London.
i have a pretty strong love/hate relationship with london. its an awesome place, nice people, great sights, good food. but its so expensive if you dont get paid in pounds. even if you are. and its so crowded.
but this trip i got to know the city a lot better, and im a little better with it.
overall, our stay there was 6 days. we stayed in an air bnb apartment near canada water station. it was actually pretty convenient being semi close next to the tube, but it was a heck of a trip to get there from the airport. we arrived pretty late at night, and therefore went straight to bed the first night. actually, it was pretty crazy coming in on the tube with all the drunk kids going home.
the first actual day, we went and hit up the tower bridge area. some amazing new buildings, like the shard, that charge some exorbitant fee to go to the top. here are a few pictures from around there
[flickr id=”10224333785″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224343696″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224329175″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224248454″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224242364″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224253154″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224259794″ thumbnail=”medium_800″ overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”] [flickr id=”10224446323″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
then i read about the london fire memorial, and you could climb some stairs up. all 311 of them. somehow i conned noa into climbing up with me. you can see how impressed she was in the pictures. the top was very nice thought, amazing view, if only they didn’t have chicken wire covering the whole damn thing. I can understand now wanting jumpers or people dropping stuff, but it made it very difficult to photograph anything.
[flickr id=”10224258164″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224363736″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224362716″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224364996″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224266984″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224353195″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224455223″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224271444″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
then we found our way to a local market.
[flickr id=”10224278274″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224460703″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224358355″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
most handsome yak bowl I’ve ever seen. should of gotten it.
[flickr id=”10224361965″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
from there we walked along the thames, and i took random photos along the way. it was a beautiful day out, and it was very pleasant walking along the river.
[flickr id=”10224365965″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224367095″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224282224″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224469563″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224385936″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224472193″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224389266″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224290134″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224378075″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
We ended up Somerset house. a very beautiful place. there they had an exhibition on the elBuli Restaurant. I knew nothing about it before i went there, but was blown away by how dramatic of an impact that one restaurant had on all modern cuisine. most if not all of modern kitchen tools and techniques were developed there. the restaurant is now closed, but the exhibition was amazing. read up on it if you are into cooking and have never heard about it.
[flickr id=”10224293104″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224397736″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224395706″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
alright, here is where things get crazy.
so that morning i had emailed a good friend of mine from high school who lives in london that oops, i forgot to tell him but im here for the next 6 days . Well giac emails me back right away and says funny thing, i have leander, another good friend of mine who attended our wedding in israel, sleeping on the floor here for the weekend! what great news! so we decided to meet up that evening while the ladies went to a play. so i called giac and asked him where he was. be informed me that he was at camden beach. i should take the northern line and get off at so and so stop, and walk 2 blocks and i would find them. okay i can do that i said, but a beach…..? in my head i was thinking somewhere along the river thames, or on a lake, or something, where do they have sand… anyways, off i go, i find the stop, start walking and call him again to ask where they are. then i find out its a bar…. and im directed over to it.
Well, it was indeed a bar. where the outdoor patio gets filled with sand every summer, and people come out and play beach volleyball and hang out in the sand. interesting concept! anyways, i was really happy to see the guys, and there were a few other people from high school there, so it was like a mini reunion.
[flickr id=”10224399136″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224386335″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
it started getting cold outside, so we decided to have some pizza, and then keep walking and find a bar to hang out in. Giac is hit by inspiration and remembers that theres a great brew pup close by in camden town. i said, perfect. (he knows i love brewing) we round a corner, and lo and behold, its a BREW DOG! amazing. ive had their beer in Vancouver, but they are from Scotland. so i was overjoyed, and i got to drink a real IPA.
[flickr id=”10224402896″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224405146″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”10224305114″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
anyways, that ended up being the perfect end to my first night in london. action packed sights, good friends, (surprise friends), amazing beer. what more can you ask for. only 5 more days.