tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:16:04 +0000Naina Mistry and Josh Fitzhugh's UK adventurehttp://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Naina)Blogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-4883419181289774513Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:05:00 +00002015-01-01T18:53:07.123+00:00 One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2015 is to resurrect my woefully neglected blog.  I took a break from it when my father passed away unexpectedly two years ago and then was so overwhelmed by the backlog of posts that I didn’t know how to start it back up again.  I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope a few people enjoyed reading it, but my primary reason for doing it was to recordhttp://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2014/12/year-in-review-2014.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-3559122654047807304Tue, 01 Jul 2014 22:00:00 +00002014-07-04T00:15:11.856+01:00My advice to anyone who wants to see the Wimbledon Tennis Championships with minimal fuss is to pick a day when Andy Murray is NOT playing and the weather forecast is good, and just show up in the early afternoon and get a Grounds pass.  Following my own excellent advice, I picked up some snacks and reached the Queue right at noon.  With only a handful of people in front of me, I http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2014/07/splendour-on-grass.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-5588248436192723041Tue, 13 Aug 2013 22:07:00 +00002013-08-14T16:23:44.826+01:00There's no shortage of ways to indulge your inner Harry Potter fan in the London area, so when my friend Ann -- one of the biggest HP fans I know -- planned a visit with her husband, Matt, she took advantage of as many of them as she could. No Potter fan should visit London without booking tickets for the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, where you can see all the sets, props, and costumes from the http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/08/visit-from-harry-potter-fan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-5880651483721924903Wed, 17 Jul 2013 22:43:00 +00002013-08-01T22:15:38.706+01:00When most people visit Italy for the first time, they go to Rome, or Venice, or Florence. My first trip to Italy was to Bologna. I did eventually make it to those other cities, but I never would have guessed that the first place I would revisit in Italy would be...  Bologna! Why Bologna?  Well, our friends Rob & Diana had invited us to meet up with them during their 2-week tour of http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/07/reggio-emilia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-6927058964636329584Wed, 03 Jul 2013 17:00:00 +00002013-07-04T00:32:50.376+01:0095% of the time, Wimbledon is a relatively quiet, residential part of London, but for two weeks (aka, "The Fortnight") every summer, it gets a little nutty.  It's time for tennis! Burger King's "Whopper" takes on a new meaning The Queen fills in for Nadal and Federer Morrison's supermarket changes its name in honor of Andy Murray Viewing screen and lawn chairs set up in the town http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-day-in-court.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-2899426281175539441Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:09:00 +00002013-08-14T18:14:25.717+01:00The last time I saw my cousin Vishal, I was a senior in college and he was an extremely shy 10-year- old boy.  I had only met him once before, when I was 13 and he was a precocious toddler. The only reason I wasn't close to that part of my family was that I literally wasn't close to that part of my family.  I grew up in Fresno, California.  Vishal and his older brother, Kaushik, http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/06/family-reunion-down-under.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-1044800557492069033Thu, 02 May 2013 14:20:00 +00002013-05-11T22:03:13.554+01:00For two historic houses located half an hour apart in Kent, they could not have been more different.  On a beautiful spring day (May Day, in fact) we took a bus south from London to visit two famous country estates.  The first, Ightham Mote ("item moat"), is noteworthy because -- despite having a lengthy succession of unrelated owners -- it has remained nearly unchanged since it was http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-tale-of-two-houses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-6251441424117193211Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:32:00 +00002013-02-12T17:13:30.099+00:00 When a friend invited me to join her for a tour of the Tate Store, I initially wondered why they were giving tours of a museum shop -- but it turns out that's what the Tate calls their massive storage facility in SE London. I couldn't say no to that! It was quite an adventure getting there, as it is not only in an unfamiliar neighborhood, but required me to take a train, the Tube, a bus, and http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-tate-store.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-4820444436684290244Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:26:00 +00002013-01-30T23:26:56.927+00:00"Antiquing" is an oddly specific word, but it's not quite the same as shopping for antiques.  