London England, Part II

London, Part II

We woke up early and wandered down the neighborhood street to meet a double decker bus to take us to the Underground. Our plans were to head to the downtown area for Chinese Dim Sum. Our plans fell through when we saw the Dim Sum was pricey and mostly seafood. We decided to change course and hit a pub running an IPA beer special. After a couple of pints and rich sausage rolls, we meandered along Baker Street, home to Sherlock Holmes. We then decided we needed to hit Borough Market on Stoney Street, which was the highlight of our experience in London.
Borough Market was bustling with activity on this drizzly afternoon. Business men and women in their pinstriped suits joined students, tourists, and a throng of blue collar workers on their lunch break for a pint of ale. The smell of grilled meats and cheeses permeated the air. People stood outside, gripping a glass of ale while sampling one of the many choices of food. Cassoulet, pork sandwiches, chorizo sandwiches, fresh oysters, jamon serrano, manchego, apple and pear ciders, and grilled scallops were only a few of the delicious selections of snacks to choose from. We were overwhelmed at the choices. We attempted to eat one of everything – unsuccessfully I must add. Wandering through the food stands, we sampled a wide variety of meats, cheeses, pates, mushrooms, and drinks. It was foodie heaven. All the food operators were more than happy to offer samples and discuss their selections. All were proud of their stands and boasted about their products. It was very hard to leave the market, but forced ourselves from the mushroom pate served with freshly baked bread to find a pub to rest our legs. We later found out the market area was also the location of a street scene in one of the Harry Potter films.
The streets were filled with camera toting tourists from all over the globe. We strolled along the Thames River near London Bridge, watching the boats motor along the way. We stopped to listen to buskers playing Bach in a tunnel with fantastic acoustics.
That night, we moved our location from the parent’s household to Indie’s girlfriend’s apartment. Indie’s parents were sad to see us go. They packed us off with a homemade hot pepper concoction as we shook hands good-bye. In return, we left them a bottle of our own homemade habanero hot sauce.
At Anocke’s house, we quickly rid ourselves of our backpacks and stormed the town. Indie took us to his favorite Chinese restaurant where we were served a delicious authentic Chinese dinner. We were the only non-Asian people in the restaurant, so we knew we were in the right place. Indie, having lived in China, took great pleasure in ordering in Chinese for us. We had an exciting view of the street where the police arrested a car load of teenagers for car theft. Indie talked about the police in London and random searches of backpacks, especially in the Tubes. I asked him if he had ever been searched to which he unhesitantly replied, “Oh yes!” He said the cop or “bobbie”, before searching his backpack, asked him if there was anything in it that might hurt him. Indie replied, “I’ve got a couple of books in there that you might consider dangerous.”
The next day, Michelle and I continued our exploration of London, checking out Trafalgar Square and Chinatown. After a near miss of Michelle from a speeding taxi cab and bicycle (she looked the wrong way to cross the street), we found our destination Dim Sum restaurant. We ordered 8 different items and happily ate our delicious lunch of seafood noodles and dumplings. Out in the streets, we are surrounded by hordes of tourists and locals. Thousands of people fill the tightly packed sidewalks. Long lines of people streamed out from storefronts advertising cheap theater tickets. We became quickly overwhelmed from being bumped along by the masses and took refuge on a double-decker bus going anywhere. We boarded and climbed to the top of the bus, enjoying the view away from the chaos. The bus came to the end of its route where we quickly found a cozy pub to rest our tired bones. Being the day before St. Patrick’s Day, the special ale was “Spring Green”. A group of young Irishmen sat at our table and chanted Obama slogans to us when they found out we were Americans.
Later that night, we were joined by Indie and Anocke for Indian food at their favorite Curry House…but not before a quick pint at a locals sports pub where I walked in on some blokes snorting white stuff in the bathroom. “It’s all cool” I said when they looked at me in surprise. “Continue doing your thing. Don’t let me stop you.” They smiled and happily continued snorting away.
Back at the Indian restaurant, we enjoyed a spectacular meal of mostly vegetarian delights. The kitchen turned out some incredible dishes. Afterwards, the chef came out to greet us and ask us if we liked our meals. You bet we did! It was a memorable evening.
The next morning, I unfortunately had to begin my journey home, encompassing a long subway ride, a four hour layover in Amsterdam, and a trip with a wild Turkish taxi driver. Michelle decided to stay a couple more nights and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Trafalgar Square. She was hosted by a couch surfer named Jane who also hosted another surfer from Belgium. Michelle had quite an adventure celebrating in an Irish Pub and the streets of London. I was bummed not to have been able to stay longer and hang out, but hey, somebody’s gotta pay for these crazy trips.

London, England; Part II: Mission Accomplished.