England : Part 1 - The Cold Summer in Watford

It all started in 1999 when I posted in a forum on Netscape Navigator on looking for friends around the world. A girl from England replied. I replied back. And we kept replying to each other for 10 years. One fine day, in 2009, she sent me her wedding invitation. I told her that I must go and see her. That year, AirAsia introduced their flights to England. I am so thankful for that, because I managed to buy one of the cheapest flight tickets for RM1800 which includes return ticket too. Unfortunately, Air Asia has removed London from their international destinations from this year. 

I digress.

In May 2010, I boarded that flight to London. I was so excited knowing I will be travelling to one of my dream countries. The airplane was spacious, but my legs still felt cramp. I sat next to a English Literature student from Australia who was travelling to London to see his sister. We spoke on the flight for 10 hours. For the last 2 hours, he rented a movie to watch. Immediately after the flight touch ground, we never see each other anymore.  

My friend's parents were there to pick me at the airport. She has described them very well, and they even put up a paper with my name on it. I went up to them, with a big smile on my face and said "Hie!". They were a bit surprised. I walked out from the airport, and for the first time in my life, I finally understood what does "cold air stung my face" means. 

The father drove back to their home in Watford. I could not sleep that night because of the 7 hour time difference. The next morning, I woke up to a beautiful weather. 

I love the cold air because I can just walk without sweating. I love their house. I love the wooden fence. I love that there is no gate. I love the bottles of milk lined at the door. I love the birdhouse behind their house. I love the half-eaten apple in their birdhouse. I love the dandelions in their garden, but the mum called them weeds. 

In the kitchen, I saw some funny notices. I had a lovely English breakfast. For the first time, I tasted marmite. It tastes different, and I think I need to eat a few times to acquire the taste. :-)

The news for the day.

The parents brought me around Watford Town. They needed to do a bit of grocery. So, I tagged along. Once we completed the grocery, we took the bus to St. Albans. The dad helped me to purchase a one-day ticket for GBP7. We went to The Cathedral and Abbey of St. Albans. St. Albans was a martyr for Christianity.

When I first stepped in, I was astounded by the size of the Cathedral. I love stained glass window.

After exiting the Cathedral, we walked and passed by some houses which have blocked windows. In the past, there were window taxes i.e., the more windows you have, the more tax you have to pay. So, the residents built a wall on the window. Can you see the walled windows? There is one in the photo below.

This is a symbol to differentiate the fire brigade. If you call the wrong fire brigade, the fire brigade will not put out the fire in your house. This was during the olden days.

We walked to Verulamium Park. I love the park because it is so huge. And I did not sweat despite the sun.

We had lunch at an English Pub which is in the Park. There was a newspaper article that reported this pub to be the oldest in Britain.

Dad : What drink would you like to have?
Me : Err.. I don't know. (so many drinks and I am not very clever in drinking!)

In the end, I had cider. It's mild.

This is what I had for lunch - Ploughman's Lunch.

Me (to the Dad) : How do I eat this?
Dad : Just start anything you like.

Really filling especially with the cheese.

After lunch, we took the bus back home. The mum prepared dinner. Very healthy. They were all steamed. And the mum had time to do dessert too! I love the mum's dessert!! She made pudding cake with custard sauce. It is yummy!

After dinner, I walked around the neighbourhood. I noticed there was an English pub just next to their house! I walked further up and I saw a large field. These photos were taken when it was 8.30pm. In Malaysia, it would have been pitch-black!