things i love about the UK

chocolate (have i ever, in passing, once or twice, perchance, mentioned that i love English chocolate??!

pizza express.  that fiorentina with no olives was sooooooooo good.

diet coke in a glass bottle (but you know the refill issue is next up on the 'things i hate about the UK' post ;)

pasties.  flakey, warm, puffy envelopes of chees-y onion-y lava-y goodness.  heaven on earth. 

on the subject of heaven on earth: fish and chips (seriously i HAD to come home... my pants were about to burst at the seams :)

the Lake District. and Chester.  i think i might finally understand why Americans are so crazy in love with these places.  they're very pretty and so very British :)

scones and cakes and pies and puddings!!! 

Spud-U-Like (the one with the roman ruins in the basement and really nice staff)

Coronation Street.  confusing as hell but totally fascinating seeing people age 20 years and children become adults in a blink of an eye :)    

really cute little hatchbacks.  they don't have really cute little hatchbacks here :(

the smell of trains and diesel fumes and cigarette smoke and rainy pavements (dunno why but i LOVE these smells)

Manchester.  i miss that grey city soooo much and seeing it through Morrissey's eyes this time made all the more wonderful

the shoes: scalloped edges and patent leather and pretty bows and polka dots

Cath Kidston.  i bought nothing.  but loved everything :)

Asda and Sainsbury's and Tesco and Home Bargains and Superdrug and Boots and Marks and Spencer and Harvey Nichols and Primark and Selfridges and Monsoon and Next and... on and on and on :)

English undies: they're just soooo much better, it's unexplainable :)

cold water from the tap... not as much as a novelty as it used to be in the Cali days.... but still amazing :)

back later xoxo