Holiday lessons

Like many people do each year I have taken a seasonal job working in retail. Having worked the holidays before I have decided that over the next ten days I am going to share a lesson for all of you holiday shoppers out there to keep in mind when you are out shopping. 

So tonight's first lesson is going to be:

You are not always right. 

I'm sure everyone has heard the saying that the customer is always right at least once in their lives. That being said, the shocking but honest truth is that the customer isn't always right. Just because you saw one price on the internet doesn't mean that the physical store locations can match those prices. Nor can we always adjust prices. And here's a little secret. Even though we may have a margin that we can adjust a price for customer service reasons, if you are rude or irate with us we aren't going to do it for you. I know that life happens and things make people angry but the nicer you are to a sales associate the more likely they will feel for you and give you that ten percent off on your hat. 

Lazy Days in Norway

As I mentioned before there isn't a whole lot to do up here. At least not unless you are ok driving at least an hour and half or more and taking multiple ferries across the fjord to get to other parts of the country. Personally I am not all that excited to take the ferry back across the fjord when we are heading back to Oslo so we are just sort of spending our time here in Norway exploring the Jostedal area and relaxing after running all over the place in the UK for two weeks. After spending the majority of the day relaxing we did decide to drive around the lake to Vassenden which is another small town about a half hour drive away from the apartment. It was here that we tried to find a restaurant to have dinner since we were out. In Skei the only restaurant is the one above the Christmas shop, but they aren't open after about noon. In Vassenden the only restaurant is at a large combo location that is a grocery store combined with a gas station and a cafe. Surprisingly the restaurant was exceptionally fancy for being part of a grocery store and a gas station. They offer complete meals that are plated well and are very flavorful. In most of the grocery stores there is also the option to eat standing. After dinner we drove around the other side of the lake back to Skei which is the much faster route. 

Lunde Turiststasjon (or our apartment here in Norway)

Lunde is the beautiful farm where we are staying at here in Norway and it is run by the super friendly Linda. It smells of cows but when we took a walk around the property they were no where to be found. Apparently they bring their cows in for the entire winter and they won't be let back out to pasture until around March. Its not a hotel or even a motel, but instead a small collection of cabins and a larger farm house that the entire upper level has been renovated to accommodate three rooms and two full apartments. Originally when I made our reservation through Booking.com we were supposed to be staying in one of the smaller red cabins with grass growing on the roof, but since we were her only patrons she upgraded us for free to one of the full size apartments. After being here a few days I can honestly say that was a blessing as having our own kitchen and bathroom are much preferable to having to walk up to one of the larger buildings to cook dinner or use the toilet. The grounds are large and very green. Beyond the main housing area with the farm house, barn and cabins there is a hobbit house sauna with a hot tub along side the river that is fed directly from the melting snow and ice from the Jostedalsbreen Glacier. We explored the grounds and discovered that there is an archery area and even an outdoor dining room complete with lanterns and animal furs to keep warm on cold nights. Beyond the fields is the river which feeds the lake in the center of the valley. And yes the water is ice cold funny enough haha. The views are just stunning and I am sure that during the summer this area is just filled with people hiking the mountains and swimming in the lake. According to Linda during one of our many conversations, they had such an unusually warm year that the lake reached up to 33 degrees Celsius. Thats about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine swimming in that crystal clear water at that temperature. I think I would spend my entire vacation in the water. But alas its too cold for us to swim this late into the season.

More family roots discovered

To say there isn't much to do here in Skei during the off season would be an overstatement. Especially on a Sunday. Essentially the only places open in town on Sunday's here are the Christmas store and the gas station. After realizing this fact we decided to take the opportunity of nothing to do to explore the area. As Scotland  was my chance to discover my family history of distant generations so is Norway for Tim. You see on tims grandfathers side the family originally emigrated to the United States from this very area and there is even a sign that has the family name boldly painted on it. According to the owner of our apartment the town of Stardalen is basically inhabited solely by Flatjords or relatives of the Flatjord family. It's a pretty drive west of Skei and the first large farm you come to is owned by a Flatjord that is directly related to Tims family. If you continue along the single road west you will also have beautiful views of the valley, mountains and the glacier. It was exciting (at least to me) to be able to see the exact village where Tim's family comes from. It's like a homecoming of a long lost son. What a special day. 

A painting called the view at Lunde.

