02/22/19
Woke up today, and no run for real this time. It’s a rest day, but there is going to be a lot of walking involved. And I got up a little later than I would have liked, but you just gotta go with the flow! I get the essentials and walk over to the bus stop. First stop: St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Side Note: I love taking the buses here. I haven’t dealt with any crazy people like you occasionally have to do in the US. Just thinking about this now I am probably jinxing myself though...oh well.
I get out, and look up at the Cathedral. To call this place grand would be an understatement. The towers are massive, the arches are unreal, I can’t wait to get inside and check it out!
Aaaaaand it’s 20 pounds. Not doing that, I have precious food I need to buy today (like every other day so far)!
So I find the Millennium bridge, which is a straight shot from the Cathedral to the Tate Modern. The bridge is expertly crafted, as the metal just feels wave-like in form. This is definitely something that is overlooked by many, but I am trying to truly appreciate every aspect of it.
I walk over to a little cafe just outside of the Tate Modern and sit down. I get a regular croissant and a sipping chocolate (literal melted chocolate in a cup, what more could you ask for?).
After I enjoy my “chocolate” croissant per se, I head over to the Tate Modern.
This museum is the best museum I have been to...by far. It has everything that I could imagine: activism, politicism, Picasso, Matisse, it has everything.
I wonder around the place forever. I am sorry that I am not going into as much detail as necessary, but let’s just say it’s for your own good. GO THERE WHEN YOU VISIT!
Now it is time for one of the things I have been looking forward to the most: Borough freaking Market! This place is incredible. It’s like any farmer’s market you have been to, but on steroids. I thought I was walking up to a market that was just various food vendors selling meals, but as I go deeper into the market you find local fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, ev.er.y.thing! I’m in heaven. I make a lap to see what looks interesting and then I dive in.
I start off with an Indian appetizer that was almost like an Indian croissant filled with spinach and cheese (I don’t remember what it was called, but that was the best description I could have given). Delicious, as you would expect. Flakey, buttery, and flavorful.
I then move onto a place that is selling a mini Boston sausage roll (a.k.a pig in a blanket). It’s what you would expect, not my favorite as they didn’t have any condiments to go with it, but still tasted as you would think.
Now I am looking for the main event. Where am I going to get my entree from? I do what any logical person would do and look for the longest line. That leads me to Ethiopian food. I finish up my mini Boston sausage roll in line and look onto what options there are. It’s a mixture of food that smells amazing, and I can’t wait to see how it tastes.
I don’t know what I am getting as I tell the vendor to just give me the three best things (the options are either two or three different things with either rice or their very thin flatbread called Injera). I don’t know what I got, but my god was it delicious. Talk about flavorful. Talk about delectable. I was so happy, and now completely full.
Not running really does limit the amount of eating I can do. Even though I’m full I walk past a cake stand, and having watched The Great British Bake Off, I have to see what the hype is. I get a banana cake (probably the wrong decision) and wasn’t too impressed.
I might also just be completely used to the overindulgence of sugar used in American baking. Oh well, you live and you learn.
I walk over to my next stop (I am so thankful that I have to walk everywhere after that feast I just had): Tower of London.
This of course is money to get in, but I just wanted to check it out from the outside and see the Tower Bridge in the distance. It is perfectly sunny out and I just sit on a bench and look out over the river and at the Tower Bridge. I am living my best life.
In my mind I know what I’m doing tomorrow, I am going to run to Greenwich observatory and then take the boat back to Millennium pier in order to go to Maltby Street Market (another market I have been looking forward to trying).
Side Note: I think I might take it easy tonight and go for a run and maybe try a new restaurant, or if I’m not hungry just go to bed early tonight, tomorrow’s a big one!
Side Side Note: Still thinking of where I should run tomorrow. Don’t know whether I should go to Greenwich Observatory later, same with Maltby Street Market, just thinking travelling and money wise.
Side Side Side Note: If anything I’ll run to the area of the V and A (Victoria and Albert) Museum and Science Museum, and then go there after my runs, go back to the hotel and shower before heading to Maltby Street Market, and then the dinner after that.
I take the train from the Tower of London stop out to the Docklands where The Just is screening at the Northern European International Film Festival. I get there and meet Kandace (the director) for the screening.
The screening went really well, people liked it, and I am now looking forward to the Award Show Dinner the next night (nominations for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor)! First impression for best picture is a film that I saw as well called Earn the Season which I thought was really well done and will probably win.
I bid Kandace goodbye and I will see her along with David, and her mother at the award show the next night! When I get back to the hotel it took a while to convince myself, but I decided to go on a little late night run (8:15pm) and then I will come back, shower, and hit dishoom at the location closest to my hotel.
I got back from my run and decide after my shower to borrow the ironing board and iron from the front desk to iron my clothes for tomorrow’s dinner. I do this, garner up a little bit of an appetite and walk over to dishoom which is just behind King’s Cross station. I really wish I had more time to venture around this place, it is almost like a tech hub, which in turn garners some great bars and restaurants near it for the employees (Google has an office in this area, etc.). Everything is mostly closed at this point, and I am just venturing around to check on the location.
The only thing worthy of mentioning is that I ran into a pretty intense ping pong club, not like intense as in like they were going to beat me up for running up on their game, but more like I think I’m pretty good at ping pong and I don’t think I would be able to hang with any of the people playing.
Alright and now I finally found Dishoom...which has a line out the door. Ok, I’ll take that as a sign to try somewhere else. The only place that is open that is relatively close is called Spirited (Something, don’t remember the name sorry). It has fun music playing, and I really dig the vibe. But they don’t have any substantial food. You know what, I’ll wait for Dishoom!
I walk back out and over to Dishoom and for some reason the line has seemed to vanish. I put my name in and it only takes about five minutes to get seated. Score. I go with a simpler order this time of cheesy chili bread and a chicken tikka wrap. This place can do no wrong. The cheesy chili bread was literally cheesy garlic bread with some chilis thrown on for some spice. Unreal.
The chicken tikka wrap was a perfectly rationed and simple but delicious wrap of not too powerful of flavors and a lovely dipping sauce to go along with it. If they had one of these in the United States, I would move to whatever city it was in and live there.
Side Note: This is how I also feel about Fergburger in New Zealand. If you are ever in Queenstown, eat here. This is very much a SIDE note as it has nothing to do with London.
I walk out of this Dishoom and head back to my hotel. I decide to stop at a mini mart on the way back at King’s Cross to see if there is a sweet that I have never heard of to try. I get that with a spiced and iced bun.
It’s pretty much like a cinnamon roll, but with some sort of spice to not make it as sugar-y. To be honest, I liked it a lot. This is why I try new things (or at least it’s my excuse to do so).
I get back to the hotel and decide I need to read some Hemingway and get ready for my big day of a 12 mile run and awards show that happens tomorrow!
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