The next morning, I woke up on my first watch alarm (Sarah Smith- Look at me go!) and hopped in the shower. I helped myself to a small bowl of cereal downstair and headed to the Shepard's Bush stop. A short train line in and I arrived at Oxford Circus.
Now, for those of you keeping track at home, I don't exactly have a cell phone. No phone. Whatsoever. I was supposed to meet Lauren outside of the barriers at the station. I arrived at 9:30 and waited. 9:45 rolls around and.... still no Lauren. I run up to the other side to find the barriers and still no sign of my new British friend. 9:50. 9:55. Still can't find her. I run up into the street, pull out my netbook to email her phone, but couldn't grab service. Finally, I see her walking from one of the turnstiles!! I run up and give her a giant hug-- finally the first person to know my name!!
We start walking down the street. She has come into town because she needs to get a Visa to move to Asheville. She will be working as an assistant in children's home in that area. She's afraid that she won't be issued the visa, so she's rather nervous.
We stop into a Starbucks so I can grab some Wifi. I also discover here two things: First, my credit card is very unique. Most Europeans have a chip in their card that they scan and they don't use the swipe function. So, every time I make a purchase, I have to validate my signature. Second, the Europeans don't believe in cream in their coffee-- only skim and whole milk. Blech. Not a fan.
We walk down to Grosvenor's Square (Grateful Dead lyrics commense) to sit in the park bench before her interview. Fat pidgeons, homeless people drinking wine, no big deal. I take her cell phone and other electronics for her to go through security. I walk back to the Starbucks to wait for Lauren and to make some further plans for my next trip. About two hours later, Lauren comes back with a smile- she got the visa!!
We head down to Hyde Park and sweep back through the Winter Wonderland. This time it's in the daytime, so a different experience. Walking through what looks like a Christmas theme park, I find my dream bar. The bar that we've all searched for ever since we've been exposed to the glory of Hunter S. Thompson----
A rotating carousel bar.
Yes, a la “Fear and Loathing”- I found it. I was not on mescaline as Dr. Gonzo was, but rather jet lagged. Same thing, right? We grabbed a cup of mulled wine, a new treat for me and watched the park circulate around us.
We left and went across the way towards The Queen. We found a Pret a Manger and Lauren told me how to properly pronounce the name of his restaurant. I ate a delicious baguette sandwich and Lauren exposed me to the English definition of “Pickle.” This is not the pickle we know of (which they call “gerkins” it's rather a spread. Quite delicious.
After lunch, we walked down to Buckingham Palace to say hello to the Queen. Found the men in fuzzy hats. Flag up, Queen was in.
Next, we walked down the path to Parliament. Looked at the outside of the Westminster Abbey, walked around the park to go be tourists and take pictures with Big Ben. We then headed back to the apartment where Lauren's friend Lucy lives. She had a small flat with two other flatmates but I had yet to meet any of the three. We turned on Lauren's phone to see where we were going to spend the evening around town. She suggested going to Camden, which I had heard about from a couple other people around town. We found an American blues bar that advertised a full bourbon bar, which I insisted we go to. Lauren is moving to Asheville, she must be educated!!
We took the tube into Camden. I cannot believe how absolutely cool this place was! Tons of little hippie shops all around. We found a group of food kiosks and chose to eat some indian. I had the Tikka Masala and Lauren had the daal. After I gorged myself with the deliciousness, we headed up the street toward the Bourbon restaurant.
Ok, so we walk in the bar and go straight to look at the selection. I ask the bartender for a menu of the bottles and my jaw DROPS. Evan Williams, Old Granddad, Ancient Age, and OLD CROW are all MORE EXPENSIVE than Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, and Buffalo Trace. What is up with you Brits?! I mean, not going to complain, but really?! I tasted a top shelf, very corn-y tasting White Lightening-tasting Buffalo Trace small batch and Lauren and I split the Maker's and Buffalo Trace on the rocks. I was in heaven, at less than 4 pounds a glass, but for Lauren, it was an acquired taste. Never fear, Lauren. We will teach you the ways.
Lauren phoned home to Lucy and we discovered we had stolen her house key! So, we chugged down the bourbon and headed back towards Lucy's apartment. En route, we stopped at a local store to buy Lauren's favorite snack, Percy Pigs! These were little raspberry flavored gummy pigs- and they were delicious. We used this as a gift for Lucy for locking her out.
We made it back to the house and I met her two roommates. At this time, I discovered “squash.” This was a very concentrated “cordial” that you add to your water to give it some taste. Interesting, but not sure if it'd take off in the US.
We headed towards bed and realized that it may be necessary for me to arrange a way back to Macclesfield with Lauren the next day. We looked up some train tickets and discovered that the train would be an outrageous 60 pounds for me to go back with her. When all else fails, Megabus it!! I found a 9 pound bus to Manchester and then a 3 pound train to Macclesfield- problem solved. I grabbed the loveseat (which I was far too tall for) and eventually resorted to sprawling out on the hardwood floor.
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