Erin's When I think of England I think of...

Today we have my fabulous friend Erin from 'Pughs' News'.

When I think of England, I think of… London. Is that completely stereotypical? Someone says England, and Big Ben springs to mind? It’s true though. Almost all of the time I’ve spent in England (and I’ve spent quite a lot… my husband is from there) has been in London. I love it. London is the most vibrant city I’ve ever visited. It oozes history and culture and excitement. Being there makes me feel a little bit more alive!

My first trip to London was 11 years ago. I saw all the sites that trip. Every day was crammed with activity. My friend and I called it “le grande itineraire d’Erin” and it really was! I climbed the London Monument, had my photo taken with the bobbies outside 10 Downing Street, splashed in the fountains in Trafalgar Square, toured the Tower and saw Les Mis in the West End. I went to museums and galleries and palaces, crossed Abbey Road barefoot (I was being Paul) and spent an evening laughing till my sides hurt at the Comedy Store. I bought souvenirs from Harrod’s, had afternoon tea at a fancy tea house in Richmond, and took a bout tour of the Thames on my way to Hampton Court Palace. It was marvellous that trip, every single minute.

Since that first visit to London (the trip when I first met my husband!), I’ve been back many times. I’ve had a chance to experience more of the city and its surroundings, and not just all the touristy stuff (though don’t get me wrong, I luuuurve the touristy stuff!) I lived with my fiance for a summer in Gipsy Hill, which is in the southeast of London. I ate the most amazing curries, hung out in Crystal Palace park and watched kids ride the miniature train and check out the model dinosaurs. I rode the (real) train into Victoria Station every other day, took the tube all over, and thrilled each time a tourist asked me for directions! I went on walking tours, wandered for hours through the British Museum and the V&A, ate the most delicious sandwiches in Hyde Park and wrote pages and pages in my journal. Alan and I went to the pub quiz every Wednesday night, where I drank shandies and failed miserably to answer any important British political questions (I always rocked the literature and entertainment ones though!). I shopped at Boots and Tesco, sat outside in the little garden behind our ground-floor flat, read fantastic girly English novels (which I found in the most amazing bookstores), and cultivated my love of strong tea. I bought beautiful stationery in Covent Garden and wrote long letters. I sent a million postcards. I didn’t want to leave. But work and school were calling, and eventually the summer came to an end and I had to head back home.

When my husband and I got married the following year, he moved to Canada. We didn’t go back to England for ages, until our first son was almost 2 years old. That trip was marvellous. We took Dylan all over the city we love, showed him London Zoo, the Christmas lights on Oxford Street, the dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History. We travelled southwest to Somerset, south to Croydon, and north to Stevenage, so he could meet all his English relatives. He was an excellent traveller and we vowed to come back again soon, after baby #2 was born.

This summer, we’re heading back to England again. Barring any passport issues or skyrocketing fares, tickets should be purchased very soon! We’ve promised the boys that the London Eye and Legoland will be on the agenda this time, that we’ll go for a picnic at Crystal Palace Park, and we’ll eat 99 Flakes in Trafalgar Square. Dylan was younger than Sawyer is now when we last went, and he was thrilled to bits by all of it. I just know Sawyer will be wild about England, too! We’ll probably travel down to Somerset again by train (oh boy are they excited about all the train journeys!), and I would love, love, love to go to Suffolk to visit a certain wonderful blogging friend of mine (it will happen, Cassie, I promise!) I can’t wait to see my lovely London again, and to explore a bit of the English countryside as well. Perhaps next time someone asks me, “What do you think of when you think of England?” my answer will be a little bit different. I’ll still think of London of course, but I’ll think of some new places and experiences as well. I certainly hope so.

** Ooh, and you know what else I hope? That Cassie and James are having a marvellous holiday in Gozo. I can’t wait to hear all about it!