England, Day 1: London Calling

recently consumed

vacation: west end and westminster in london, england

tasting notes

We wake up crazy early to catch our flight. We almost miss it, but catch the bus at the gate just in time to be shipped off to our British Airways jet. Already it’s nice to hear people speak English, especially with a British accent. I get called “love” by one of the attendants. We descend into clouds and fog over the city.

We meet up with Alyssa and despite all our trying, end up with a pile of coins from the London Underground ticket machine. “Jackpot” said the boys behind us poking fun. I spent the rest of the day jiggling them in my pocket… I felt like a leprechaun with a pot of gold.

We were accompanied on the Underground with a bunch of noisy drunk teens, probably football players, who were drinking open beers on the train in the middle of the day. I heard “fuckin’ hell” about ten times in two minutes. There is a lot of bad fashion and haircuts, on the train but also in the city in general. It’s not as pretty as Lisbon or Porto, at least not until nighttime.

Covent Garden is cute with the colored walls and shops. Neil’s Yard Dairy is an AMAZING cheese shop, and we are helped by Ned (a great man with a great mustache), who tells us all about some cheeses we can’t get in the states. Everything is amazing… Montgomery Cheddar has crystals in it like aged gouda. The unpasteurized blue cheese melts like butter in your mouth.

We pass many street performers, and the city is becoming crowded like Rome on a Saturday night. Many places are closed for holiday weekend, so we lunch at O’Neils and have dinner at Bhatti, an Indian restaurant right next store. Good pub food and good Indian food are two check marks on our list… neither are mind blowing, but both are pretty good, especially in Westminster area.

After a nice long nap in our super comfortable beds, we take a long walk around city at night. The lights are quaint along the River Thames. London Eye looks like a big bicycle wheel and Big Ben reminds me a bit of the Louvre at night, although nothing is quite that cool. Big Ben chimes 11 times and looks dramatic against the foggy sky.

We pass some protesters near Westminster Abbey. We want to find some good beer but we are having trouble finding a place that’s open. By then we are in West End, which feels like London’s Times Square. The bars are overcrowded and people are dressed in anything from costumes to way too little. Waxy O’Connors is cool inside, but also crowded, hot, and closing early!!

We plan our day for tomorrow around finding a good place for beer. Now it has become a mission.

Tomorrow: Find a good pub for a strong IPA