We arrived to a city we wish Dublin was more reminiscent of; tons of character in each neighborhood, affordable restaurants, a variety of beer options (YES), and lots and lots of cultural to do's! Not to say Dublin doesn't have (a little of) this, but London is exploding with energy.
I arrived in late Friday, meeting Erin at an old pub by our friend Rob's place, who graciously let us stay at his place this weekend while he was away in Ukraine (jealous). After a hand-pumped house bitter, we went to a romantic little french restaurant where we might as well have been in the 7th district a Paris. The food was about a 7, but the atmosphere was great! Erin and I don't really go out for food in Dublin (not worth the €23 an entree for average food), so this was a treat that didn't disappoint!
The next morning, we wandered towards notting hill via Hyde Park, taking the route Linsey took from the tube to her flat when she studied in London a little while back. This walkway should bring back the memories.
We made it over to a pub near St. Pauls and Erin's testing site for lunch, allowing Erin to brush-up before the exam.
I dropped her off at the exam at Ironmongers Hall, which is the old trade guild established in the 1300's. The building isn't quite that old, but it was featured in Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire if you buffs can recognise below.
While in the test, I took the opportunity to explore the British Museum. I never realized that the British pillaged so many Egyptian and Greek artifacts. Nor did I realise that half of the Parthenon was in London! It was amazing to see so many egyptian artifacts that date from 1400 BC to 3100 BC. Very cool!
The British Museum was followed by a little tour of several historic pubs of London, starting with the pub that exclusively sells the oldest brewed beer in London. If it expands, you'll notice this brewry began in 1639.
I then grabbed my next pint at the Seven Stars, which dates to 1609 and hasn't really been remodeled since. It had so much character and the bartender even let me sample all its hand-pumped cask beers.
The third, the Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, had its latest renovation in 1667 and was very quaint. This was my least favorite as the old part was packed and I was relegated to a St. Joseph-style (but much nicer and better beer - no icehouse on tab) garage-esque part of the bar (also packed). The ambiance was great and I have no regrets, however.
I then picked Erin up and we rushed to grab a quick cornish pasty for dinner and a half pint, and it was off to Spamalot, a broadway musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail that had as laughing all night! A ticket to the play at £15 was cheaper than a bus into the city on the Gatwick Express (£16.90) and about the same as a round trip bus ride to Windsor (£12.50). It was a great bargain and lots of fun. On our way home, we grabbed a pint at the Churchill Arms, a colorful bar littererd with pots and pans on the inside, and flower baskets on the outside.
The following morning, whilst lashing rain, we headed off to Windsor, to see the famous castle of the Royal Family. After a longer than expected bus ride, we got in and toured the amazing (and amazingly huge) castle, which sprawls across the city.
Afterwards, it was a pasty for lunch and a walk down to Eton College, founded in the late 1400's....a very old and historic school.
It was then off to London and then to the airport, a successful weekend from many standpoints!!
With Erin gone this weekend, Eoin, Cormac and myself went down to Sandycove and went for an October 26 dip in the Irish Sea. It was really cold at first, but once your body numbs from the coldness, it doesn't feel as bad. It was definitely the coldest water I have swam in. When living in Dublin, a dip in the Irish Sea is a must! BRRRR!!
Over the summer, I have played a lot less golf than I envisioned, mostly because of the over-priced green fees and the inaccessability to any courses while not having a car. However, David, Joe, and myself got a 4 round ticket at the European club, a links course on the Irish sea. It is heavily discounted on a per-round basis from the €180 you'd pay for a single round, so we went for it.
Tiger Woods holds the course record at a 67, to give you an idea of the difficulty, and Paddy Harrington (who won two majors this summer) won the Irish PGA championship at a -1 for the three round tourney. We played the following day from the same tees as the Irish pros, which was actually my best of the four rounds, I think I shot a 93. 
