A Quiet Week of Eating Around Town February 23, 2007

Melanie and I kept the ball rolling throughout the week by eating our way around town. We decided we had enough of the curry based foods and ventured on to the Middle Eastern, Italian, European and a few home made cuisines.

There is a Lebanese restaurant by my house which I have wanted to try so we ventured there one night. It was just like being at home. We got the mixed appetizer plate with all the fixings followed by a shish kabab plate. Luckily we split both because there was more food than we could have ever wanted. The waiters enjoyed our company enough that they also brought out some free desserts which just topped off the night.

I finally made it to Pizza Express and it was everything people have told me about. They have a special salad dressing which I recommend to everyone. I will do my best to buy a few bottles and bring them home. Melanie bought a bottle which we enjoyed on a salad with some homemade cooking one night.

On Melanie’s last night, we traveled up north a little fish and chips place. When I say fish and chips, I mean that is the only thing they had on the menu. You could pick from a variety of about 6 or 7 fish, but that was about all the menu selection available. I definitely got my fill of fish for a few weeks.

It was a great week of eating around town.

The Secret Passage February 19, 2007

While Sunday seemed to be the longest day ever, I would definitely qualify it as the best of the three day adventure. After grabbing a bite at Eat, the local sandwich shop, we headed off to Buckingham Palace. What an incredibly beautiful home. We hung around there for a while admiring the beauty of the palace and then headed off through Green Park to grab the tube and move on to our next tourist destination, the British Airways London Eye. Stephanie isn’t much for heights so she and I left Rachel and Melanie at the jumbo ferris wheel and headed off on our own adventure.
Girls at the Fountain
Quart yard 3

We could see Westminster Abbey across the river and figured it was a walkable distance. There was a Sunday service so there were no tours available. We figured we would walk the perimeter of the building and enjoy the architecture. As we made our way around the East side of the building, we found a small private entrance into a court yard. Since no one was around, we figured we could make it in for a few pictures. As we entered the hallway, we heard a choir singing in a room off the court yard. They sounded amazing. A security guard found us and told us we could go to the service if we wanted to hear. We nodded and walked on hoping he wouldn’t ask us to leave. Since the service was going to begin shortly, we sat on a bench in the yard and hoped for a passing glance at the choir. The choir seemed to be running late and came running out just before 3 and headed into the sanctuary in full robes. Looking around the yard, we realized this was the area where soldiers and past royalty were buried. This little court yard was a great find.
Quart yard 1
Quart yard 2
Eavsdroping on the choir
The Choir

We headed back to the London Eye to meet up with the girls and head on to more adventures. A few weeks earlier, I heard about a flamenco band playing at a bar in Camden Town so we decided to head that way. Since we had a little time to kill, we found a great little Thai restaurant and enjoyed a plethora of curry dishes. We then headed to the bar to hear the band and found we were the only ones in attendance. It turns out it was acoustic night which isn’t a big night for the crowds. It also turns out the band I was expecting was a one man show. He was so great; he even inserted a little Justin in one of his songs which made my night. The bartender, whos name was Ben or Matt or possibly John, was in a mood to make mix drinks and began pouring mojito after mojito. I will let the pictures explain the rest of the evening…
The Girls
The Happy Couple Take 1
The Happy Couple Take 2
Pose 1
Pose 2
The Girls with Ben_Matt

Everyone should meet a Scotsman February 18, 2007

We made it up bright and early (around noon) on Saturday and were ready for a big day. We started our day at the Pie Minister which was delicious! From there, we took our pies and ate on the road as we were headed to the east end to visit the Spitafields Market. Little did we know that it is only open on Sunday. From there, we headed on the Jack the Ripper tour and ended up at a little pub where we came to meet our favorite Scotsman names Joseph. He was definitely the highlight of the day. He informed us of the Celtics (not Boston) and of some poor building planning in the neighborhood. He pointed out where someone decided to remove a load barring beam from a building across the street and the little that remained after the collapse. After spending a good hour deciphering his Scottish/Cockney accent, we decided it was time to hit the road and let him enjoy his afternoon pints.

