A Very English City
Among the many neat things I did and saw
in Christchurch, New Zealand, two unique experiences stand out in my memory.
Our formal lunch reminded me of a typical
English high tea or a ladies’ lunch. We had smoked salmon, individual quiche,
hard boiled eggs and scones. We felt a
bit under dressed for the rather formal affair, but we’d not been warned, so
our travel clothes just had to do and we just forgot about it. After our
leisurely lunch we had plenty of time to wander the green manicured grounds and
flowering gardens, especially the lovely rose garden.
One evening we walked from the hotel to
the corner of the block to catch the restaurant tram. What a unique dining
experience! Similar to the dining car on a train, the tram circled the city several times while we enjoyed an
excellent lamb meal served with first class service who kept our wine glasses
full. The 12 of us were the only
occupants ----our very own dining tram!
It was a different and most enjoyable way to end a long and exciting day of sightseeing in the
most English of New Zealand’s cities.
With all the English gardens and English
street names I had to keep reminding myself that I was Down Under and not in
England.