Have you ever stayed in a place that honestly looks as though you were inside of a painting? The view out of our bedroom window here in Lunde seriously looks as though it could be a famous painting. Perhaps one that you would find in the Louvre halls. I have been to many amazing places and seen many amazing things but this view, even with the rainy day we are having looks like it should be with other impressionist paintings. After our breakfast of eggs and bread we decided to drive in Skei, the most immediate town up the road from our apartment. It's a small town with one gas station and two grocery stores as well as what we have dubbed the Christmas store. We aren't actually sure if they always have Christmas items on display or simply if it's because it's November now, but this store is essentially anything and everything Norwegian you could ever need. From beautiful hand knit sweaters and furs to souvenirs (and of course the Christmas section) they have everything you could possibly want. Keeping in mind they are the only "shop" in town they have some interesting prices on their items. Now that we have picked up some items from the grocery store we are going to head back to the apartment and check out some Norwegian television. 

Such a long drive.

According to both the locals and Google maps the drive from Oslo central station to Skei should have taken us about 6 1/2 hours. Add to that time an hour for a nap and about an hour for dinner, bathroom and smokes breaks, plus two hours due to heavy snowfall and it's more like a ten hour trip. Included in that drive were some beautiful towns and some quirky wooden carvings at gas stations followed by seriously the most terrifying experience any driver can have. Taking a ferry across a fjord in a manual car. All I could do the entire ferry ride was hope that my emergency break didn't go and cause my car to lurch forward down the ramp into the back end of the next car. But all in all the actual drive wasn't that terrible despite ferries and snow on winding mountain roads. Now that we are here though I can honestly say that the bed here looks to be either the strangest or the most comfortable bed in the world. 

Norway we arrive

After a stressful night of wondering whether or not we would even make it to London for our flight, we have finally made it to Norway. Yes, it is cold here and it's raining. As we drive through the mountains heading even further north towards our destination we have seen snow as well. However the weather can't exactly decide if it wants to rain or snow but the higher up we have gone the more snow it's become. I will say one thing about driving here. At least you drive on the right side of the road. The general speed limit on open road from my research before coming is 120 kph so you can drive decently fast, but at the same time you don't actually wind up driving that fast because of the weather. We have only been here a few hours and already we are noticing how expensive things are. Like 35$ for two packs of smokes or 38$ for two hamburgers. But we will survive. Time for a nap before I drive the rest of the way north to Skei. 

Trains, buses, and taxis.

A lesson from the now ever wiser. When you are planning your tracked through the United Kingdom make sure that you have several hours between trains and buses and planes. Why you might ask? Well here's the answer. Delays. Almost every single form of transportation that we used during our time here in the United Kingdom has experienced at least one delay. Our train from Inverness back to London had a stop and change from one line to another in Glasgow that required we switch stations. That would have been fine if two things hadn't happened. The first being that our train intow Glasgow queen st station hadn't been delayed by a half hour. The second that on that very same night the Labour Party had decided to protest in the streets of Glasgow causing severe traffic jams and bumper to bumper traffic making us even later for our connecting train. Both of these factors caused us to miss our connecting train back to London and for my stress level to absolutely skyrocket. Thankfully though the people at Virgin Trains (our connecting train company) took care of us and made arrangements for us to get halfway from Glasgow to London where they had then hired a private taxi to take us the rest of the way directly to Heathrow Airport to catch our early morning flight to Norway. However, had we hired the taxi ourself and paid for it or had another connecting train in Crewe, we would have been back up shits creek without a paddle because that train was delayed over an hour as well due to a major fire between Glasgow and London that has put a stop to ALL trains north and south bound. So. Always provide yourself ample time between connections and taxis or busses because more than likely you will need it. 

A kilt for me!

After driving back down to Inverness from Bettyhill we decided to do a little shopping in town before we had to head to the train station. I still hadn't been able to find a kilt up in the highlands and had been told that the best place was here in town. The search was on as this was my last chance to find myself a kilt. We wandered from kilt shop to kilt shop trying to find an ex-hire clan Mackay kilt. We finally managed to find a kilt at a little tartan shop on the Main Street beside the travelers information. It was only 60£ too! I was a little disappointed though because I was only willing to pay for the kilt and not any of the accessories to go with it as each of the accessories were more expensive than the kilt itself. But it was all ok when I was able to get my husband into a kilt! 