From there, we headed south to Fleet St. and found another nice little pub called the George which was across from the Royal Courts. Amazing building but no one was wearing their robes and wigs. We headed towards St. Paul’s from there and then jumped back on the tour bus to complete our trip around the city. The sun was setting at this point which gave us a wonderful view as we crossed the Tower Bridge which is often mistaken for London Bridge.

At this point, we were famished and needed food. We were on a hunt for fish and chips. As it was Saturday evening and all the pubs were packed, we had a terribly hard time finding this delicacy and opted for Indian in stead. After our three hour curry meal, we headed up to Soho to hit some pubs. I had some stomach issues due to the over indulgence of curry and so we decided to call it an early night.

Choose Your Own Title… 1) Man Down 2) Exquisit Beast 3) I want to wee February 18, 2007

Friday was so much of an adventure that we are having a hard time chosing a title to express the days events. We therefore chose to use them all: 1) Man Down 2) Exquisit Beast 3) I want to wee.

A group of my friends (Melanie Watt, Stephanie Weller, Rachel Ooms) from the US were arriving on Friday morning so I decided to take the day off and get ready for the long weekend of tourist activities. After everyone was rested (30 minute naps where allowed) and cleaned up from travels, we hit the road for day one. Considering the girls had not eaten since they left Atlanta, the first stop was Wagamama, one of Londons notable noodle houses and a must eat.

After stuffing ourselves on some great food, we headed off to Baker St. to become official tourist; we were taking a double decker bus tour. Since we had some time before the next bus arrived and some of us needed a bathroom break, we stopped into a tourist hot spot called the Metropolitan Bar for a few pints before the tour. I am not sure what metropolitan look the bar was going for as they seemed to have a mix of old English crests adorned with neon lights. It was definitely a place to remember.

The bus tour was great, but note to self: bundle up as you are on an open top bus with lots of wind. We rode around the city until we found a nice little pub to warm ourselves up called the Coal Hole. We departed from the tour and began the night of bar hopping. From the CH, we headed to Covent Garden and met up with Olivia Berger. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur so I have invited my guests to help fill in the blanks and relieve you of my mundane writings. Enjoy…

London, England
Day 1

After not sleeping on our flight over the Atlantic we decided that the best remedy for exhaustion was pints of beer and a double decker sightseeing bus. I highly recommend this. The wind and slightly drunken view of the city allowed us to decide what places we would want to visit later. But most importantly it gave us a chance to create our very own pub crawl. It is because of the many pints sampled that the fact that I ended up lying on my back in the middle of the street in front of a rickshaw in Soho (or where ever the hell we were) completely tolerable. Fortunately as fast as Brandi was working to get her camera out to document this memorable experience – I was faster. There is no proof it ever happened and I will further more no longer speak of it.

Piss on.

RO
The Rickshaw Recovery

Total exhaustion and pints of Kronenburg Blonde = drunken fun in London! I think I was mute for the first 2 hours of our day as I could not find the energy to speak…but then after the first pint and a windy ¼ double-decker bus tour…I was ready to go! Coming to London…DO THE BUS TOUR! We got a partial lay of the land…partial because we got off to drink in Covent Gardens and drank our way thru the city and into SOHO before Rachel took a dive off a sidewalk and into the street. Loud Americans…licking fake ice cream cones and actually speaking on the Tube. I swear it’s really against all law to talk while traveling from spot to spot. I give us total props for lasting 36 hours without sleep…Day 2…here we go!

Cheers!
Sweller
Licking the Icecream

I think you get the point from Rachel and Stephanie’s blogs above. I personally enjoyed just being back in this fabulous city, all of the sites, sounds and tastes. The girls discover “thanksgiving flavored” crisps…and ketchup, prawn (shrimp) and cheese, onion crisps…new flavors of beer (leffe, kronenburg, bitters, etc)…the gorgeous wagamamma…the lovely smells of sweaty tube rides and gritty kabab and curry houses, and SoHo. (Sort of a mix of all of the above). We were as obnoxious as the blogs indicate, but we tipped when we weren’t supposed to so it’s all good. Today we are doing the markets in the East End today – we’ll practice our Cockney and tell ya how it goes. Cheers mates! Mel xx
Hey This Is My Picture

Some additional shots:
Sherlock and the girls
The Bus Tour
The Jump Part 1
The Jump Part 2
Red Phone Boths

Happy Birthday To Me!!! February 11, 2007

Although Sunday was my official birthday, we decided to celebrate on Saturday evening as that allows for more drinking time and recouping on Sunday.

