FIRST IMPRESSIONS, PIES AND PINTS

Before arriving in Buckingham ten days ago, I honestly didn't know what to expect. 

Yes, I have been to England before and yes, I have heard plenty about Fish'n'Chips, tea and scones but I am not a firm believer in clichés.

Germans for example, are supposedly always on time but after several train rides with "Deutsche Bahn" I am quite careful when it comes to stereotypes. 

However, when my family and me arrived in England, it was a grey and drizzling day.

I tried to perceive the rain as a form of baptism rather than a warning to turn around and take the train back to a sunnier place.

The first three nights we stayed at an adorable bed & breakfast ten minutes away from Buckingham. 

The village has less than 150 inhabitants and the cozy cottages reminded me a lot of the dwarf's homes shown in the "Hobbit". I wouldn't have even been surprised if Gandalf was to casually sit on one of these  porches smoking his pipe and philosophising about life. 

An elderly couple next door invited us for dinner the first night and we had a goat pie absolutely to die for. 

Whoever said that the food in England was bad, has clearly never tasted the buttery, creamy and absolutely comforting dish which simply slides down your throat and stomach, leaving you with a warm and satisfying feeling. 

Anyway, before I get hungry and realize that there is no food in my fridge left, I would love to lose a few words over the hosts who were responsible for such an amazing first impression. 

The two of them are absolutely lovely chatterboxes, starting a sentence with "but I will now let you enjoy your dinner", continuing what they were saying anyway.

After only 10 minutes we were well informed on gossip concerning the royal family, their watchdog's allergies and the weather prognosis for the following months. 

As soon as my mother mentioned the fact that Singapore is our current country of residence, enthusiasm awakened because a cousin's friend of a friend living in the next village used to work in Shanghai 20 years ago. 

Such a small world, now isn't?

After dinner, I decided to recall my first day in England in a pub around the corner, where I automatically outed myself as a mainlander simply by ordering a beer instead of a pint. 

The charming waitress, however, discretely pointed out my mistake in order to avoid further faux-pas when it comes to asking for the liquid gold. The combination of pie and pint is more effective than any kind of fancy eastern asian sleeping medicine, so I ended my first day in England pretty early. 

Before arriving in Buckingham ten days ago, I honestly didn't know what to expect. 

The first conclusion, though, is genuinely positive even though I am not the greatest fan of Fish'n'Chips, nor would I ever switch to the dark side and prefer my coffee over a cup of tea. 

Well, at least not for now...