Alright, here goes my first blog post on Charles' blog!
I had a fairly uneventful flight from Raleigh to Newark and onto London Heathrow.
Laura dropping me at RDU - she's now in Ethiopia
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| Neat office building by Alfred Waterhouse |
Upon my arrival in Heathrow I had what looked to be a 1-2 hour wait for immigration. I bought an hour's worth of WiFi so I could tell Charles to go have a beer. Luckily there was a pub in the airport with a window to view people coming out of immigration. He was taking his last sip as I walked out the door, he found me quickly and surprised me with half of a strawberry pastry he'd picked up earlier in the day. Tasty - especially after airline food.
We had plans to explore Greenwich and made it about 1/2 way there before deciding we'd been on the tube far too long, with far to go. I was hungry. I wanted to see the sun and blue sky. So we hopped off and started walking.
He was kind enough to carry my ~40 lb backpack...which definitely helped.
We made it to our first stop for a much needed bite to eat....and drink! Newly opened "The Craft Beer Co."
On our way we walked through a fabulous market and I made note of a few stands to come back by for food. I wrongly assumed the pub we were visiting didn't serve food. They did! Pies! And no - those aren't sweet pies. Handmade Pork Pies. I tried my first that included a band of Black Pudding (A sausage made by cooking blood with a fillter until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled). I know sounds crazy. But it was really tasty!
The taps were beautiful. There are rarely any chairs at the bar, as it is always available for people to come and order. No waitstaff.
I was shocked to see one of my favorite beers of all time in the US. Southern Tier (New York) Choklat. Yes - it tastes like chocolate. However my real favorite is Creme Brulee. I resisted Choklat in favor of more local brews.
We left the pub in favor of a walk to Regent's Park, one of the Royal Parks of London.
On the way we passed by this food shop which reminded me of my birthplace. Unintended on their part.
As well as this beautiful old church.
We made it to Regent's Park and enjoyed a rest in the sun.
It's obvious how much they care about their gardens. Quite beautiful!
Our next stop was . . . surprise surprise . . . Euston Tap.
From prior posts on here, you may notice it's a frequent watering hole for Charles. Coincidentally it is located at the Euston rail station which services Milton Keynes (near where Charles is living). Quite convenient.
Grew a bit tired on the 8 pm 45 minute train ride back to Charles' and a quick bus ride. We picked up some goat cheese at the Marks & Spencer's. Once home, my vacation continued...Charles made an excellent dinner for us. Bread, sliced meats, goat cheese, salad with homemade dressing too!!
Tomorrow we're off to Bordeaux France!!
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