The gorgeous state of CT always holds a special place in my heart and stirs up feelings of nostalgia. My first ever footprint into the world of travel was to the USA with my sister – she was 9 and I was 13, and it was to visit our favourite aunt in CT. I fell in love with the state and everything about it back then, thanks to my wonderful Rani Pui and Uncle Paul. But that’s a story for another blog post.
While at University in the UK, I spent time flying across the pond to spend weeks at a time with my aunt and uncle in New Haven, and I soon put out little roots in their beautiful home, in Vista Terrace.
So imagine my delight when I could share a tad bit of my beloved Connecticut with M! We were en route to Boston for the International Trade Mark Attorneys (INTA) Conference 2010, and CT was the perfect place to spend a few days. We arrived at Vista Terrace in the early evening, via London where we had spent a few days with my lovely cousins Varinder and Charan. I introduced M to Nirmal, the once ferocious kitty that had me barricaded in the bathroom the day I first set foot in Vista Terrace many moons ago. Despite being sick, Nirm had a twinkle in his eyes and I am sure he was as glad to see me as I was him.
M had finally got his new toy – the Nikon D90 that had been delivered to Pui’s house, and he couldn’t wait to rip open the boxes. He was like a child on Christmas morning, thrilled with the loot that Santa brought him!
Our first night in New Haven was spent with us catching up and reminiscing about the good times we have had, before retiring to my beautiful “green room” (I told you that I had put out roots in Vista Terrace – I used to sleep in the green master bedroom every time I visited) and I was pretty chuffed to see that Pui had put out my favourite Victoria’s Secret Velvet and Satin Comforter to use! Ever the thoughtful lady that my aunt is, every little detail was taken care of – from the fresh towels in the bathroom to the specific toothpaste and shower gel that I like!
We woke to a delicious breakfast of pancakes, blueberries, cherries and the most gorgeous strawberries I have seen, spent some time on pui’s porch where we have spent many fantastic moments – it is one of my favourite places in pui’s house – it always reminds me of my kindred spirit Anne of Green Gables…
…And then off we went to the CT Post Mall, the first mall my sister and I ever visited in the US! Now, I am a self-confessed shopaholic and my husband even more so than I. My aunt and uncle have always spoiled me rotten, and every time I would visit, I’d shop till I dropped (thanks to Pui and Uncle Paul) and Pui would often joke that we were going to “close down the mall” because it usually takes a tow truck to drag me away from a good mall.
I think we were meant to have had loads of drinks on the porch that night, but unfortunately M had to work, so Pui and I busied ourselves in the homiest of kitchens and cooked up a storm. Well, Pui cooked. I just chattered away like I usually do!
Dinner was a delicious Merlot Beef (a huge hunk of beef roasted in a bottle of Merlot to produce the most succulent tasting beef you have eaten), Red Bliss Potato Salad, Steamed Asparagus Spears and a delicious jus, all served in no less than the Royal Doulton English Country Roses Dinner set.
We had bought lots of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream for dessert which was the perfect end to a perfect meal, but after that we ended up crashing out, like beached whales! Sadly our two nights in Connecticut came to an end way too fast, but hopefully we’ll be back someday soon!
