Three Things I Learned In London

I learned three things from the two British gentlemen I drank a beer with on my excursion to a genuine pub in the Westminster area of London. It was quite a strange but lucky coincidence to run into these two in the pub I chose at random. Childhood friends, one had worked as a diplomat in the US and in Holland and they both had ended up living in the Bay Area for parts of their lives.

They told me these things: First, the true British ales are served warm and so and so was the best and blah blah blah, I was tired. Second, I did listen to their suggestions about going to the board walk of the Hague during the summer and to the Rockerij (Rockery) “Coffee Shop” in Amsterdam, where the play really “loungie” music and the big fans on the ceiling turn very slowly so you can lay back on the overstuffed couches just…chill, I guess. Third, they told me that my flight was leaving London City Airport which was about an hour away in 45 minutes.

I figured I had earned the chance to kick back and have a beer. It had been a long day. I had just received my passport in the mail about 15 hours before that. 14 hours before that, because my passport was late, I was chasing the airport bus down Interstate 101. 12 hours before that I boarded a plane at SFO. Shortly after that my two checked bags sat safely in the San Francisco airport as my flight departed for Heathrow Airport. So by the time my sore butt had made it to Heathrow, I was ready to enjoy a beer and put my bad luck behind me.

To be honest, at the time, I wasn’t upset that my bags didn’t arrive in London. It seemed like this freed me up to take the Tube through downtown London on my way to London City airport to catch my connecting flight to Amsterdam that evening. I saw Westminster Abbey and got to drink at a real pub. As it turned out I would have plenty more time to sight-see around London after that beer.

When I finally arrived at London City Airport my flight had left and the only other flight that evening was full. I spent the night in a Hostel near Kensington Park, which I hear is beautiful, but I guess you need daylight to see it. That evening I was definitely ready for a beer so I dragged a hungover Kentuckian out of bed and teamed up with a German girl who, needless to say, was glad to drink with us to two more pubs. I had no trouble sleeping that night with three snorers in a nine bed room.

This morning I arrived in Holland and finally to the beautiful city of Meppel. So much has happened today and there is so much to describe about this place that I have plenty for my next post. As for now, I am too tired and as one of my Dutch hosts said, “I have too many thinks.” Until next time and don’t forget to eat your vegetables.