Before we get to the partying, I must go back to my tourist adventure. Since we weren’t going out until 8 PM, I figured I would spend my day visiting a few of the lesser known markets at Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane. I ventured out from my house, grabbed a quick pie off a street vendor (which was amazing) and hit the road. As I was walking down Brick Lane, I didn’t find much of a market atmosphere. There were a ton of little Indian clothing stores and restaurants but not much in line of a market feel. I was about to give up and head towards Petticoat Lane when I realized I recognized the voice of a gentleman walking past. It was one of the Australian guys I met on Wed. evening at the bar named Duncan. I called his name and low and behold, he remembered me. He and his friend, who I had also met on Wed. and just happened to be from Ashville, NC, were headed to a local Indian restaurant and insisted I join. While I was still full from my pie, I decided to join for the company. We made our way through a few back allies and ended up at a wonderful little Indian joint which I doubt I will ever be able to find again. The food smelled amazing.

Through conversation, I realized that Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane were both locations for the infamous Jack the Ripper killings. Glad I didn’t walk the streets alone. Duncan told us of a few pubs in the area that were historic sites to the Jack the Ripper story so we headed that way when they were through eating. One of the pubs we hit was called The White Hart and was the home to one of the girls who was killed as well as the last place she was seen before she was killed. It was a stellar tourist afternoon and the streets still gave off an eerie vibe of the mystery held behind Jack and his killings.

From there, the guys headed on their way and I headed on to Petticoat Lane. There wasn’t much to be found there besides a bunch on empty stalls. I guess they close fairly early in the day. I made my way home down Liverpool St. to begin getting ready for the night.

I met up with some friends at the Covent Garden Hotel which was the starting point of our night. Although Clive Owen had been spotted here two weeks earlier, there were no celeb sightings this evening. We headed on to China town where we found a wonderful little back alley restaurant and grabbed a bite to eat along with some Tiger beer. Definitely not what I was use to but good none the less. By the time we finished dinner, it was almost 11. Come to find out, this is when most of the pubs in London close. OH NO, this is my big night out!!! We made our way around SOHO through a plethora of pubs which all had the same storey, “sorry, we close at 11.” After a few laps around the neighborhood, we found a little dance club which stayed open all night. While it wasn’t our usual scene, we enjoyed every minute of it. They played a mix of salsa and rap along with a few pop songs in between. There was a heavy Indian crowd so there was a 10 minute Indian dance off as well. It was a wonderful night and I enjoyed every minute.

Sunday I awoke to a bit of a headache but no worries, I was headed to a rugby game so that made me happy. A friend from work invited me to join in a day of rugby viewing, Ireland v. France, and we were rooting for Ireland. Sadly enough, France won in the final moments of the game but it was an incredible game all around. We also met a few Irish folks in the pub and I learned a whole lot about the game of rugby. My friend Ros even got the folks at the bar to sing Happy Birthday to me which was brilliant (awesome in american english). It was a wonderful birthday and definitely one I will never forget.

China Town
Emily and Brandi
Greg, Olivia and Brandi
Brandi, Rod and Ros
New Friends – B and Mark

Cuervo – A friend of mine… February 7, 2007

Yes, just like the song, Cuervo is a friend of mine. Actually, I know the singer and the song writer. A colleague of mine is in an indie band called Cuervo. They played at Open Mic night which is every Wed. at the Bullet Bar. The bar is located in Camden town which was a new adventure for me. Lots of tattoo parlors and massage places…

Besides the fact that the management at Bullet Bar was terrible, the entertainment for the night was amazing. The bands all gathered around 7:30 to sign up for their time slots. They were each allowed 2 songs with two or three featured artists playing randomly throughout the night. I arrived just before 8 and met up with the friends of my coworker who was to be performing as the 8th of 10 bands. This meant we had a while so we make ourselves comfortable in the back of the bar. I mingled with a few of the other bands who all seemed to be from Australia. Let me tell you how I LOVE the Aussies and their accent. Ha!

