A Lady in London

I was not invited to the Royal Wedding in London this morning. It’s okay, though. Most people weren’t.

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Ten years ago I had no idea where Malta was. In fact, I had never even heard of it. When the activities director from my school in Nice told me that she was going to Malta for the weekend, I was too embarrassed to ask her where it was. Later I asked a friend, who said “I think it’s somewhere between England and Germany.”

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There has been a lot of wine in my life lately. From the California wines I tasted a few weeks ago in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, to a recent Wine Society tasting I attended in London, I have had no shortage of opportunities to imbibe.

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My time in Surrey last week was punctuated by two very important side trips to the neighboring county of West Sussex, England. One was for dinner at an excellent restaurant, the other for an overnight stay at a lovely country house hotel.

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A few weeks ago I vowed to take more day trips from London. Not long later I was serendipitously invited to visit Surrey, England which lies just south of the city.

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One of my favorite things to do when I travel to San Francisco is to go wine tasting. Most of my recent tasting trips have been to Russian River, which is famous for its Pinot Noirs. Last week, however, I decided to venture a bit more north to go wine tasting in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley.

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The best thing about being from San Francisco is that no matter where I travel, I always have an excuse to return to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

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When I first moved to London I was really good about taking day trips to the many English towns and cities that were easy to reach by train. Everywhere from nearby St Albans to historic Stonehenge to distant York was covered, and I was enamored with how easy it was to hop on a train and have a day out.

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I love the pub culture in London. Every neighborhood has its share of unique watering holes, and every Londoner is fiercely loyal to her or his ‘local’. Every pub in the city is distinct, from low-ceilinged, dimly lit pubs with labyrinthine mazes of tiny rooms that date back to the seventeenth century, to modern gastropubs with designer interiors that vie for foodie accolades from the likes of Zagat and the Michelin guide.

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