Mean Time to Beer Time

Short period of time but loads to talk about this time. Was definitely great to have Andy and Nicky visiting London so that we could hang out with them. For us it started with tasty pancake brunch a la Tom and Gini. Should start every day that way. Then we were off to do something we had been meaning to do for a while, which was catch the ferry up the river to Greenwich (as in Greenwich Mean Time.) This was our first trip on the river ferry and we had a really good time and it is definitely a good way to see the parts of London along the Thames. A few ciders later and we were having a great time when it was time to get off the boat and have a look around Greenwich. It is a very pretty part of London with a big park for lounging around in. However the highlight was definitely heading to the Prime Meridian at 0 Degrees which was also the home of the Greenwich clock (which is much smaller than you expect but still cool to see.) After a less than memorable platter at the local pub it was back on the boat and then up the Thames again. We found a pub with a massive garden near Tom and Gini's place to have a few drinks and eventually convinced them to cook us a tasty dinner too (they were very busy.)

The next day was a chance to show Andy and Nicky around the sites of central London. We were the tour guides instead of the tourists for a change. Took in all the major sites, Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, you get the idea...Tom and Gini showed us a place that does great Fish and Chips, London's oldest chippy the Rock and Sole Plaice. Much walking was done this day and we finished it up with a nice ale at an old pub on the Strand.

The next night we were out with Andy, Nicky, Tom and Gini for tasty Mexican at Wahaca. Even Jess didn't mind sharing. Then it was off to the theatre. This time not a musical. Instead we were off to see the Woman in Black. Nobody really knew anything about it so it was open minds all round. It was in a tiny little theatre instead of the big ones you usually see around London. Don't want to give too much away but if you enjoy a good scare this is definitely a must see. Really well done and had the whole theatre on the edge of their seats waiting for the next scare. We knew when Andy was scared cause he couldn't keep in the high pitched scream...

Next night was Andy and Nicky's last in London so we all went out to a little gem Tom and Gini had discovered in Paris which also has a branch in London Le Relais de Venise. After lining up (!) we got our table and were served by the waitresses in their French waitress outfits. The formula was simple, walnut salad, followed by fillet steak with chips. No menu. That is it. Very tasty and would definitely consider going back.

Thursday was a big night for us. After work we jumped on the Piccadilly line to Heathrow and we were off on Jess' first trip to the continent, Amsterdam to be specific! We flew into Amsterdam airport jumped on the train and before we knew it we were at Amsterdam Centraal Train Station and heading straight into the Red Light District where our hotel was. Andy and Nicky were there to meet us and share a beer. Luckily we were only the edge of the red light district so there were only a few dodgy characters around. We were in late so we climbed the SUPER steep staircase to our room, put in the complimentary earplugs (which were definitely needed) and we were off to sleep.

Next morning we met Andy and Nicky and head off to breakfast before a day of sightseeing. We got up to all sorts. First on the agenda was a must when you go to Amsterdam, join the big long line to enter into Ann Frank Huis. Marcus had seen it before but it was still really interesting to see it again. After that we jumped into a canal boat for a tour around the canals of Amsterdam. Definitely a good way to see the city from a different angle. London has some canals but Amsterdam is all about the canals. Then it was a surprising highlight, the Heineken museum. It was utter Heineken marketing but it was still very fun seeing the history of Heineken, how they brew it, being a beer (yes they have a beer ride) and of course tasting it. We now appreciate drinking our beer with head on it. Even Nicky the non-beer drinker said she enjoyed it. It was then time to head off and find dinner and then finish the night with a few quiet beers down by the canals, which turned into a few rowdy beers and before we knew it the shots of Jagermeister were flying. We had to keep up with all the people there for Gay Pride Weekend....It was also a good way to say goodbye to Andy and Nicky as they were off to Greece the next morning and we were off to...

Brussells on the train. The Europeans sure know how to do their trains well. Fast, comfortable, a great way to travel. We came into Brussells for a bit of a whirlwind trip. Brussells has a reputation for being boring but we wanted to go in with open minds. Luckily in the few hours we had there we weren't disappointed. The weather was stinking hot, which was a relief from London, we tried various Belgian Beers while eating Mussells in Brussells. Then it was off to the main square with its fantastic old buildings, and of course no trip to Brussells would be complete without a trip to see the Manekin Pis. To our surprise he was all dressed up in a little costume. Turned out we had arrived on Meyboom, some sort of Belgian celebration. We haven't worked out what exactly it is all about but on our way back we got caught up in the middle of a parade. Very cool. We decided we had best take part in another Belgian specialty, Waffles with cream. Mmmmmmm and all washed down with a nice kriek beer. That is cherry flavoured beer. Sounds dodgy but it was surprisingly good. The Belgians have been brewing cherry beer for centuries. It was then back on the train and off to Bruges.

Bruges is Belgium's most popular tourist destination and once get there you can see why. It is a beautiful little well preserved medieval town. Very touristy without being tacky. We decided to take it easy that night before some more touristing the following day. So after a dinner of Frittes (chips, another belgian dish) we went and had a Garre beer at De Garre, which was a cool old pub hidden down an alleyway. Very tasty and probably the best beer we had on the trip. Then there was enough time for a walk around the town and then it was back to the hostel to sleep.

We awoke to torrential rain, but luckily by the time we managed to actually get up the rain had cleared it was getting sunny again. After checking out the crazy old antiques at the market we went back to main square and climbed the bell tower. It got pretty tight at times going up while others were coming down. After regaining our hearing when the bells went off when we were right next to them we checked out the great view all over Bruges. Unfortunately this is where we learnt not to trust the camera battery when you first turn the camera on. When we left London we thought it was fine but alas it wasn't and it ran flat so no more photos for the rest of our trip. However we continued on and checked out some of the cool old houses and bridges, an impressive Madonna and Child sculpture by Michelangelo and of course, more Beer. We went to Bruges' only remaining brewery, De Halve Maan, (the Half Moon) where we took in some lunch and then took in another brewery tour. Not nearly as commercial this time, so really interesting to see where they actually brewed the beer. We picked up some souvenirs in the form of flash glasses (you must only serve Belgian beer in the correct glass) and a big bottle of the Straffe Hendrik, a hearty 8%er. After some more fresh waffles, cooked while we waited, and definitely the best we had, we were back on the train to Brussells and then onto the Eurostar back to London. Into Kings Cross and then on the tube back home. Could even be better than flying?

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