London June 2013

                We have been planning this trip since October or November last year.  Dave had purchased tickets to see one of our favorite comedians, Eddie Izzard.  Probably the best part about this trip to London is that we really didn't do a lot of touristy things.  We simply enjoyed the city.

                 As with most of our trips the first thing to do after getting settled into our hotel (Lancaster)., which by the way was in a perfect location near Hyde Park, is to find sustenance.  First we thought we wanted to go to The Swan which is the only pub overlooking the park and is sort of historic but upon seeing the amount of tourists and rowdy young people we decided to look elsewhere.

                 I am so glad we looked on for a different place.  Just a block or so down and one up we found the Mitre (http://www.mitrelancastergate.com).  This very traditional looking pub sports lots of wood and cut glass windows a good selection of beer on tap and yummy food.  We kept our food selection English this evening.  I had a wonderful steak pie and Dave had fish and chips.  The perfect beginning to our London holiday.

Steak pie with chive mashers and broccoli

Fish and chips with mushy peas (the first mushy peas I have ever liked)

                       Our first full day in London was spent exploring the Borough Market.  This market has been in existence since 1015 which makes it the oldest in London.  It is also incidentally the largest.  The market operates on Fridays and Saturdays and is a feast for the eyes and taste buds!  

 
 
           
             Although the market is crowded it is so much fun to see all the fresh food available.  Pretty much anything you could want to eat you can find at this market.  We were only sorry we were staying in a hotel this trip and not an apartment so we could take some things back and cook!

Cheese, fish, vegetables of all kinds can be found at the Borough Market.  Specialty items including spices, preserves, olive oils are also in abundance here.  Check out he bread in the photo below.  The loaves on the right in the bag in particular.  That is one loaf that is that large, nearly 3 feet long!  Amazing!

Truffles anyone?

              Near the market is a wonderful cheese shop called Neal's Yard Dairy (http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk).  We purchased cheddar to take home.  I could have taken it all home, every one of the cheeses are fantastic!  Nothing better than dairy products from the UK!

              

       After hauling our booty back to the hotel we ventured back out again.  Of course we had to take photos near the phone box.  You don't dare go in they are so filthy but it is still great to see they are being kept around even if they don't contain phones very often anymore they are a London tradition.

                       We spent a good deal of time meandering through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens for the remainder of the day.  It was one of those uncommon sunny days in London and everyone was in the parks enjoying it.  It was beautiful!

                   We walked in the gardens for most of the afternoon.  We then decided to track down a wine bar we had found on our first trip to London five years ago.  So, we hopped on the tube and headed toward Shepherd's Bush.  When we got off at the tube station it was not how we remembered it and we wondered if we would be able to find our quarry.  Luckily we didn't give up and finally walked down far enough to find the Albertine Wine Bar.  Although they Shepherd's Bush area has gotten rather run down the wine bar is the same.  It is cozy and small with a wonderful selection of wines by the glass.  You can also get great selections of cheese and meats if you need to munch on something with your wine.

                   As we were getting ready to end our visit to this fun little place we mentioned that we were glad that we had found it all those years ago and that they were still there and the same.  It turns out our comment was heard by the proprietor's wife, Ann.  Before we knew it she joined us and even brought her husband down to chat until he went back to catch his Rugby match.  They generously bought us another glass of wine and we had a wonderful conversation.  It made our visit even more special and we are looking forward to our next trip to London so we can spend time in this gem of a bar.

            We had not been hungry at the Albertine but by the time we got back to Lancaster Station we needed a bite to eat so we decided to go back to the Mitre for a beer and a burger to split before calling it a day.

            
            The day of the concert we spent again wandering in the gardens.  It was just too nice to spend all our time cooped up in a museum.  We made sure we hunted down the Peter Pan statue which is really a beautiful piece with a lot of fun details to look for including little mice, and Wendy of course and rabbits and such.

                  

         We went to Kensington Palace but did not do the tour as it was 16 pounds a person.  Pretty price for a palace so we decided against it and just enjoyed the grounds. 

            

          That evening we spent at the O2 theater laughing at the irrepressible Mr. Izzard.  We had a great time!  This trip made me believe more and more that going to different cities is not just about how much tourist stuff you can see but the experience of the area and the people you get to meet.  Can't wait for our next adventure!