A Return to London, Where it All Began!
Day 1: Aloha, London! The Flynn’s are back in the house!
We are spending the last 3 days of the “Odyssey” in fabulous London, ending exactly where it all began back on May 28, 2024. We are staying in a different part of the city on this end of the trip, choosing the Tower Bridge neighborhood. It is a lively and happening neighborhood, set in a nice neighborhood vibe vs. the bustling city center. This is exactly what we are looking for – tons of restaurants, pubs and sights to see, in a neighborhood setting and frequented primarily by locals. After all, they know better than anyone where the happenings are happening.
There is one minor bit of story to share with you. In the event you are visiting London in the future, please allow 3x the amount of time you would normally allow to get from any Point A to any Point B. The traffic in London is HORRENDOUS 24/7, 365 days a year. Unless you call Manhattan, NYC home, you have never seen anything like this – not even in LA. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon around 2pm. We land at Gatwick, which is about 20 miles from our hotel. More than 2 HOURS later, the Uber pulls up in front of the hotel – and that was taking the “fastest route”, as is the default for Uber. So, plan accordingly, including bathroom time. Either monitor your fluid intake to the brink of hydration or be sure to visit the Loo before you embark on your London journey.
We finally arrive at our hotel and learn we are upgraded to a mini-suite, and all is looking good. No drama to report kids. After checking in we make a mad dash for our room and knock each other aside trying to get in the door and get to the Loo. I won but only because at the end of the day, Jimmy Flynn is a true gentleman. So, all taken care of in that department and we decide to explore the neighborhood. As it is late in the day, it is officially “happy hour”. Time to locate a pub. The servers always have good advice on where to get a bite to eat, catch some live music or hit the most “hip Club” (cuz that’s how Jimmy and I roll, We Go Clubbin’).
We locate this edgy looking joint that has a wicked cocktail menu and stroll in and grab a table strategically located close to the chalk board with all of the drinks written on it. Close up and personal is what is necessary without our reading glasses and when hanging with the young hipsters, CVS reading glasses are not hip. BTW, we look around and the average age is 12, and that is including our ages in the average! I am convinced that the liquor laws are being violated on a massive scale as surely these people are not old enough to drink! But far be it from me to complain! I bellied up myself a number of times before hitting the legal age. My friend’s sister had an extra ID, which my friend was happy to “lift” for our benefit. I looked old for my age back in those days. Funny how that works, when you are 17, you strive to do everything to your face and hair imaginable in the quest to look old(er). After age 50, you strive to do everything to your face and hair that money can buy and your pension plan can spare in the quest to look younger.
I digress.
I decide on a martini. Note to self, nothing good EVER follows the words, “I decide on a martini” because it is usually followed by, “another, please”. Truth be told, I was enchanted with the menu of available martinis in the mixologist’s repertoire. Might I draw your attention to the first “martini” on the list of availables? I mean, you just can’t pass up a martini in a bar offering a President and the Porn Star on their martini menu! While I do admire the creativity, given my proclivity for the more liberal side of the “aisle”, I did not order the P and the P martini rushing instead right into the Hazelnut Martini. Might I just say, it was delish! Perhaps not worth $15 USD, but it was delicious. We highly recommend this pub for some good fun and great mixology. The people/children watching is also worth the price of admission and the tunes are quite manageable, even for us oldster hipsters.
An hour or so and several happy hour cocktails later, we head for dinner at Bacala! The food and service were excellent. No more fun martinis but very good wine and very good food. A few hours and lots of laughs later, the bill arrives. We happily pay for such a great experience and off we go to dreamland. I already know that tomorrow is not going to be a good day for moi and we have lots planned for the day.
Day 2, Part 1: Lessons Learned
I awaken to Jim exclaiming, “what the hell” – oh no, what did I do last night?? I quickly run through the evening and decide that the expletive is not meant for me. So, it must have something to do with the cost of the evening’s festivities. I am correct. Jim is entering receipts in the Flynn Financials.
Lesson #1: This is very important to know. Drink and Food establishments may add an “optional” 13% service charge to the bill. They do not tell you anywhere on the menu that there is an optional 13% service charge added to the post tax bill. When the bill is delivered by the server, the service charge wording is in print that even the most eagle eye consumer will not notice and the server does not point out the optional charge. When the bill is delivered, the server stands there waiting with the credit card machine, which gives you the option of adding a tip when you tap your card to pay. Unaware consumers may add the gratuity on top of the optional 13% gratuity included on the bill. Mind you, this optional service charge is added to the POST TAX amount of your bill and included in the total amount of the bill. Begs the question, “is it optional”? So, when our server received a tip totaling more than 33% of the total bill before tax, she said not a word, not even an effusive thank you.
That night when we went to dinner at Pizaroo, the same thing happened only this time, no extra tip was given. We did ask the server if the 13% service charge is a gratuity and she told us it is.
So buyer beware. When eating or drinking in London, make sure to check on whether or not the bill includes an optional service charge.
By the way, we are generous tippers because we think good servers work hard for their money and we are willing to pay for good service. So the issue is not the amount of the tip. The issue is more about what feels like non-disclosure at best and deception at the worst. At the very least, the menu should disclose that the bill will automatically include a 13% service charge for gratuity.
Lesson #2: Do not drink more than one hazelnut martini. Ever.
Lesson #3: Do not drink more than one hazelnut martini followed by 2 glasses of red cab (ABV estimated at 14.5%). Ever. Never.
Day 2, Part 2: The Liquid Tour
We have booked a tour for our 2nd day in London. It is called the Liquid Tour: A visit to London’s Oldest Pubs. I feel like drinking like I feel like sticking a fork in my head. But being a good sport, off we go. I am certainly glad we did because this tour was so much fun and very interesting. It starts our with our guide, Freddy, who is from Oxford, England. Freddy wrote a thesis, (yes, a thesis) on old drinking establishments in London. As Freddy pointed out, he made his ma proud – I mean, how many moms get to claim their son has a doctorate in old drinking joints? That set the tone for the afternoon.
