As for the beer, it absolutely blew my mind away. This may be one of the most intense beers I've ever had, which is impressive for being just 4%. Again poured on cask, this beer had a much less dense head than the bitter from the previous night. The head dissipated pretty quickly and didn't have much lacing. The beer itself was very dark, almost black with hints of garnet around the edges. The aroma had so many layers, it is almost hard to describe. Initially, it smells like a rich ganache and intense dark creamy chocolate. Then there is coffee and roasty notes with a hint of licorice as well. The flavor of this beer was just as strong as complex as the aroma. Upfront is a very dry roasty flavor. Then you get a strong chocolate flavor backed up with some licorice spice before finishing very dryly. This one is a bitter beer by anyone's standards. It was smooth, but not as creamy as the ELB, and has a nice medium body. This beer is a nod to Southwark Brewing because they have very successfully made a 4% beer taste just as strong and intense as most 8% beers.
Saturday started out by walking past the House of Parliament and seeing Westminster Abbey. We then made our way to St. James Park, which has more kinds of ducks than anywhere I've ever seen before. Many of these were gifts from foreign dignitaries, making this park a sample from across the world. There was even a pelican family there, which has been in the park since the 17th century. Buckingham Palace is just on the other side of the park, offering an easy transition. The grounds are massive, but unfortunately the tourist crowds were even bigger making it tough to snap a clean photo.
We then made our way to Harrods Department Store, and walked through insane luxury. Even their cafe had normal items like lentils costing 5 times the amount they would in a grocery store. Cool to see, but I wouldn't bother buying anything there.
Becky and I were both craving the Borough Market again by this time of the day, so we decided to take the Tube over there. We were initially worried about getting lost on the subway, but it is extremely well laid out, user friendly, and honestly very easy to learn. By the end of the day we were practically pros. For lunch, I decided to get a meat pie from a stand made with British Venison, red wine, and lentils. It was amazing. The crust was very flaky, and the inside so savory and delicious. Becky continued in here ethnic trend and got Indian food.
After day 2 of the market, we took the Tube to the British Museum. There were artifacts there from all over the world including Ancient Egypt, Greece, Assyria, Medieval Europe, and much more. The Rosetta Stone was easy to find, for all you had to do was follow the streaming crowd of tourists eager to snap a photo. The museum had so much to offer, the only problem is I didn't have the time or strength to see it all. Ideally, you could go there once a day and see a new room, but if trying to see it in 2 hours you are way too rushed. I didn't have time to take in all the pieces or read all the signs, and by the time we were halfway through the museum, my eyes were glazed over from seeing way too much. If I ever make it back to London, this place is at the top of my list to see again.
We then started walking down the nearby Oxford Street, but seeing mostly department stores and not fun little shops we decided to take a double decker bus back to our hostel. On the way to the stop we walked through the lively Soho. When we finally made it back, I took a nap for a couple hours before we made our way to the Dog House, just as tired as the day before.
Our flight was set for around 6 on Sunday, so we still had a few hours to see more of the city. First, we stopped by the changing of the guard, but it was so busy we barely caught a glimpse of the guards before giving up and heading for Covent Gardens. This was a fun little market area with a mix of permanent shops as well as some pop-up stands. Our destination there was a famed macaroon ice cream sandwich place called Yolkin, and it definitely stood up to the hype. Our first was salty pretzel, but for the second we had an even better honeycomb flavored one. From there we took the subway to Camden Town, another borough with a unique artsy vibe. It was part musician, part seller's emporium, part weed smoker's haven. There were tons of tourist shops, all clearly selling more than just souvenirs. Also there were so many market stands all throughout the streets selling everything from Ethiopian coffee to handmade crafts. While very busy it was fun to see that part of the city. It was really so different from everything else we saw.
Well that was London, or at least what I saw of it. I loved the city, but am glad to be back in Dublin. It was an exhausting, sight-filled weekend.
Cheers!
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