brayza in the UK

Out with a Pang!

// June 17th, 2009 // Trip information

On the 29th May; Mel, Teneale and I went to visit my mate JP who was fresh out of Australia. Mel and I caught the train early that Friday but we were stuck at the train station for half an hour as the train didn’t have a driver. This was supposed to be the fast train to Reading! As we were sitting in the unairconditioned cabin sweating, a man comes over the radio stating the train has no driver and that it might be quicker catching the quarter-to train, as this train will be departing 30 minutes late. At that point everyone looked at their watches is dismay thinking ‘if this train leaves in 30 minutes, it will still leave 15 minutes earlier than the quarter-to train, how can the other train be quicker?’

On ya bike Son

After the people on the train who couldn’t do basic maths left, the train was off and running; a good 15 minutes earlier than the other train. The first stop was Reading, our stop. The train ride was very quick and in about 25 minutes we had arrived. We hopped off that train and jumped on the local train and headed to Pangbourne. 10 minutes later we were in the heart of the English countryside. It was the first time I had seen JP since I left Oz three months ago. He met us at the train station and we walked to his Uncle’s house which was just down the road. It was a lovely area, and it got even better as we passed Broughtons, a Bentley garage on the main drag.

A streetcar named Spyker

Among the Bentleys and Aston Martins were two Koeniseggs. They were unreal. I have never seen one up close before, so we stopped past to take some photos. Whilst we were in heaven, and Mel looked on unamused, we spotted the Spyker. Broughtons are apparently the exclusive distributors of Spyker in the UK. The Spyker C8 Spyder looks mean, and at £209,950 JP and I kept dreaming. After our little pit stop we continued on our way.

It’s Tens with an ‘M’

We dropped our gear off at the house and JP took Mel and I to the park which runs along the River Thames. I never liked the river as I could never pronounce it correctly. The English just make up sounds for words. So it’s pronounced Tems, and now I like it.

After a little stroll around the park we headed for the Swan. Every where I go there is a town with a pub called the Swan. I ordered the Ryan special, a Bulmers and a Mel’s special, coke, whilst JP ordered a bogan special, the British equivalent to VB, no not Fosters. We downed the drinks just before the sun racked off behind the clouds and we were left shivering.

Is that a pie in your pocket…

JP, being the culinary master that he is *cough*, went to the local butcher and picked out a couple of hand made pies. We put the pie in the oven just as Teneale rang to say she had arrived in the Pang. JP and I went and collected Teneale whilst Mel guarded the pie. When we got back, JP whipped up a salad to go with the pie, and the girls went crazy. We haven’t had a salad since we have been in the UK, and JP was rather proud of himself, quoting “..and they say you don’t make friends with salad…*cough*.

Well it was the best pie I have ever eaten, and at £6+ per pie it would want to be. Curry chicken yummo. We consumed the pie then hit the sack