Prologue
This vacation wasn’t planned in my normal way. Which is to plan a vacation down to the minutest detail. Excel, Word and PowerPoint are my habitual tools. My planning includes hour-by-hour itineraries, hotel bookings, apartments, rental cars and sometimes even day-by-day restaurant reservations. Once, during a vacation, I ordered food in some restaurant two days prior to arriving through their website and a few phone calls with translation issues. It was a short halt and I didn’t want us to miss the flight. Before every vacation, my overzealous planning (described as manic by my wife) drives my family crazy. You get the gist.
This time around, Mrigakshi and Nitin convinced me to do it differently. It took me some time to agree but they persevered. It was decided to start with less planning and more flexibility. Just begin with the dates, they said. Choose a location based on reasonably priced air tickets. Doesn’t matter if you have travelled to the city or place before. Book hotels maximum a day in advance. Rent cars as required. Be flexible and be free. Live the experience and not the destination, they told me. The only restriction was of not traveling to a cold place during summer (directions from the other half).
Feeling collywobbles (as the British would say), I embarked on this week-long adventure in the United Kingdom with the family. I deliberately say United Kingdom and not England, as we learnt during our trip, but more about that later.
So, without much ado, here goes.
Day 1: London – Every Journey Matters
What do you do when you arrive in a city you have visited several times before but this time without a plan. How do you feel? How do you react? How do you move within the city? What do you observe? How do you behave? Basically, what happens when you are in London just for a day with no goal in mind?
This vacation wasn’t planned in my normal way. Which is to plan a vacation down to the minutest detail. Excel, Word and PowerPoint are my habitual tools. My planning includes hour-by-hour itineraries, hotel bookings, apartments, rental cars and sometimes even day-by-day restaurant reservations. Once, during a vacation, I ordered food in some restaurant two days prior to arriving through their website and a few phone calls with translation issues. It was a short halt and I didn’t want us to miss the flight. Before every vacation, my overzealous planning (described as manic by my wife) drives my family crazy. You get the gist.
This time around, Mrigakshi and Nitin convinced me to do it differently. It took me some time to agree but they persevered. It was decided to start with less planning and more flexibility. Just begin with the dates, they said. Choose a location based on reasonably priced air tickets. Doesn’t matter if you have travelled to the city or place before. Book hotels maximum a day in advance. Rent cars as required. Be flexible and be free. Live the experience and not the destination, they told me. The only restriction was of not traveling to a cold place during summer (directions from the other half).
Feeling collywobbles (as the British would say), I embarked on this week-long adventure in the United Kingdom with the family. I deliberately say United Kingdom and not England, as we learnt during our trip, but more about that later.
So, without much ado, here goes.
Day 1: London – Every Journey Matters
What do you do when you arrive in a city you have visited several times before but this time without a plan. How do you feel? How do you react? How do you move within the city? What do you observe? How do you behave? Basically, what happens when you are in London just for a day with no goal in mind?
Surprisingly, you feel comfortable. You know the airport, how to buy train tickets or order a cab. The roads seem familiar. You remember the address of the fabulous restaurant you ate at last time without having to write it down and recognise the tipping norms. You know where to go shopping for the best deals and for the luxury items. You even remember a hairdresser who gave you a fantastic haircut the last time you visited. The British Library still beckons you. You know the correct pronunciation of many words. And you can get past the mix of accents, all speaking English, mind you. You sense and experience more acutely.
Yet, you also feel vibrant and anticipatory. There is so much more to discover just because there is no plan. Once you are past the regular, you start to see the small things which underlines and emphasise the city. Like, logically there is a fish atop the weathervane of the old Billingsgate fish market instead of a cockerel or an arrow. Or that London has a memorial to a Nazi, a dog named Giro, a pet terrier of the German ambassador to UK in 1932. The story goes that when the dog died by chewing an electric cable in 1934, the ambassador was so distraught that he organised a proper burial with a tombstone that read: “Ein treuer Begleiter” – “A faithful companion”. And more such trivia that you don’t observe by sitting in the London Eye.
And of course, if you are in only for a day, the question is where do you eat? Spoilt for choices, at the Borough Market which has been serving food for over 1000 years. Or at Dishoom, a homage to the famous old Bombay Iranian cafes, where food on the feisty modern Indian menu are vividly described and spiced with brilliant sides and quirky facts. Or do you indulge at Temper, an open fire pit restaurant, where BBQ food is prepared & cooked in front of you fresh and directly served. Or are you brave to take the leap and try a cuisine that your heart desired for long?
And of course, if you are in only for a day, the question is where do you eat? Spoilt for choices, at the Borough Market which has been serving food for over 1000 years. Or at Dishoom, a homage to the famous old Bombay Iranian cafes, where food on the feisty modern Indian menu are vividly described and spiced with brilliant sides and quirky facts. Or do you indulge at Temper, an open fire pit restaurant, where BBQ food is prepared & cooked in front of you fresh and directly served. Or are you brave to take the leap and try a cuisine that your heart desired for long?
Speaking of pronunciations, there are several to stumble upon in London. How do you pronounce Gloucester, Leicester, Berkley Square, Borough, Southwark etc? Not so straightforward as they look. Have fun, find their pronunciations out!
In 1777, a quintessential Londoner, Dr Samuel Johnson quoted: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”. For almost 250 years this verdict has remained: you can never be tired of London. And, to give a more modern touch to the tale, the Transport for London’s slogan is “every journey matters.
In 1777, a quintessential Londoner, Dr Samuel Johnson quoted: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”. For almost 250 years this verdict has remained: you can never be tired of London. And, to give a more modern touch to the tale, the Transport for London’s slogan is “every journey matters.
An unplanned day turned out to be more enlivening than predicted. Next on the plan (although I am forbidden to call it a plan) is Scotland. I was told we would take the train. Trains are one of my favourite travelling method, but trains in this part of the world have a notorious reputation, or so I believed.
Let’s wait and see!
Let’s wait and see!
