The UK

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It was in 2010 that I first visited the UK, an official one. Then in 2013, once again an official one. I have lived in two cities, Bristol & Southampton for over two years. Below are my experiences & prized moments of my truce with the UK.

The only other country I had visited apart from India (my birthplace) by the year 2010 was Bhutan. Then came the opportunity to visit Great Britain. The only country in the world which has Great prefixed to its name and rightfully so. That trip opened my doors to the world. In five years, today, the total number of countries I have visited stands at 12. Still a long long way to go but I am making my moves.

It was on the 31st of March, 2010 that I embarked on an Emirates flight from Kolkata, India towards my destination Heathrow, London. I still remember the thrill and excitement which I was experiencing, it still gives me goose bumps. Since childhood, London has been the epitome of every thing Royal, everything Rich & everything Big. In India, Great Britain has left much of its effects mainly due to the British Raj, be it culturally, politically or economically. We follow the BBC & most people are aware of Prince Charles; Shakespeare or David Beckham. Anyways getting back to my journey. My flight left Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at around 8:30 pm. Destination : Dubai.

I reached Dubai at around 12 mid night local time. I was awestruck. The Airport was mesmerizing. Dubai Airport was actually the first Airport I stepped on outside India. It was gigantic. I couldn't take my eyes off the duty free shops. What amazed me most was the culmination of people from all parts of the world. That was the first time I saw so many cultures under one roof. EPIC!! My flight from Dubai to Heathrow was at 2:30 am. I reached Heathrow at around 7:30 am. Once we landed it was announced that the temperature outside was -2. I mean, -2 is that real, I thought to myself. In Kolkata the temperature was 32 degrees and then -2!! I cleared immigration and headed for the Coach Station.

Once there, I bought my tickets for Bristol. I still had around 45 minutes to kill before my bus. I went out to the smoking zone to have a cigarette. It was bright & sunny. The sky was BLUE without a speck of cloud. But it was cold, so cold that I could feel it in my bones. After all, I was wearing only a jumper I got from India. Outside, in the smoking zone, I saw a middle aged man, smoking. I requested for a light and then the conversation started. I said its just April, probably the weather would get much better from here. He was dumbstruck & looked at me with awe. He asked me whether its the first time I am visiting the UK. I said yes. He laughed and added,"My dear boy, you are lucky to see the Sun shining bright on you. It never gets better than this". I didn't really understand what he meant then. But in the course of time, I very well did. Weather in UK can be very depressing at times. It changes within minutes. It rains on most days but not the torrential ones we get in India. Just some drizzles. I bid goodbye to my newly found smoking partner and boarded my bus. I was sleepy, it had been a long flight. But I kept my eyes open. Kept it open to see GB, kept it open to feel the richness, kept it open to live my dream.

I reached Bristol in under two hours. Took a cab from the Coach Station and reached my apartment.It was a good locality of Bedminster. I would be sharing my apartment with another colleague to mine. He had cooked lunch for me. Biriyani !!

The next day was my first day in office. The journey was from Bedminster to Whitchurch (towards the suburb). I took the local Bus & the journey was around 45 minutes. The journey was awesome. Small houses along the streets; little hills and greenery. Everything was out of a picture postcard. I loved my journey each and everyday. Days passed and I became more & more acquainted with the daily British Life.

The thing which intrigued me the most was the Breakfast, Full English that is. Fried Eggs; Roasted Tomatoes; Hash Browns; Crispy Bacon; Cumberland Sausages; Sauteed Mushrooms & to top it Tasty Beans. Just heavenly. One other thing which one definitely needs to do when in the UK is visit one of the Local Pubs. Its there that you get to meet the locals and socialize. They are all very welcoming. Apart from the regular drinks one needs to try the Pub Food, specially the Sunday Roast. My days in Bristol were happy ones and then came a weekend when I visited - LONDON.

London is Magical; London is Paradise for a Traveler. It offers something or the other for everyone. The spots on top of my list were Buckingham Palace; the Tower of London; Westminster Abbey; Big Ben; Houses of Parliament; the London Eye; St Paul's Cathedral; the Tower Bridge; Trafalgar Square. Apart from these there are many & many more places to visit. Interestingly the place which I love the most in London is not in the previous list but that somewhere where an Indian friend of mine took me to. We visited a Night Club in Picadilly Circus. The place is always bubbling with enthusiasm, any time of the day. Close to Piccadilly are Shaftesbury Avenue and China Town. Both are worth visiting. I bought a book 1000 things to do in London. Though I didnt do most of it but just reading it makes u feel excited 😊.

Being an Indian I definitely was looking for some Indian Curries or Bengali Dishes. Three places stood out. For anything related to North Indian Food, head to Southall. It will remind you of Delhi. There is a Pub there which actually accepts Indian Rupees!! For Bengali Cuisines go for Brick Lane. Mainly a Bangladeshi Locality, it is filled with Curry Houses. And if you fancy a South Indian Dosa, go for Eastham.

In later visits I covered The British Museum, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum. Make it a point to visit Greenwich & check out the local flea market, its worth it. Changing of Guards at Buckingham is also quite famous amongst tourist but I personally got real bored. The most fascinating thing about London is its Tube Network. Back home in Kolkata we just had I line running from north to south. In London there are more than 10. Getting off at one station changing your line & taking the tube from another line, all in the same station. Priceless!! Some words become part of daily life when in UK, like Cheers, Mate, Mind the Gap. The British Accent is another such thing, you just cant get enough of it. There are many other places & incidents which took place while I was in the UK which I would share in later blogs, only if this ones liked by you guys 😊.

Cheers for now.

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