In August 1999, I moved to London on my own to educate myself in the history of art. I chose Sotheby’s Art Institute and it was a very fortuitous choice.

The education I received during my time living overseas was not limited to the classroom. It was a true learning experience on every level. Even though the language was a common denominator, there are many nuances in the British and American dialects.

One thing that I shared with my new friends in my new residence for those wonderful two years is my love for tea.  And like many in that part of the world, I loved a nice hot cuppa with milk and a little sugar.

When I completed my art history studies at the end of 2001, I returned to the U.S.A. with a certificate from Sotheby’s and a M.A in Historic Interiors and Decorative Arts from the University of Buckingham. I returned to London several times for antique shows over the next two years. Then after an eight-year hiatus, I visited London in April 2011 for a week with a friend who is a healer.

While living in central London, I developed a fondness for Indian food, or curry.  My first flat, or apartment, was on Bute Street in South Kensington, above an art gallery specializing in 19th century British paintings. This gallery and the flat was owned by an Irishman who had a great interest in horse racing, a business I had recently worked for in the U.S. And across the street was an Indian restaurant named The Khyber Pass.

According to a poll taken years ago by a British newspaper, the favorite British  food is an Indian curry.

So it was only natural that I developed a penchant for Indian chai tea while living in London. When I visited London in 2011, I was fortunate to find the legendary Chai Walla, a tea shoppe near the newly renovated Kings Cross and St. Pancras train stations. And their signature tea became my favorite of all time: the Pink Himalayan Chai Tea.

Now, in April 2025, in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, with the help of my friend Eleanor, Queen of the Meadow, I have aimed my camera in the night sky and created a photograph named Pink Himalayan Chai, in honor of all the lovely times enjoying a cuppa in London.

 

Featured image, Pink Himalayan Chai, Eleanor’s Dream series, from the Healing Spirit Art© Collection of positive, inspirational, life-affirming fine art photography, writing and music 🎶 by Teri Leigh Teed