Page 202 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL EATING IBERIA

As Kalea's loving “Tia” (aunt), I had been bringing
herBritishsouvenirssinceshewastwo,andreadingher
stories about the kings and queens of England since she
was three. That's when she learned that Queen Eliza-
beth I preferred lamb stew for breakfast! (That trivia
may come in handy if she's ever on "Jeopardy"!)
So I had an idea—with over a year of planning (with
Carl's great help)—of treating Kalea, her dad Mark, and
mom Betiana to a 10-day trip to England (two days in
Windsor, six in London), covering their hotels and air
fare. Kalea is lucky to have two weeks off school every
October—a perfect time to travel—so in January I
booked round-trip economy tickets on British Airways
from LAX to London—for a bargain $600 each.

As we headed into Windsor, Kalea noted that cars
drove on the “wrong side”--and that our driver's seat
was on the right side!
Her dad commented about the high gas prices in
the United Kingdom—did she know that?
“Gas? You mean petrol!” she responded—as we all
chuckled. A true Brit!

Aftercheckingintoourhotel—aTravelodgeconve-
nientlylocatedinthecitycentre—westrolledaroundin
the early evening. The castle, lit up, was magical.
This was my 36th visit to England since age 19—
and normally I have traveled there on tours, with Carl—
or on press trips by myself, joining other travel writers.
This time it would be a challenge for the five of us—of
different ages and interests--and diets. While Carl and
I will eat anything (at least once!), Mark and Betiana are
strict vegetarians, and were a bit concerned about
restaurant menu choices.
Carl and I reassured them that long-gone are the
BritishdietarydaysofWimpyhamburgersandnewspa-
per-wrapped fish 'n' chips! We view London as the din-
ing capital of the world, with great Indian food--and,
yes, even delicious Mexican!

Waimea Falls deep in the Waimea Valley.

202 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020