It's more about the experience than the results -- at least in my experience. A group of my AWC buddies and I took a day trip to the cute little town of Lewes to go antiquing.  The morning started out with a few sprinkles, but the sun came out and brightened up our day. A sunny day! It http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/01/antiquing-in-lewes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-4636953950527630601Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:56:00 +00002013-01-31T20:00:26.831+00:00Despite what you may see on TV or in movies, it rarely snows in London; so when it does, it's a pretty big deal.  Even a couple inches of snow can cause quite a bit of excitement, not to mention major travel issues. A snowy day in the UK  Fortunately, the District Line was running just fine, because we had tickets to see a show at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington:  Cirque du http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-bit-of-soleil-on-snowy-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-3151559774680543878Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:15:00 +00002013-02-03T22:50:58.350+00:00It's January, which means it's time for the AWC's annual pilgrimage to the pottery factory shops in Stoke-on-Trent to hit the sales.  This is one of the most popular and eagerly anticipated day trips of the year, and one of the few things that will get me out of bed at 5 am in the middle of winter. Yes, it's a looong bus ride to Stoke-on-Trent, but time passes quickly when you are chatting http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/01/stoke-on-trent-take-ii.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-320859846910804404Sun, 06 Jan 2013 14:29:00 +00002013-01-13T00:27:54.685+00:00After running ourselves ragged last Christmas with a 3-week, bi-coastal, multi-city visit to the US, we decided to keep things simple this year.  We flew to San Francisco to spend two weeks in the Bay Area with family and friends.  Although Josh prefers to be knee-deep in snow at this time of year, he had little objection to some rest & relaxation in sunny California after a very http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2013/01/christmas-in-california.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-1390642886864152729Tue, 25 Dec 2012 05:33:00 +00002012-12-31T02:50:20.840+00:00'Twas the day before Christmas and in our rental house, we marveled at the weather and resolved to go out. A gorgeous day in Monterey A whale-watching tour in Monterey Bay was just what we needed on this beautiful day. Randy's Whale Watching tours Fisherman's Wharf had a festive air... Festive boat Even Santa Claus was there... Santa goes for a sail The birds and beasts were http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/whale-watching.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-8355404396106145755Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:33:00 +00002012-12-28T18:24:10.826+00:00Christmas traditions in the UK are a bit different from what we are used to in the US.  Sure, people decorate trees, put up lights, and exchange gifts -- the basics are the same.  But in the UK they have mince pies instead of Christmas cookies, Christmas pudding instead of pumpkin pie, and Father Christmas instead of Santa Claus.  No Christmas celebration is complete without http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/priscilla-queen-of-panto.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-3249616676096007024Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:33:00 +00002012-10-12T20:33:29.210+01:00I was surprised to learn that out of the 6 ladies who showed up for Theater Day this week, 3 of them had never seen Les Miserables.  Shocking!  Fortunately for me, the other two women had seen it several times, so they decided to come with me to see a play they'd never heard of while the rest of the group took advantage of the half-price matinee tickets for Les Miz. Actually, I didn'thttp://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/our-boys.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-9002827731760327171Sat, 06 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +00002012-10-11T22:18:44.851+01:00 It's not easy to motivate me to be up and out of the house by 6:15 am, but the opportunity to visit the largest antiques fair in Europe proved to be a strong enough incentive.  The Newark Antiques & Collectors Fair is held several times a year about two hours north of London.  A group of about 30 women from the AWC boarded a bus in Kensington at 7 am Thursday morning and headed http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-hunting-expedition.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-2715109976307222918Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:37:00 +00002012-10-08T19:06:31.342+01:00What could top a tour of Highclere Castle?  Not much, but to continue on my Downton Abbey high, I attended a talk last week at the Victoria & Albert Museum by Susannah Buxton, the costume designer for seasons 1 and 2 of the popular TV series. Ms. Buxton was joined by a V&A curator from the Fashion department, who discussed some of the parallels between the Crawley sisters of Downtonhttp://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/dressing-downton.