A Week in England!

A place where history and culture are in abundance, time is always tea o’clock and where today and past walk hand in hand could easily define England. Add elegance, style and bustling energy to all this and you will have the wonderful city of London! We took a very short (one-week) family trip to this beautiful land to see our relatives and the country. Mainly stationed in Slough, Berkshire with family, we went to London, Windsor, Eton, Newbury, Leeds, Romford among other neighboring towns. The ride on one hand was our rental on the winding narrow countryside and motorways and on the other hand was in trains and tubes. Just few miles from the heart of the lively and spirited London, you can find yourself in a relaxing rode with meadows from Dicken’s era around you. No matter where you are though, there will always be a tea shop for your caffeine fix accompanied by delicious biscuits, cake slices and pastries.

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The first thing we had in mind was to visit Downton Abbey and it did not disappoint us! The fulfillling experience needed a post of its own.

Next stop was Windsor. Brimful of Royal history– the splendor of castle is breathtaking both in day light and evening. It is a wonderful place to walk, explore surrounding villages like Eton, take short cruise on Thames and just absorb the history!

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We came back to Windsor the next day and took the boat ride!

And came back yet again to have tea at Madame Posh, a classy tea house in Windsor. Here is the post for that.

We visited London many times during our trip driving and tubing. Having lived in states like Arizona and now Texas where subways are not way of life, this itself was a thrilling experience for our family. With kids we saw museums, parks, palace,  and experienced things like Double Decker, calling from the red phone booths. We tried Nando’s and boys loved the food there.

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London in it’s entirety, like rest of the England is full of history that takes you back centuries, grandeur that reflects a classy touch and character that is original and charming. Owais and I stayed at Leicester Square to explore the surrounding areas. Leicester Square is a block of its own. We walked a LOT! And I have to say thanks to my shoes. There are live theatres, tons of eateries, beautiful buildings and shops. I loved some of the old quaint shops like stitcheries, floristries etc. We tried food from Fiori London (traditionally Italian but serves yummy Mediterranean dishes as well), Dishoom (one of the most authentic desi taste), and Black Penny (it had a charm of its own, with hearty breakfast and inviting rustic décor). I met my friends from school and had tea at Patisserie Valerie – Covent Garden. Delectable desserts!

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I loved this beautiful flower shop named Blomsbury Flowers.

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Walker Slater – the classy clothing shop! Reminded me of dad who always had his suits custom-tailored!

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This trip to England was planned last minute and was very short but we loved it absolutely! Accustomed to traveling to Pakistan and the jet lags that follow the vacation, this seemed like a very doable happy across the pond outing. It also encompasses the feel closer to home like tea, right hand drive things that we grew up with! We are already planning on going back. Will be posting a list of things that I missed and I have on my list along with the packing tips soon!

By popular opinion, England is a great destination for vacation anyway. But other than just the beauty and history, I felt something else defining the country and its people. Nothing from past seems to have disappeared here. Walking, driving around you often feel:  do they really demolish anything here? Almost everything has a history here! It is a nation that has a very old past and they have done a great job in preserving the beauty of it along with efficient ways of lifestyle. The trend of “replacing” is not common;  people cherish old things, find value in them and are generally much less wasteful. It was very refreshing to see this environment friendly and green country!

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