We walked from 1 old pub to the next, visiting 4 of the oldest pubs in London, in some cases pubs dating back 300 years! Interchanged with the story of the pub and it’s colorful history, Freddy introduced us to a number of non-liquid historical sites along the way. So, a 2 for 1: historical walking tour of London while visiting historical pubs and trying their ages-old recipes for their famous cask beers. Lucky for me, I don’t care for beer much so I wasn’t tempted to make yesterday’s sins into mortal sins, choosing the better path of H2O. Until we got to the 4th pub which is really a “gin joint” and they make a kick-ass negroni. I never learn.
Pub 1, The Cockpit has been around since the mid-1800’s and was named The Cock Pit because hundreds of years ago, it was the scene of then-legal cock fights. It was remodeled in the 1970’s, renamed The Cockpit (not quite sure of the distinction there) and the same pink velvet sofas and flowered carpeting still adorns the interior. Dr. Freddy shared some great stories about this ancient pub, which is one of those included in his doctoral thesis. I just wish I could remember them all! Well, enjoy the pictures.
Check out the sign on the post (3rd picture) no soiled clothing or dirty boots need enter. The olden days version of “No shirt, no shoes, no service”! LOL
Pub 2, The Black Friar has been around since 1875. The building is wedge-shaped, covered in mosaics and ornamental balconies. Atop the entrance to the pub is its famous black friar. The significance of the black friar mascot goes back to the origins of the real estate. The pub was built on the site of a Dominican friary. In medieval times, London had 2 main friaries; the Dominican Black Friars and the Franciscan Grey Friars, plus a whole bunch of less renowned friaries. Their monasteries made up about 5% of the medieval London real estate. When England split with the Catholic Church, the Friars left town, so to speak, and their real estate was “repurposed”. Eventually, the Dominican Black Friary became a pub, now known as the Black Friar. Not sure what happened with the land belonging to the Grey Franciscans. Will have to check with Dr. Freddy to know whether or not this trivia was included in his thesis.
Inside the Black Friar, there are dozens of sculptures, mosaics, and relics, all depicting jolly friars. It is a great place to grab a cask ale, a meat pie and marvel at all of the fun sculptures in the pub, while the cold rain blows sideways out doors. Here are some pictures of the fun wall mountings and the outside of the building, with its really cool nouveau art design.
Pub 3 Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Company claims to be the oldest pub/inn in London. Freddy tells us that record is under dispute and has not been substantiated. The Ye Olde Cheshire claims to have been around since the times before creation, only just having been rebuilt in the mid-1600’s. Take a look at the 2nd picture wherein they list the names of all of the monarchs during whose reigns the Olde Cheshire Cheese also reigned supreme! They are said to serve a mean Steak & Kidney Pudding (not kidney beans) and all ales are brewed by Samuel Smith’s in the old brewery which was built in the 1700’s.
Pub 4, Ship Tavern Ale House (also known for its selections of gin). This fine establishment claims to be 475 years in the making. They serve cask ales, a really good porter on draft and some great gin negroni’s. It is the epitome of a good old fashioned neighborhood “joint”, serving good pub food, great beer and a wicked potion of something made with gin for those of us who aren’t beer drinkers.
This brought us to the end of the Liquid History Tour (like Magical Mystery Tour!). We hung out at the Ship Tavern, bought some cool swag and headed back to our “Hood” for dinner at Pizaroo. On the way back to the hotel, we crossed the London Bridge and Jim captured this cool picture of the Tower Bridge from the London Bridge. Note the battle ships in the harbor. Quite intimidating when up close and personal!
In the 2nd picture, Jim captured a shot of what I swear is the thinnest building I think I have ever seen, home to the Ye Olde Cock Tavern (which we did not visit). Right below the name of the Tavern is another sign that reads “Gin Palace”.
Day 3: The final day in Europe
Today marks the final day of our 4-month journey. It is pouring rain outside so a perfect day to be indoors, packing the suitcases and preparing our paperwork for leaving the Continent and heading back to the US. We got some takeout for lunch from a really unique little Italian place across the street from our hotel, Fine Food & Provisions. Excellent soup and pasta dishes.
Tonight we are going to see Tina! The Story of Tina Turner at the Aldwych Theater, where it first opened 6 years ago. I have been waiting to see this play since 2020. We had tickets to see it on Broadway in NYC in May 2020. COVID hit and everything went “dark” in the theater world so we never got to see it in NYC. I can tell you that it was worth the wait. The actor who played Tina Turner was spectacular; she was Simply the Best! If you closed your eyes, you could easily think you were at a Tina Turner concert! The entire cast was excellent actually. It is interesting to note that Tina Turner herself was core to the creation of this musical. As a key member of the Creative Team, Tina guided the telling of the story so it was more than just her success that was featured. She wanted to make sure that her entire story, and all of its challenges were featured. In researching this production, I learned it is said that on opening night in 2018, Tina was quoted as saying “We turned poison into medicine”. She did not ever have an easy life. When the Lead closed the evening with You’re Simply the Best, she brought the House down. Everyone in the audience, young and old, was on their feet dancing, singing and paying tribute to one of the icons of rock.
We returned to the hotel, with me singing Proud Mary and What’s Love Got to Do With It all the way back. I’m sure it was my performance which encouraged the taxi driver to get us back to the hotel in record time. When we pulled up, we handed over every last piece of British money we had, having done the same with our Euro when we left Portugal.
The curtain closes. It is officially over.
Aloha London!