No City Girl Here

Well, we are back from our travels (London via Arhus Dk, and Stansted, GB - the Arhus airport is like driving into the deserted woods of Spooner, Wisconsin and hopping on what might turn out to be an international flight into the twilight zone). I'm calling it travels vs a vacation because we were on the go for 5 days straight. I prefer vacations – laying around, eating, reading. Maybe one day out sightseeing. But a 4-year-old prefers doing, so that’s what we did. Go, Go, Go.

We ate some good and some not-so-good food. The first night there I had a jacket potato. Very English, topped with sweet baked beans and cheese. I won’t be seeking this dish out again. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. Rich had the fish and chips, which came along with a bucket of condiments (ketchup, mayo, tartar sauce, vinegar, brown sauce). They don’t put buckets of anything on your table in DK.


The next day it rained constantly, so I couldn’t resist a bowl of Asian noodle soup and a cup of hot jasmine tea. So So Good!


Our hotel was just inside the Indian/Bangladesh district (Whitechapel area), so one night we had some curried fish cakes, and a few other unknown but tasty dishes. And our very last day I remember trying out a pasty. It was like a buttery empanada, and extra yummy with a beer.

Rich had a proper English breakfast one morning, and a full Scottish breakfast another morning. He also had sausages and mashed potatoes another day. I‘m hoping he is satisfied with his intake of English food because he never did have a pie. When looking at a menu – it never fails - he wants to order some sort of steak-&-ale pie, but he’s never ever really had a good one. This fall, I think we’ll try to crack the mystery of the pie and try to make one of these at home.

I was in London maybe 8 years ago for a long weekend. I had a nice time. What I remember most was strolling around, taking the bus tour, the ease of the subway. This time I’m afraid what I’ll remember the most is the horrific traffic (which made the bus tour not that great), and the crowded crowded subway, and the crowded crowded sidewalks. Maybe if we would have been there over the weekend it would have been less of a zoo.

What I don’t remember from last time is that London has some great new buildings along the river, lots of tall glass building with interesting shapes (the one below really looks like its leaning). Their supermarkets have a nice selection of foods, with lots of organic options. And there is a Starbucks AND Pret a Manger on every block, sometimes two or more on each block. (I think the first Starbucks in DK opened in Copenhagen this summer – HA! And fast food sandwich and soup shops are almost non-existent in DK. Honestly, I can think of only one.)


My one souvenir - agave nectar. I have yet to see this here in DK as well.