Bussin' Around London

8 o’clock. I can’t believe that I slept a full 10 hours until 8AM. I needed the sleep, but I was now behind schedule (yes, the Salmon dreaded schedule). We cleaned up and made it to the bus stop by 9. There wasn’t time for breakfast so I got an espresso (Jenn really missed Dunkin’ Donuts). I had gotten us double decker bus tour tickets so that we could see the city, and that was a great decision. The busses provided you transportation between the popular tourist sites and provided commentary along the way.

Our first stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral, the second largest domed cathedral in Europe. The building was magnificent. I was particularly moved by the memorial to the American service men who lost their lives defending England, located right behind the altar. We climbed up to the whispering room (hard to validate with the crowd there), and then up to the top. What a view! The stairs were in a tight, dizzing spiral, but the breeze and the view of the city made it all worthwhile. My favorite part was when we reached the bottom, where the minister asked for a moment of silence, and then followed by asking everyone say the Lord’s Prayer. It was a vivid reminder of what the cathedral is for.

Next we headed over to the Tower of London. We couldn’t stay since we were on a schedule, but I had planned to take Jenn to the Bridge House for lunch. We were both hungry from skipping breakfast, and the Good Pub Guide recommended it for the food as well as the beer. Unfortunately, it didn’t open until noon and the cook was running late. I had a pint of Adnams Regatta on cask (very nice by the way), while Jenn had a diet coke (in the cute little glass bottle), but we both agreed that we didn’t want to take the chance of missing our Buckingham Palace tour. Too bad, I bet the Welsh rarebit would’ve been excellent.

The bus got us there in time, and we finally found lunch at The Albert. I had the Steak and Ale pie with a John Courage Director’s Bitter. That hit the spot. Properly fortified, we continued on to the Palace tour. The history and works of art were impressive, and were able to go at our own pace with the audio tour guide. We were able to take the tour since the Queen was away on vacation, and then she opens the Palace to us “commoners.” Jenn let me know that she loved a man in uniform.

We were now running late (not that I had a schedule), and I wanted to get to Belgo Centraal (http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk/) for our dinner reservations. Belgo Centraal is #92 on the top beer places by Beer Advocate, but it is located on the other side of St. James Park. So we marched (yes a forced march, beer was involved) up Piccadilly Circus, skipping the stores, checking the map, until I skillfully delivered us to our destination. And it was worth of it. My muscles were tender and delicious and they went really well with the fruit beers that we tried. Jenn got the Floris Passion Fruit (amazingly good), and I tried a bottle of Wit by Van Steenbruge made especially for the restaurant. For the next round, we tried a mango beer, and then a coconut beer. Both good, but nearly as good as the first two we tried.

It had been a long day and we were tired. We got back on the bus and toured the city. The city is beautiful at night, and the weather was cool and crisp. Perfect for snuggling on the second deck of our bus. We had a great day, and even though we did miss our kids, it was nice for us to be able to explore the city together. - 5175

"Here’s to long life and a merry one, a quick death and an easy one, a pretty girl and an honest one, a cold beer – and another one!" – Anonymous (Old Irish Toast)