Staying with Sophie: Yorkshire pudding, Chocolate and Wine (London part 2)
I have had the best luck with hosts on my trip, and my time staying with Sophie is a perfect example of that. I met Sophie in Cuba and while it had been a while since we had last seen each other she was kind enough to kick out her roommate for a couple days so I wouldn’t have to sleep on their sofa in their freezing living room. (Her roommate actually just went to stay at her boyfriend’s for a couple days, don’t worry, I didn’t make anyone homeless.) As Sophie only had one key for their flat, everyday I would leave the apartment with Sophie when she left for work and would meet her at her front door at the end of the day. This was actually a fantastic set up as it forced me to prepare for any eventuality when I left the door. On a standard day I would have my camera, TARDIS, water bottle, ipad, wallet, notebook, advil, bandaids, scarf, umbrella and sunglasses all slotted together tetris-style in my bag. While this weighed me down a bit it meant I was never caught unprepared. If I ever felt myself getting tired or grumpy I would realize how dehydrated I was, drink my entire water bottle and then enjoy my much lighter bag.
My first night at Sophie’s, she made us a roast chicken with potatoes, gravy and most importantly, Yorkshire pudding. As Sophie is the walking definition of a foodie, the food was delicious. I brought along the cheesecake and wine and we watched the British version of the Apprentice where in place of Donald Trump, Lord Sugar is the business mogul(apparently that’s a real name). I haven’t watched the Apprentice with Donald Trump but have to say the British version was actually entertaining. Ridiculous, but entertaining.
Over the next couple days I continued to explore the city. Quick tip, when planning your day trips around London leave a lot of additional time for transport. Nine times out of ten I would arrive at my destination roughly a half hour later than expected. I did really enjoy using the underground and my Oyster card but I always forgot just how massive the city is and how long it can take to transfer from one line to the next. I still have £16 on my Oyster card so looks like I’ll have to go back to London soon to put that to use (that’s a valid reason to buy a plane ticket right?).
I filled my days visiting more landmarks like Winston Churchill’s bunker. Winston’s bunker made for an interesting couple hours. During the war Churchill remained in the city with his staff to coordinate the war effort. Despite its intended purpose of providing shelter during air raids, the bunker was not actually bomb-proof, a fact that Churchill was aware of. At a mere 10 meters underground the bunker was more of a glorified basement than an actual bunker and likely wouldn’t withstand a direct hit. While Churchill was understandably agitated by the vulnerability of the bunker he continued to live and work from within. The bunker is now a museum displaying facts about the war efforts and of course about Churchill himself. On display you can see his writing from his youth, his bow-ties, and even one of his cigars. If you are a history buff I would definitely recommend checking out the the bunker.
Moving back into the present I was lucky enough to be in London at the same time as a Chocolate show. Thanks to Sophie’s job at Great British Chefs she had tickets and we were able to spend a happy few hours surrounded by chocolate samples and masterful chocolate creations. I bought a couple chocolate bars to thank Sophie’s roommate for giving me a bed to sleep in and ate the most delicious, mushy, caramel brownie I have ever had (second to my mom’s brownies of course). If you’re looking for some culinary inspiration check out the Great British Chef’s website but make sure to protect your keyboard from drool.
On the topic of good food, another favourite spot of mine was the Borough Market. I met up with Sophie’s boyfriend Vinnu for lunch at the market which is filled with typical and atypical farmers’ market produce and food stalls galore. The food was delicious and the market is filled with a great buzz of activity brought on by the happiness that only good food can bring people.
If you do go to Borough market budget a little extra time to grab a coffee around the corner at Monmouth Coffee Company. The line for this place spilled out on to the sidewalk and it is common practice for the baristas to walk outside and take your order before you have even entered the cafe. This must be standard as you can see the line on google maps street view. I’m not really a coffee expert and when necessary will drink pretty much anything with caffeine in it, but even I could tell the coffee was above average. On a side note, I have to thank Vinnu again for giving me his old cell phone. My phone which had faithfully put up with my abuse for three years decided it was time to die. It would charge overnight to 100% and the instant I unplugged it from the wall it would dip down to 70% and proceed to lose its charge in the following 20 minutes. This made navigating the city a little more challenging as if I got lost I would turn on my phone to spend a precious five minutes of battery time sorting out where I was. With Vinnu’s old phone in hand I was able to get lost and actually find my way home on multiple occasions which is always a plus.
There are so many attractions to visit and sights to see in London that upon arriving I have to say I was a little overwhelmed by the choices available. Aside from my trip to Hogwarts I can’t say any one thing in London was my favourite, but I had such a good time exploring the small fraction of the city that I did. Most people will say “it all adds up” when referring to expenses but when it comes to travel I’d argue it refers best to experiences. A lot of small discoveries, amazing views, nights out at the pub, and chocolate samples really do add up to an amazing time.
If you ever find yourself with a couple hours to spare for a small discovery (which you probably won’t) go check out the food court in Harrods. Harrods is a high end department store and the food court is ridiculously beautiful and filled with delicious (if slightly expensive) food. Some of the items in Harrods are infuriatingly unnecessary though. I’ll leave you with a picture of Harrods, and the swim trucks found within with gold stitched sea turtles.
