Day trip: Hampton Court Palace

Last Sunday, Lissa, Erin and I jump on the half-closed London public transportation system to do a day trip to Hampton Court Palace.

When doing trips around London during the weekend, its always best to consult the public transport website, as the weekends are when all maintenance work is done and there are usually tube lines closed all weekend, stations closed as well as some over-ground (train) transport route closed. The website is actually quite helpful at suggesting the best route given the current maintenance.

We made it out in less than an hour despite the maintenance, going to Kingston and jumping on a bus to the palace. We arrived at the palace and had lunch before setting off on the famous maze that was the third such maze we've done in our European travels, after one at Blenheim Palace outside of Oxford and one at the Real Alcazar in Seville. The maze was great and all three of us ran into several dead ends before finally making it to the center.

We then walked around the beautiful gardens of the palace before going into the palace. It was originally built for Cardinal Wolsey in 1514, who was a close friend of King Henry VIII. When the Cardinal couldn't get one of his early marriages annulled with the Pope, he fell from favour and Henry took over the palace and enlarged it in 1529. The following century William III undertook a massive expansion project and its remained this way since.

The palace itself was really nice, allowing most of the palace to be viewed by the public. I think our favorite part was the old Kitchen, which had huge fireplaces, stoves, and cellars. One of the fireplaces had a fire going which warmed us up and added a nice scent to the tour. The rest of the palace rooms aren't unlike those in Versailles, Blenheim, the Hapsburg Palace or Peterhof, all with fancy decor, nice antiques and beautiful paintings and tapestries.  The best room however is the trophy room..."I'm gonna get dat tirdy point buck!!!" Darrell would've definitely been impressed by the points on some of the deer!

I think we enjoyed the gardens best, but the palace itself is a great weekend getaway from the hustle-bustle of London and a productive and historical day trip from London!

George Inn

In attempt to share my love of beer to those who read the blog, I am going to try and share my experiences about a different pub about once a week, discuss the beer and the vibe and tell you my (and usually Erin's) verdict. We've been to a good dozen old pubs in our three weeks here, but I wanted to find a truly great pub to start out this series that will extend until play time is over and its time to go home. Most of the info I'll include these posts is from my observations, talking with locals or barmen, or consulting the Good Pub Guide or various pub websites. However, it sounds like Cooper Irish Pub is a good 1st ring Minneapolis suburb substitute for the 300 year old pub experiences I will share. Congrats Kieran on another Mpls pub opening.

On to the older stuff.  George Inn is a London institution dating to the 16th century, yes thats the 1500's my friends. It is London's only surviving galleried Coaching Inn just off the foot of the London bridge, easily accessible from the London Bridge tube station. Once you get off the tube, take the Borough High Street exit and head left along Borough High Street for about 1.5 blocks and you'll see a gate and barely catch a glimpse of the 300+ year old pub from the street. Take a left to the lively courtyard with several long picnic tables where you can enjoy your pint outside on hospitable days and evenings, the view from the courtyard is perhaps the best, with the creaky bar and her well preserved galleries at your back.

The George is owned by the National Trust, with the current bar dating to 1676, rebuilt after the great Southwark fire of 1676, and when approaching and entering, there's no question why the National Trust took it over, as the atmosphere takes over when you approach and enter the bar; one can easily imagine Charles Dickens sitting in the coffee room, where he is rumored to have spent countless hours during his days in the city. You can definitely picture the carriages from the days of old pulling up to the pub and tipping back a couple before moving on to their destinations. Unfortunately the "old bar" was closed on Saturday afternoon when we visited, but we found a great nook in one of the several other cozy rooms to cuddle into our beers for an hour. I'd like to go back in front of the fire and play a game of steel-tipped darts in the old bar.

The beer itself is relatively standard by English standards, with all the Greene King beers on hand pump (which is obviously cool itself), including IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Royal London Traditional Ale, and the George Inn Ale, also brewed by Greene King.  There are 1-2 others on CO2, but who cares when you can have a traditional hand pumped ale.  I tried the George Inn Ale, which was a fairly standard english ale, but I am not usually one to send back a beer.  Erin had the Royal London, which had a similar result. Given the choice of the Greene King beers, I'd go for the IPA or the Abbot, which posses much more character.

