HELLOOOO ENGLAND!

I left Istanbul on a slightly cold and cloudy day, very excited to see my friends and start my "British Journey."

View of Istanbul after take-off

In a couple of minutes, we were over the clouds packed softly under the blue skies:

This is not a Turkish Airlines commercial... but it was pretty to look at 

Food is not the main reason why I chose Turkish Airlines, but it is a contributor (together with comfortable economy class seats, large selection of personal entertainment choices, and wine you don't have to pay for). The large and tasty -for airline standards- breakfast with a variety of dishes didn't go unnoticed:

Turkish Airlines breakfast from Istanbul to London:
Omelette, Spanakopita, Muesli, cheese, olives, roll, butter, jam, tea/coffee and juice 

The following is not a Photoshoped image, it is the same plane, same camera settings, but... sign of approach to Heathrow:

 

Yes, the gloomy, dark, slightly wet London skies are under (and around) us, even at 11:00 am local time. 

Unlike my last time in London, the process through customs and luggage was a breeze (this is when arriving on a Saturday morning helps.) However, the normally 15 minute cab ride took us about an hour, which according to the driver was because of the weekend shoppers getting ready for Christmas, and the rugby fans heading to Twickenham Stadium (this is when coming on a Saturday can be a problem.) Here is my first recollection of England that is not an airport or highway:

First look at Kew after exiting the highway

I am not sure how much of my £65 ride was due to the traffic, but with two large suitcases and a carry on subway was not an option for me... And as soon as we made enough noise to get my friends to the back door (the road access was only through the back) I had already forgotten the sting, there is nothing like 3 little faces looking at you with a smile (and two large big hugs!)

After logging the suitcases inside and catching up for a bit, we decided to head to one of the local pubs for lunch (one can only wait so long for a pint and fish-and-chips after touching the ground in England - good thing my friends know me so well!) which was a good opportunity to acquaint myself with couple of rules... Kew is a quaint little town with a small amount of shops, and lots of affluent residents, so cars move around narrow streets and the rules are a bit different than what I am used to in the US:

1. Look both ways, and when possible four ways and in every corner. Cars show up from places you don't expect.

2. Don't expect cars to stop for you even if you are at a crossing and/or have children/stroller(s). Cars are the king of the road here, and they don't even approach as if they will stop if you were to attempt crossing. Wait, and stay alive. 

After this short lesson, we arrived at the warm and cozy Kew Garden Inn which happens to be a small hotel with a pub on the main floor. Yes, they had British beers on tap, and yes, they had casks... Yes they had mismatch of furniture which seemed to withstand time. And there was a slightly musky smell of possibly all the wet raincoats hanging behind the chairs combined with a slight smoke possibly coming from the kitchen or the fireplace in another part of the building. Beer was slightly flat (something I learned to be common at pubs) but the fish and chips was possibly the best I ever hade. Crunchy, light, and the batter thinly enveloping the moist, flakey, white cod... The thing I couldn't figure out was how the batter stayed so crunchy and the fish stayed so warm during the whole time we ate. 

Fish  'n Chips at Kew Garden Inn

Look at the amount and the flakiness of that cod!

I knew this was one of the many moments when the world stopped and it felt as if it was only us in that pub having such a good time and enjoying great company and good food... In the weeks to come, I would encounter many moments like this, stopping everything and trying to engrave all the details to my brain, as these are the moments I happen to live for...