8 Things I Miss About England

In the wake of last Friday's royal wedding it must be said that Britain exports nicely. So, prompted by Kate and Wills' nuptials I am inspired to recount a few things I truly love about England. For, when strangers hear that I lived there, after first asking what it was like (which I answered several weeks ago), I then get, do I miss it? I certainly love and miss parts of it. Four years was long enough for a fascinating culture to creep well under my skin and make me feel that, though I am not officially British, there is still a big part of me that is definitely Britified.

So, without further ado... 8 Things I Miss About England

{Peacock fascinator from etsy shop Head Full of Feathers}

8. Fascinators & wedding hats - On the wedding tip I've got to take my hat off to British women at weddings. Like many Americans I'm obsessed with the creative contraptions placed on top of British women's heads, and even bought myself a hot pink feather fascinator to push the boat out at a friend's wedding (another trans-Altantic couple) during our last summer in London.

7. St.James's Park and other manicured playgrounds - I first discovered St.James's Park one spring evening with a few girlfriends. The grounds were in full bloom and we took our picnic and plopped ourselves right under this out-of-control Magnolia tree that sprinkled petals throughout our time there. It was nothing short of magical.

 {View from the District Line near where we lived, via Mike Searles}

6. Public transport - Sure, British trains might be notoriously late and grind to a halt when the wrong type of leaves fall on the tracks. Buses might require one full hour and two transfers to travel seven miles. The Underground might schedule routine maintenance for peak hours to cause the greatest public inconvenience. But, it IS possible to travel from east to west without a car, which is more than you can say about broad swathes of Seattle. The best aspects of public transport are of course uninterrupted chunks of time for two of my favorite pastimes: reading and people-watching.

5. Specifically, the District Line - It wasn't the most frequent of the Underground lines, but there is something kind of charming about it, with it's soothing green color and posh stops from Richmond to our house. I liked getting off two stops early at Turnham Green in Chiswick and walking home through the cute shops and cafes. Chiswick is considered a "yummy mummy" area, which leads me to believe myself and yummy mummies have quite good taste.

 {Nordic Bakery goodness via Ingrid Design}

4. Various Scandinavian outposts in London - I love the stark Scandinavian aesthetic, so what can be better than bits of the continent's neighbor to the north scattered about London. Of note, I loved the Swedish pub, The Harcort Arms, we frequented every Sunday evening.  And of course the Nordic Bakery in Golden Square near Covent Garden. Every thirty minutes a baker brings up a fresh pan of cinnamon aroma in the form of pastry-like cinnamon buns. I'd smell them from the hard seats that myself and Scandinavia go nuts for but that my husband doesn't fully get behind.

3. Mosob's - This might not seem English at all, but since England was where I was introduced to Ethiopian and Eritrean food, and since London offers an amazing selection, it had to be included. The cream of the Horn of African crop, in my opinion, is Mosob's. Owned by brothers Benjamin and Daniel, this is the only restaurant in the whole of Great Britain that has ever welcomed me in with a hug. And word games to occupy us while we wait for the main course. It's perfect.

{From Julia Speller at Your Tea Time} 

2. Rounds of tea - At first I didn't understand this concept of rounds of tea. How, in the British office it's not only a kind act but also an unspoken obligation to make, depending on the size, either the whole office or your whole team, a cup of tea at regular intervals. And since it's well known that the Brits can keep a teapot flowing, this is no easy task. Of course the duty is rotated, but whether doing the making or the receiving it interrupts productive workflow zones and "my task list" and forces mid-morning conversation and, wouldn't you know, a sense of being in this thing together. Once I was broken in I got quite used to it and grew to love the moment of handing a colleague a nice warm cuppa and being told, with complete sincerity and mild elation, "You are a star." It's just too easy.

1. Sunday Roast and a newspaper at a cozy pub - It's just got to be done.




And one shameless plug... It goes without saying that by far my favorite English export is my husband Dan. If you're needing a dose of Britishness you should definitely check out his new radio show, Dig Deep, which you can stream right here from KBCS.fm I like listening because it sounds like our house, which sounds like a steady stream of funk, soul and electronic music, thanks to Dan. If you're into UK beats then it's definitely worth your time.



What about you? Is there anything you love about England? Have you been? Brits, would you like to chime in with what you miss about home when you leave?



{Royal Wedding Print by Glyn West Designs via etsy}