All in all I would highly recommend the pub, if anything for the galleries, which are truly unique to a pub in our day, let alone central London. Combine it with a trip to the famous and nearby Borough Market, which is open Thursday to Saturday and has a lot of everything you would possible want to eat for lunch, or bring home to make a dinner or picnic.

George Inn
The George Inn Yard, 77 Borough High Street, Southwark, London SE1 1NH
Telephone +44 (0) 207 407 2056

Settling In and Saddling Up

Visits from family and friends were getting very few and far between during our last 6 months in Dublin so it is with sincere elation that we recently enjoyed visits from Lou's sister, who is pregnant but was the ultimate power tourist, and our favorite francophile Tanya and her charming beau out from Brussels.

Thus, we finally took time to start enjoying our amazing, sizable city starting with the epicenter for all foodies - The Borough Market.  Open Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays, the market is a mecca for noise, crowds and amazing produce.   We arrived around 1pm and snagged some falafal and brautwursts for lunch.

If you are going to buy groceries versus browsing, I would plan on arriving by 9am, to beat the crowds as you often have to jostle for space.  The English blue cheese, Spanish charcuterie and locally-grown, affordable vegetables are particularly worth the trek.  Coffee beans are also high up on the list of market must-haves, as the line at a shop called Roast was easily an hour long.

After the market we walked over the Millenium Bridge, which provides an amazing view of the London skyline (if there is such a thing) and has been featured in Bridget Jone's Diary and the latest Harry Potter movies.

We also enjoyed a quirky meal of fusion tapas at The Providores down the street from our flat, which we highly recommend.   There is a white tablecloth style restaurant upstairs, but we preferred the busy, local vibe and communal seating on the main floor.  Note that they do not take reservations so you will likely have to wait for a table.

Last but not least, after viewing more than 30 flats, we are happy to announce that we have a new flat to call home.  Starting at the end of the month, we'll be living in Holland Park about four blocks from the Tube station.  The high ceilings and terrace sold us as we hope to buy a bbq and spend many nights sitting outside.

The Big Smoke

Goodbye Dublin, hello Big Smoke.

Living abroad can be pretty brilliant. Exploring little cobblestone streets.  Stumbling upon a Sunday farmer's market.  Visiting incredible museums.  Tucking into a pint in an old pub. Meeting new people.  Jumping on a flight and landing world's away.  Tasting local, sometimes unidentifiable, cuisine.  No matter where you live, there is something to be said about truly becoming a local.

So as our time in Ireland recently drew to a close, we found we weren't quite ready to pack up our bags and head home. And while we will always recall with fondness walking to work, the nice people and the days the easterly wind smothered Dublin with the smell of brewing Guinnes at St. Jame's Gate, we were also ready for a change of European scenery.

London might be only a 35 minute flight from Dublin, but it is chaotic, colourful and at times, seemingly worlds away.  We set-up temporary camp in Marylebone, in the heart of the city and are enjoying the finer things of life whilst in corporate housing.....free rent.

In a nod to our newly formed Irish roots, our first evening we set out to find a local - Pontefract Castle.  A local meaning the closest pub to our door.  The Pontefract is a mere 20 feet from our flat and is great for specialty ales. Despite being only a block from the crowds of Oxford Circus it retains a traditional English pub charm.  Oxford Circus is my new nemesis as I fight the crowds to find the little hole in the wall that leads to St. Christopher Place where we live.  I swear sometimes it feels like half the population is trying to walk or push past the H&M.

As our second task, we scoped out neighborhoods all across the city that have been recommended and suggested as friendly, safe places to live.  Using the Tube is a little bit like being a mouse, scooting through long winding tunnels, riding up and down escalators and then popping up in fresh air in a completely different locale.

After commuting to work everyday for several years using the Metro in Washington, D.C., I have a great appreciation for public transport and was grateful that after hours of walking in Notting Hill, Fulham, Clapham Junction, St. John's Wood, Regent's Park, Camden, Primrose Hill, Earl's Court and South Kensington, I could duck underground, grab a seat and find myself home in under 20 minutes.  (London lesson 1 - Buy an Oyster card for the Tube or it will cost you a small fortune).