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-3297437692322319165Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +00002012-10-01T23:29:07.387+01:00"Why aren't you at work?" demanded the 102-year old pensioner as we passed him in the corridor.  The man didn't look a day over 90, and apart from a cane, lacked the accessories you would expect to see on a man 20 years his junior: no hearing aid, no glasses, no motorized wheelchair or scooter.  As the oldest resident of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, I imagine he's seen plenty of other http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/09/royal-chelsea-hospital.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-8933903552643306017Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:47:00 +00002012-09-23T22:05:43.200+01:00"You'll find there's never a dull moment in this house," said Lady Grantham, the Dowager Countess (played by the fabulous Maggie Smith).  As fans of Downton Abbey, we know that to be true, but after watching the premiere of the third season (which started Sept 17 here in the UK -- I promise not to reveal any spoilers!), my fellow AWC members and I were very excited to see for ourselves. http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-real-downton-abbey.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-6177503954995046593Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:14:00 +00002012-09-28T23:48:53.883+01:00As we emerged from the train station in Edinburgh, we could hear the sound of a lone bagpiper playing a familiar tune.  Amazing Grace?  Loch Lomond?  Nope.  The theme music from Star Wars.  The final weekend of the Fringe Festival was in full swing! Earlier that Saturday morning, we headed to King's Cross Station to catch the train. Inside King's Cross We couldn't http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/on-fringe-in-edinburgh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-3909486750591576761Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:13:00 +00002012-08-24T09:23:01.435+01:00Olympic tickets initially went on sale in the UK just a couple weeks after we arrived in the country.  We were still living out of our suitcases in a temporary furnished apartment, but we were so excited at the prospect of living in the host city that we applied for tickets to eight different events.  We got nothing.  Boy, was that disappointing! When the second round of tickets http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/bronze-medal-match.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-630588760755798523Fri, 10 Aug 2012 10:00:00 +00002012-08-18T16:19:40.921+01:00 "They're your tickets -- you should go!" "No, you go.  I'm sure Josh would rather go with you, and your friend will be there." I'm a bit of an introvert, so after attending 8 Olympic events, two concerts, and the Harry Potter studio tour over the course of 12 days, I was kind of looking forward to a quiet day to myself at home.  Josh was eager to see the Olympic Park, but you can http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-walk-in-olympic-park.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-4567440947827627363Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:00:00 +00002012-08-13T00:10:48.679+01:00No, Quidditch is not an Olympic sport, but if the International Quidditch Association gets their way, maybe we'll be watching it in Rio in 2016.  In the meantime, Sonia and I took a break from the Olympics to go to Leavesden, just northwest of London, to tour the Warner Brothers studios where all the Harry Potter movies were filmed. The Making of Harry Potter: Warner Brothers Studio Tour http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/quidditch-anyone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-6816500697677042217Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:00:00 +00002012-08-10T10:10:25.359+01:00One of the things that makes living in the Olympic host city so exciting and entertaining is all the interesting people you encounter -- not just at the events, but around the city, on public transport, and going about your daily business.  Of course, our daily business has mostly been attending Olympic events, but that has made for some great people-watching opportunities. On Tuesday http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/olympic-people-watching-and-diving.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242678959978238223.post-487150186575391158Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:00:00 +00002012-08-07T12:27:42.701+01:00Yesterday we participated in the Olympic Biathlon -- two events in one day!  Our first event was at Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000 people.  It seemed like all of them were on their way in at the same time.  The crowd makes its way to Wembley Josh takes a breather on the way to the stadium We were going to see a football (soccer) match between Mexico and Senegal.  http://misfitzabroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/having-ball.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Naina)0