London

I had a fantastic time in London. I stayed with Pierre a family friend who’s really just family. Thanks for having me, brother! We ate some really good food like the breakfast when I arrived, the burgers from St. Christopher’s Inn, and Anglo-Indian at The Gladstone. We drank a lot of cider and many a Baby Guinness.

Pierre

Pierre and I created a story that we’re both from Maine – at least true for me. We said that we operated a marijuana dispensary business called BAPN Empire. The N is silent, but the letters are our initials. And since Pierre is French and Maine has a town for most European cities or countries, we said we were from Paris, Maine. Most people bought it. Good times.

Sightseeing

I visited several sites and museums: Westminster, London Tower, Jack the Ripper Museum, Imperial War Museum, and Trafalgar Square. Of them all, the HMS Belfast was my favorite. I don’t think it was worth 30 euros for Westminster or the London Tower. But the battleship museum was neat. We saw the levels for loading shells, visited the mess, and even played World of Warships. Totally worth the price if you can time it for sunset too! It was cloudy for us, alas.

If the Eiffel Tower surprised me with its height, Big Ben surprised me with how little it was. I did enjoy the architecture around London, particularly the Parliamentary buildings. There are plenty of statues about, celebrating England’s heroes. London is definitely a city I enjoyed walking around. Pierre and I spent entire days walking the various areas.

And for your information, London is divided into North and South by the Thames River. North across London Bridge and you’ll be in Central London. Then you have West and East London. But south of the Thames and it’s simply South London. Took me a wee bit to figure that one out.

People

When Pierre returned to Paris for a few days, I explored some more of London. I visited The Gladstone (The Glad, for short) a few times. I went for just a pint (classic) and ran into Don…from Maine! Don and I chatted for a couple of hours. As Don left, I chatted with one of the owners of The Glad. An Italian couple on date night came in and shared my table. We attended a comedy night together. Before I knew it, my one pint turned into nine hours at the pub. I had to make some spaghetti for supper that night. But I did enjoy the The Glad. They were some of the friendliest people. I think Pierre thought so as well when we visited there on my last day.

Finally, I got to spend time with Pierre’s parents. It was mostly me listening to their back and forth banter. I enjoyed that. But we also chatted. It felt good to speak French again. So thank you to Patrick and Valerie for putting up with my butchery of their native tongue. We enjoyed exploring London on Christmas when it’s much more quiet.

The Best of London

My most enjoyable moments in London were with Pierre and meeting other people. Everyone was super nice there. It didn’t take much to strike up a conversation. On one occasion at St. Christopher’s Inn, an older man was chatting with us. He was pulsating with energy and a desire to use it. He said, “Follow me, lads!” He proceeded to walk behind the bar, attempted to hang his jacket up, and was quickly ushered out by the bartender. Security escorted him out. But boy was he excited.

At The Gladstone, Pierre and I listened to a Christmas singalong. Gee, one of the owners, introduced us to several folks. We loved talking to people. So if I had to sum up London, it was a disappointment in museums and sites, but everything I dreamed of with people. Go for the people and check out some stuff, but the pubs are the best.

Best Spots:

• The Gladstone
• St. Christopher’s Inn
• HMS Belfast
• St. James Park

See you soon, Pierre!!