash. We also spent some time at the Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptized and buried. We had high tea at Hathaway’s cottage restaurant. The food was lovely and I enjoyed my scone with clotted cream and English cakes. We came back to M’s place leaving the cold, wet & wintery Stratford-Upon-Avon…
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man's ingratitude
William Shakespeare
Thursday was a day for Tower of London and souvenir shopping. M’s husband (my brother-in-law) had some free time so we went to admire Koh-I-Noor at tower of London and also did a lot of walking to cover Gherkin tower, Thread & Needle market and Liverpool Street. We were exhausted after walking so much so we came early since V & I were traveling to Scotland the next day.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday were totally given to the beautiful landscapes, mesmerizing highlands and lovely winter. We visited Edinburgh and Loch Ness primarily. The friendly Scottish people were so warm, funny and superb that I felt like staying there forever.
We visited the much talked distillery of Scotland, Aberfeldy. It is situated in the center of Scotland, some five miles east of Loch Tay and the town of Kenmore and about eight miles south of Loch Tummel. Aberfeldy relies on the fresh water stream Pitilie Burn, which runs alongside the distillery. V was mighty excited when we tasted the 10+ years scotch and he has ensured that he enlightens every friend of his on all W-H questions related to scotch and the process of making it. We also saw the adorable Hamish and visited Highlands, Dundee & Pitlochry.
The river cruise at Loch Ness was amazing. The wintery breeze, misty rain, lovely loch or lake and sip of hot chocolate while looking at the extraordinary work of God was startling and incredible… the deep freshwater lake in southwest of Inverness is best known for alleged sightings of the ‘Nessie’. Alas! We didn’t see any. There was also a castle in ruins, Urquhart Castle which we saw. So altogether it was an astounding sight and I promised I will visit it again for savoring the perfect blend of history and natural beauty and to provide a feast for the eyes and the mind.
Monday was time to bid adieu to the tall woods and high romance.
Happy is England, sweet her artless daughters;
Enough their simple loveliness for me,
Enough their whitest arms in silence clinging:
Yet do I often warmly burn to see
Beauties of deeper glance, and hear their singing,
And float with them about the summer waters.
John Keats
