Soccer Hooligans

We tried to visit this very authentic British pub called the Hole in the Wall over by Waterloo station but were asked by Police to find another place to grab lunch and have a drink as "there were going to be problems here." It seems the bar was taken over by soccer fans and then they were escorted out for fighting.

England Update

Gonna keep track of all the places I visit and my thoughts on the cuisine, etc.

Sports Cafe- American style bar. Pretty solid place to avoid all things British, which I do not recommend at all. Nice to have in the case of an important Patriots game though (wish it turned out differently)! The beer was a little pricey and the place was packed. I enjoyed a Becks and a Carlsberg. The latter was far superior, in terms of both taste and price.

On the way home from the beating the Pats took at the hands of the Ravens Tanner, Pat, and I stopped for a pizza and a drink. The pies were delicious but the beer left something to be desired. We were drinking Peroni, it was fine but not a show stopper by any means.

Also realized that many of the pubs here in London utilize the same menu. Slight drag if your looking for variety but pub grub is a cheap alternative for lunch. Will be avoiding any menu with the same bold type stating "English Pub Food Served All Day." Looking forward to checking out some of the more unique and ethnic areas of the city.

London Calling

I arrived in London on Saturday morning. I flew Virgin Atlantic from Boston (Logan) to London (Heathrow). I packed a ton of stuff, so much so that I had a garment bag, a huge rolling duffel, and a small duffel bag in addition to my carry on. The result was a bit of a disaster. I don't care who you are, unless you are the Hulk you would not have been able to carry this amount of luggage around London. With that in mind I elected to take a cab from the airport to the hotel where my key for my flat was supposedly waiting. The ride was really long, and really expensive. Then to cap it off the Hotel Umi did not have my key. I must have misread an e-mail from the Study Abroad people and it took me a good hour to track down the right hotel to pick up my key. Luckily from the time I picked up my key to when I moved into the flat was very uneventful. After unpacking a little bit I actually fell asleep in the living room and passed out for a few hours.

I ended up waking up too two of the other guys moving in. We got our stuff together and then went into the city to grab some food and do a little bit of exploring. Attempting to channel my english roots Tanner, Mike, and myself went off to find a pub for dinner. After much debate and quite a bit of walking around in Picadily Circus (which for the record has no circus animals or any other resemblance to an American circus) we ended up at the Sussex Pub. The food was pretty basic but it was nice to sit down and feel a part of the city. I had a burger and "chips." Also took part in another British tradition of having a pint or two. I drank a 1664 which was a pretty decent beer and something I remember people drinking from my previous trip to Europe. I also tried a Strongbow cider and instantly became a fan. The raging hangover I received from it I was less enthusiastic about.

After dinner the three of us headed out for a late night tour of some of London's most notable sites. We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the House of Parliament. Overall a cool way of seeing the city.