As the night went on and we listened to the bands, we realized we passed slot number 8 without my coworker performing. Come to find out, the MC had some friend who wanted to play so he let them go on in front of the bands who had signed up. This is why the place is so sketchy. My colleague went on around 11:20 and was amazing. She sang two songs, one which was for her mother who passed away a year or so ago. It was an awesome night. I had to hit the road immediately after as the tube stopped running at midnight. I made it to the station in time but ended up catching the wrong train and made my way all around London. I finally made it home just after 12:30 and was in bed by 1. Whew, what a night. All in all, it was a great night and I met a ton of great people so it was a plus in my tourist manual

Bullet Bar
Cuervo

Don’t Drink The Water February 4, 2007

Not only is it already February (and just a few days away from the big birthday), it is already the beginning of my fourth week here in the wonderful city of London. This weekend, my friends Olivia and Greg and I planned on venturing outside of the city to Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor. Yes, we knew it was adventurous but hey, we had all weekend.

So the weekend kicks off for me bright and early on Saturday morning as I had a 9 AM hair apt. As I should have expected, it ran over by an hour so I was late meeting up with Olivia and Greg. They had rented a car for the weekend and were waiting at my place when I got home. We hit the road around noon and by road I mean traffic. After a good hour of sitting in traffic, we realized we weren’t even close to being near the city limits and would have to scrap the travel plans until Sunday and go for plan B. We drove to a near by town called Richmond which is located right along the river. We found a wonderful little German eatery where we ordered sausage, pretzels and beer. Not thinking about what we were asking for, Olivia and I order beer steins. It took us about three hours and five trips to the bathroom to get through them. From there, we walked the river front and then headed back into the city for a little Italian dinner. While it seemed a like an incredibly long day, I was actually home and in bed by 9 PM.

Like Sunday, I was up bright and early and ready to go by 10. This time we agreed that I would take the tube out of town so they didn’t have to drive in to the London traffic. The train took a little longer than expected but we were on the road by 11 so that was good. First stop, Stonehenge. The drive out of the city was incredibly foggy. There were times when you could barely see the cars in front of us. Then, as if someone hit a switch, the air cleared once we left the city limits, the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day. The rolling hillside along the drive was so beautiful. Then, out of nowhere, is Stonehenge. It was just as I imagined. You drive over a little hill and there it is, standing right in front of you, right off the side of the main road. I had heard from many people that it would be a little underwhelming and I can agree, it was, but I did have a feeling of awe in thinking of how much mystery is held around this circle of rocks.

From there, we hit the roads again and made our way to the city of Bath. This drive was just as remarkable as the last. We drove through a ton of small towns and were tempted to stop at a few pubs. Since we didn’t know what time the tours stopped, we decided to head on into the city. I can’t even begin to describe how striking the view was as we drove in to town. The city is built in a small valley and the houses go up and down all the hill sides. Not knowing where we were going, we drive around the city for a while and then found a parking garage near a shopping center. We figured this had to be close to the Roman Baths as this was were all the tourists looked to be hanging around. We were right and found the entrance to the Baths just around the corner. Seeing as how we had three hours until the Baths closed, we decided to take a break and grab some lunch. We hit a little pub called the Raven and had a delicious lunch. Olivia and I got some bangers. I went for the chips and she got the mash. Greg went for a pie which also looked great. Once our stomachs were satisfied, we headed back towards the Baths. We found a Sally Beauty Supply on the way and had to make a pit stop. How funny, I am the only person I know who would travel around the world to an ancient city and end up buying hair care products. Now on to the Baths, the history of the Baths was presented really well. For those who don’t know, the Baths were created by the only natural spring in the country. At the end, you are allowed to test the spring water for 50p ($1). I knew it wasn’t going to taste like Evian but I didn’t expect the mouth full of copper that I got. It was warm, gross and left a terrible taste in the mouth which required three pieces of gum to drown. We left the Baths and walked a little more of the city and then had to head home to return the rental car. I am sure the view was just as beautiful as it was on the way out but the sun goes down so early it was a dark drive back to the city. This is where my day ends and I leave you with a few entertaining shots.

The Big Steins
Welcome To Stonehenge
Stones 1
Stones 2
Tank Crossing
Roman Bath 1
Minerva Head
Roman Bath 2
Roman Bath 3
Nasty Water
Olivia and Brandi