Canterbury Tales

There is nothing I love more than making new friends and visiting new places.  Thanks to Natasha Pritchard, I got to do both!  Natasha has only recently moved to Kent and kindly offered to drive me to Canterbury on her day off where we had a great time.  Thanks so much, Tash!

Canterbury Cathedral from afar - because I refused to pay the entrance fee of ten pounds!

Canterbury is one of the oldest towns in England with a rich history dating back to Roman times.  The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury.  A pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket is the backdrop for Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales - which was the bane of my existence during A Levels. It's charming medieval character still attracts millions of tourists annually.

Natasha & I with our Kentish cream teas

There were two major highlights from my visit to Canterbury.  The first was tea and scones at Tiny Tim's Tearoom.  It's located in one of the oldest buildings in Canterbury with a setting that is quintessentially English. Miss Marple would have approved. The scones were some of the largest I'd ever seen, complete with butter, jam and clotted cream.  Absolutely delicious - especially the apple & raspberry ones.  There's also a ghost room at the top of the stairs open to visitors for free, an offer which Natasha and I politely (and firmly) declined.

The second major highlight was my introduction to Primark - the home of cheap and cheerful clothing. I walked away with a large bagful of clothes for only twenty pounds. Sorry, there aren't any pictures because no self-respecting female shopper is going to bother fiddling with a camera when there are 2-pound shirts and 3-pound tights on sale!

A Sunday afternoon in Whitstable

I grew up on a diet of Peter and Jane books, and those children were always off to Brighton or some seaside town on August bank holiday.  I hadn't a clue what a bank holiday was but I definitely wanted to experience a day out by the English seaside.  And dear 'ol Tariq obliged by driving us to Whitstable on the Kent coast one Sunday afternoon.

Postcard perfect Whitstable

(L-R) Joanna, Martin & Tariq 

(L-R) Martin, Natasha & Tariq

Highlight of the day - Sunday lunch!

It was a picture perfect day in Whitstable and we enjoyed a brisk walk along the pebbled beach watching sailboats and swimmers.  As it was late in the day, we scrambled to find a place for lunch.  We were turned away at two pubs before stumbling on lucky no. 3 -  Shepherd Neame The Duke of Cumberland.  What a gem it turned out to be!  The kitchen was five minutes away from closing but stayed open to cook us an amazing meal.  Never has a "roast and three veg" looked and tasted so good.  For only 15 quid each, we had a seafood paella, roast lamb, roast pork & crackling for mains.  The vegetable dishes - Mediterranean salad, roasted pumpkin, courgettes & fennel - tasted divine.  It was a superb meal in a garden setting with great beer, a good band and a friendly dog.  How's that for a perfect pub!

London Walks

This trip to London felt like a homecoming and I spent many hours walking the streets, soaking up familiar sights and discovering new ones.

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament - my all time favourite 

The London Eye was new to me as it was built after my last visit to the UK

Piccadilly Circus - another iconic London sight

Sunny day at Buckingham Palace

St Paul's Cathedral

Fortnum & Mason's, the royal grocers at Piccadilly, was another first for me. The shop assistants and cashiers wore coat tails and gloves! And all this while I thought Marks & Spencer's was posh. Brought home some tea, biscuits and shortbread so that I can pretend to be royal too over an afternoon tea...hehe...

Dreams do come true

I woke up one morning in May after dreaming that I had spent my birthday sailing down the Thames, enjoying views of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.  Not having been back in England since 2000, I decided to make that dream a reality.  I messaged two of my best mates from MBA days, Tariq Shahab (from London)and Martin Riemen(from Berlin), and invited the boys for a birthday bash in London.  They both said "Yes"!

(L-R) Martin, Joanna & Tariq reunited in London - Sept 2014

So on the 26th of September 2014, my friends and I stood on the Westminster Bridge and snapped this photo.  More than anything, we cherished the time spent catching up on each other's lives in the past 17 years since leaving Birmingham University.  Tariq has a successful international sales career in pharmaceuticals while Martin has seen much action in the fast-paced world of investment banking.  They are both also proud fathers, and I'm grateful they set aside time for our mini reunion - and to celebrate my birthday too!  Surely, it's a sign of true friendship when all the years just melt away and we can chat as if we'd only left uni yesterday.  Although the boys did drag up some horror stories of my misadventures from the distant past that I'd completely forgotten...grrrr....

Day and night views from our penthouse apartment

Tariq did a great job finding us a penthouse apartment in central London with a panoramic view of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral and the Shard.  Needless to say, we spent a lot of time on the balcony!

Tariq and Joanna celebrating her birthday with lemon and strawberry tarts from Paul

My 2014 birthday celebration was indeed a dream come true!