If you tell someone that you are going to England, they immediately assume that you’ll be spending some time in London. And even though our trip didn’t require that we go there, we had the weekend free and decided to take the train down thee for the day. So we got on the 7AM train to St. Pancras (pronounced pancreas) and then chose to walk to check out the city. We stopped for breakfast (I found out that I really like cappuccino), and then headed over to the British Museum. We saw the Rosetta Stone and statues from the Parthenon, history right there in front of us. I could of spent an entire day at the museum, but I was on a schedule and there was plenty to see.
However, we needed to have lunch first, and right across the street from the British Museum was the Museum Tavern. What a perfect place to have lunch! I had the ploughman’s lunch, and excellent combination of meats, cheese, bread, pickled onions and chutney, that I washed down with a Theakston Old Peculier on cask. We sat and relaxed, and when I asked about the history of the place, they provided a history book that showed that this had been a pub since the early 18th century. Well rested and well fed, we continued our journey.
We tried to get a beer at Belgo Centraal (one of the top 125 places to have a beer according to Beer Advocate), but the bar area didn’t open until 2PM (stupid rule). We decided to stop at the Two Brothers pub, and I tried the Young’s Bitter and Len had the Hopback Spring Fling. The beer was good, but we had to continue on. We walked down to Trafalgar Square, went over to Westminster Abbey, walked by Big Ben and the London Eye, and then headed back along the Thames to go to the Tower of London. It was a great walk, but when we found that we couldn’t get into the Temple Church and found out that it was after 2PM, we took a Lorry to the Tower. And after Len got recharged with a Starbucks, we took the Tower of London tour.
It was awesome walking in a fort that was originally built by the Romans, a place that was the center of so much of English history. We saw the crown jewels, got to see Henry VIII’s weaponry and armor, the place that Sir Walter Raleigh was held prisoner, and then walk along the walls. I loved it. Yes, we were tourists taking pictures and watching other people. We then walked across the Tower Bridge (actually got to see the drawbridge raised), and then headed down to another top place to have a beer, the Market Porter Pub. The Market area was the birthplace of Porter, and it was great being in this area. The place didn’t serve food on the weekend and was overflowing with patrons, so Len and I got a beer to drink on the street. I tried the Harvey Sussex Best Bitter and Len had the Cathedral Eight Bells, both fine bitters that rewarded us for our trek. We grabbed dinner down the street at the Southwork 
Tavern (although I don’t remember what we ordered for food), and I got a Fuller’s London Pride while Len tried the Brain’s Special Ale.
We didn’t want to be running for our 9PM train back to Derby, so caught an early ride on the Tube back to St Pancras, and sat at the Euston Flyer to wait for the train. This is a Fuller’s pub, and I was able to try a Fuller’s ESB and the Fuller’s Discovery both on cask while we watched a football match. English football is big, and there was a big match the next day that had the police stationed at the door to prevent any unnecessary activities.
The find of the day was Fuller’s Golden Pride, a wonderful golden strong ale that’s not found in the states. Len and I enjoyed our drinks and then caught our train. It was a great adventure. We walked over 6 miles, sampled many beers, and got to see lots of history! - 5086
"Give my people plenty of beer, good and cheap beer, and you will have no revolution among them." – Queen Victoria
However, we needed to have lunch first, and right across the street from the British Museum was the Museum Tavern. What a perfect place to have lunch! I had the ploughman’s lunch, and excellent combination of meats, cheese, bread, pickled onions and chutney, that I washed down with a Theakston Old Peculier on cask. We sat and relaxed, and when I asked about the history of the place, they provided a history book that showed that this had been a pub since the early 18th century. Well rested and well fed, we continued our journey.
We tried to get a beer at Belgo Centraal (one of the top 125 places to have a beer according to Beer Advocate), but the bar area didn’t open until 2PM (stupid rule). We decided to stop at the Two Brothers pub, and I tried the Young’s Bitter and Len had the Hopback Spring Fling. The beer was good, but we had to continue on. We walked down to Trafalgar Square, went over to Westminster Abbey, walked by Big Ben and the London Eye, and then headed back along the Thames to go to the Tower of London. It was a great walk, but when we found that we couldn’t get into the Temple Church and found out that it was after 2PM, we took a Lorry to the Tower. And after Len got recharged with a Starbucks, we took the Tower of London tour.
It was awesome walking in a fort that was originally built by the Romans, a place that was the center of so much of English history. We saw the crown jewels, got to see Henry VIII’s weaponry and armor, the place that Sir Walter Raleigh was held prisoner, and then walk along the walls. I loved it. Yes, we were tourists taking pictures and watching other people. We then walked across the Tower Bridge (actually got to see the drawbridge raised), and then headed down to another top place to have a beer, the Market Porter Pub. The Market area was the birthplace of Porter, and it was great being in this area. The place didn’t serve food on the weekend and was overflowing with patrons, so Len and I got a beer to drink on the street. I tried the Harvey Sussex Best Bitter and Len had the Cathedral Eight Bells, both fine bitters that rewarded us for our trek. We grabbed dinner down the street at the Southwork 
Tavern (although I don’t remember what we ordered for food), and I got a Fuller’s London Pride while Len tried the Brain’s Special Ale.We didn’t want to be running for our 9PM train back to Derby, so caught an early ride on the Tube back to St Pancras, and sat at the Euston Flyer to wait for the train. This is a Fuller’s pub, and I was able to try a Fuller’s ESB and the Fuller’s Discovery both on cask while we watched a football match. English football is big, and there was a big match the next day that had the police stationed at the door to prevent any unnecessary activities.
The find of the day was Fuller’s Golden Pride, a wonderful golden strong ale that’s not found in the states. Len and I enjoyed our drinks and then caught our train. It was a great adventure. We walked over 6 miles, sampled many beers, and got to see lots of history! - 5086"Give my people plenty of beer, good and cheap beer, and you will have no revolution among them." – Queen Victoria
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