Settled down for a sumptuous breakfast at @thebrekkyclub this morning before I went walking across London. The pleasant weather, clean roads and unbroken pavements make walking a pleasure. BTW get to walk a fair bit while taking the Underground too.
Once again Sue came to the rescue when I wondered about where to have breakfast and suggested this place.
It was sunny and l left my jacket in the hotel room and walked down to the cafe.
There was a queue but I got fast tracked after I said I’d be happy to sit at the bar. Perks of being a solo traveller. I wrote ‘Kal’ instead of Kalyan while giving my name to be waitlisted. I’ll stick to that while here.
I had the ‘Greasy Spoon’ set for breakfast. I am in love with how juicy the sausages here are. Today’s were a tad salty but I balanced it with baked beans. The bacon was lovely and eggs perfectly seasoned. I had some sourdough too and then set off for the SGI Buddhist culture centre. The funny thing is that I lost internet signal when close to the centre and could not find it. Then I saw a cat looking at me from the window of a house. That’s when I got the idea to go to the movie theatre cum shopping arcade that lay ahead. I got free wifi there, connected with the culture centre and got directions to reach. Its as if the cat directed me there. I later told K about this. ‘I am not surprised. You are a cat whisperer.’
My friend, Manoj, messaged me from back home saying that it was the EPL league final and that I should try to get back by 3pm local time before the match started. He knew that I had no idea about this! One is lucky to have friends who look out for you and I am blessed on that count.
(Written on 21st May)
I woke up at 7.30 am this morning. Fresh as a freshly fried shingara in a mishtir dokan in Kolkata at 4pm. Just I have on the last couple of days in London.
K says it’s because I sleep early as I am exhausted by the end of the day.
I am far from exhausted despite all the walking TBH. The broad, clean, unbroken and present to start with (!) pavements are so refreshing. As is the crisp air. It’s been sunny. There’s a nip in the air when I start. It gets hotter as the day progresses. The cheerful blue skies cheer me on. I feel happy and relaxed and that counts for something.
I’ve always maintained that my body was calibrated to GMT when I was born and hasn’t changed since then. That explains why I wake up late back home in Mumbai. And not as fresh as a shingara at 4pm in a mishtir dokan in Kolkata.
I stopped to have fish & chips at @boroughmarket at the @fishkitchenkingston takeaway yesterday. It took a while to find a place to sit and eat. There were three condiments kept on the tables. Salt, ketchup and vinegar. Everyone liberally poured all on the fish in a desperate search for flavour and taste, neither of which was there in the fish. The batter was the only fun part of the experience. The chips were as limp as @mcdonalds_india fries are when they are called in home and not had fresh.
I remembered my mum’s stories of heading out with me when I was a baby in Canterbury to have fish & chips. She says she was not impressed by cod either.
My friends Sue Cope and chef Shaun Kenworthy tell me that the best fish and chips are to be found in towns in north England.
I stopped for a nice macchiato and reverse chocolate chip cookie at @gailsbakery on my way back to our hotel, @seacontainersldn and spent some time reading as my mobile batter had died and I had left my newly bought mobile charger in the hotel room to charge. A sign from the universe to switch of!
We are off to Bath today.
