To celebrate day one in Rio, I’ll write about London.
My dad said we were in for a treat and when he’s referring to food, I know he’s telling the truth. A subway ride away, the restaurant was tucked away in Shepherd’s Market. As we waited for our table to be ready, my dad prefaced our dining experience by asking if Nic and I had ever had French cuisine. I shrugged, assuming that croissants don’t count as “cuisine.” We were led up a set of steep, tiny stairs. The establishment felt miniature and the sight of my dad and Nic (both 6’2″) maneuvering past closely set tables was almost comical.
The accent on our petite waitress was so strong that I merely smiled and nodded as she rattled off the specials. I scoured the menu for something I recognized. Ah, salmon. Ah, the price! My dad did the parental “get what you want” bit and comparably speaking, the salmon was cheap. The food and service were wonderful and as Nic matched rounds of beer with my dad, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. The cloud was yanked from underneath me when the check arrived. I really tried not to look, but my curiosity got the best of me. My eyes widened and I immediately thought, “it was good, but it wasn’t that good.” I had mixed emotions as we did our tetris dance out.
My parents called it a night and Nic and I made our way to The Kings Arms, a corner pub. It was near closing time (pubs close at 11!!!) so we raced to finish our first pint. We were a bit tipsy and undeniably high on life. Neither of us could grasp the fact that the four of us had just managed to spend HALF of my RENT on one dinner. By the second pint, we found ourselves reminiscing of when we first met and all of the things that had brought us to The Kings Arms in London. The expensive French food played no part in our happiness. For us, traveling is not about staying in the fanciest resorts or eating the finest foods. Although they are a perk of traveling with parents, I honestly can’t recall a lot of those details. I just remember the way I felt, sitting there in a foreign place with a familiar face. When we explore new places, we learn things about ourselves and each other. To be honest, the place doesn’t even have to be new. It’s like watching your favorite movie for a second time. There are so many aspects you never noticed or you forgot to appreciate the first time around. This is my fifth time to Rio, but my first international business trip with my dad. I’m reminding myself to hit my old stomping grounds with fresh eyes because I don’t want to miss a thing.
Rio de Janiero, Brazil – 2014