Thursday we completed our circle and arrived in London for the 2nd time. The train ride was smooth as a pickle, though we were surprised by the fairly thorough questioning by UK immigration patrol before the ride. About 15 questions or so proved that maybe relations between the US and UK weren’t quite what we thought they were. That or it’s just us, which is possible. We seem to be magnets for strange things, the both of us. Nevertheless, we arrived in London early and set our bearings on the hotel. Getting there early, we had hours to kill before we could check in. I set our course for the day’s events while Tina got a turn at the local Laundromat for our last load before home. We were able to check in by 1 and drop our stuff off.
Ok so our London hotel has some pretty goofy priorities. Hotel Langland, just north of Soho, it has the feel that you might expect from a local, cheaper hotel. But not all their services are even remotely on the same level. On the bad side, there were 3 bathrooms to share for about 20 rooms or so. We never had to deal with lines for them or anything, but being communal they got kind of gross and very unappealing. So with that in mind, it made for pretty small rooms with little sound-proofing. On the other hand, they offered free internet with decent speed and free breakfast that was actually pretty tasty. So, whatever, not a bad experience. Just a strange one.
After checking in and everything, we set out in London with the handy, dandy guide we got from Hans and Lisa (thanks guys!!) that gave a good experience for the day unlike the usual tourist one you might have. Making our way to east London we moseyed (always loved that word) down Brick Lane where the kids who try painfully hard to be hip sort themselves out. We got organic garlic bread, new shades for me, a couple café drinks, and sampled bagels from the battling bagel (beigel) stands two stores down from each other. It was a fun area. After that we rejoined the visiting masses to watch across the Tower Bridge, walk down the Thames riverwalk and get a chance to catch the London Eye (ferris wheel) and Big Ben/Parliament at sunset. This brings us to my favorite part of the day. The book we had gotten from the Robinsons contained a page talking about the oldest pub in London, Ye Olde Chesire Cheese. Apparently this place has been around for 300-400 years and is still running strong. Beyond their delicious food and drink options and reasonable prices, they dedicate themselves to maintaining the pub’s authentic feel, with little rooms, crannies and nooks everywhere you look. We settled on an arched spot close to old storage door in the cellar. It was clear this was a favorite spot for the after-work crowd but we felt like we had stumbled on a gem of a place, away from the lights of main thoroughfares and high prices. With bangers and mash and beer settling in my stomach and some tasty cider chicken in Kris’ we played some cards, taking our time to rest our, once again, weary feet before getting back “home”.
We were thankful to have gotten to take a bit of a different approach to London today. We still got good pics of the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, St. Paul’s and the Eye but also enjoyed places known only in some circles. We had both been to London in the past and didn’t feel the urgency to take in all the main spots. We’ll probably get in Trafalgar’s and Covent Gardens tomorrow before the concert but for today we’re happy to be locists. (tourist/locals)
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