Indian food and croissants!

Don't believe what they tell you about the food in England - at least not all of it. We have had some absolutely fabulous food here so far. I have had the best chocolate croissants of my life, and also the best Indian food. Two nights ago we were in Reading and we ate at a restaurant called the Spice Oven. Best Nan Evah!! We smartly ordered dishes they rated as medium and mild, and the medium was hotter than any I have ever had in the states.

The coffee here is kind of spotty - sometimes good strong European coffee, sometimes church basement slime. You never know what you're going to get, but whatever it is, you will be sure to pay about twice what you would in the states. However, the tea is always great!

We have eaten in a good number of pubs, and they are spotty as well - one of our best dinners was at a pub in the tiny village of Collingbourne Kingston, which is just south of Marlborough. But at the pub in South Warnborough, it was like a glorified Perkins. Unfortunately, we got stuck eating twice at that one, as we were tired of climbing the hills on the road I had dubbed "three hills road" - a trip to the pub at nearby Upton Grey that nite would have required that we climb them once again, and in the rain.....

Always on tap here is Stella Artois - which I have had bottled a few times at home, but was never very fond of it, though my friend Christine loves it. But it's better here on tap. Guiness is big here too, and I had that one nite. The rest of the beers (most of them "bitters") seem unremarkable to me. Not a lot of flavor and a bit on the flat side.