One sad final night

It's our last night in Bettyhill. I am rather sad about this fact. I have truly come to love this quaint town that despite its tiny population has so much charm. But at the same time we are super excited to go to Norway and find Tim's family roots. After two rounds of pool at the pub we had our last dinner here. Tim had the game stew while I tried their summer squash risotto. I can honestly say that I have never had a risotto that I hated, until now. I'm sure for other people they might really enjoy this dish but for me the flavors of summer squash and blue cheese together just don't sit well. But the sticky toffee pudding made it all better in the end. Now to repack our luggage and get an early night in bed before we leave at 730 in the morning for the drive back down to Inverness. Goodnight and farewell Bettyhill, my home away from home. 

Lairg

Lairg was definitely a cute little town with lots of charm. It sits right on a beautiful lake that during the summer I'm sure is filled with people laughing and swimming. We stopped at The Pier Cafe for tea and lunch and we sat next to a wonderfully warm stove. After lunch we went looking for the shop our hotel owner told me had kilts but as it turned out they don't make kilts only tweeds. But that's ok it's still a beautiful drive and the walk through Lairg wasn't bad. We talked about driving down to Inverness but I'm too nervous to drive on the opposite side of the road in the dark so back to Bettyhill it is for us! 

Last day in the Highlands

For our last full day up here we decided that we were going to visit Togue and then drive down to Lairg on a search for a kilt for me. I don't know why but for some reason I had his thought that there would be a place in Bettyhill to get a Mackay tartan kilt given that Bettyhill is like Mackay capital, but no the nearest person was in Lairg (according to my hotel owner). But we thought we'd make a day of it and stop at the Weaver's cafe in Tongue before heading down the A836 to Lairg. We get there though and the cafe and shop are closed for the season until March due to renovations. This wasn't mentioned on their website. Lesson I am fast learning here is to call places before driving out there trusting what's on their website. But we were sure to enjoy the drive south from Tongue to Lairg. We stopped at Loch Loyal where there were ruins from an ancient croft and took some photos. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive filled with sunshine and no rain! 

Nights in the highlands

So this is just a quick post about nightlife up here in Bettyhill. There is none. Aside from the pub at the Bettyhill Hotel. It's just a small pub where you can have some pub dinner and some great beer (the Strongbow is my personal favorite. It's very sweet) while playing pool or a game of darts. Of course there's also the staff and the locals that come to the pub. They definitely add flavor to your night, and if you find yourself playing pool with Chris (the cute young guy that works at the hotel) you better make sure that you get a ball in before he gets all seven of his in or he will enforce the pub 7 rule. Let's just say it involves running around without your pants or underwear on. ;)

A walk along the beach

When we got back from our jaunt to Thurso we needed a little time apart. So Tim took a nap while I decided to drive down to the museum to hunt for the Farr Stone, an ancient Pictish stone that's said to have just appeared one night in the 8th century. We had looked for it the day before but it turned out we walked right past it and didn't even notice it amongst the other grave markers and head stones it stood next to. It's amazing how well the carvings have survived the years and it's a beautiful stone. The mystery behind who put it there still stands after so many hundreds of years. Magic I say. After I found the Farr Stone I decided to walk down to Farr beach while the weather was nice. It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon and the tide was all the way out. It was so very magical and strangely the water wasn't salty!! It tasted and smelled fresh! I still am unsure as to why the water coming from the ocean was fresh and not salty but I suppose that just adds to the magic of this place. I could honestly never leave here. Everyone here has chickens and sheep and they just seem to love living in this gorgeous little village. Maybe one day. But Tim says I have to ship over an automatic car haha. 

Road to Thruso

The view out our window this morning was just as beautiful as it was when we arrived. It was a gorgeous view to wake up to. After a full Scottish breakfast we decided to explore the coastline and drive out to Thruso. Now you might be wondering what the difference between a full English Breakfast and a Full Scottish breakfast is. The English has baked beans with it whereas the Scottish has black pudding. I like the black pudding better personally but Tim says it tastes weird and doesn't like it. The drive to Thurso was gorgeous and once you get out of Bettyhill the road widens back up to two lanes for the majority of the drive. Along the drive we also happened upon one markers that mark the borders of Mackay Country. Once you get to Thurso you will first notice the dark and gothic style of the buildings. There is something absolutely stunning about them though with the backdrop of the Scottish highlands. Unfortunately we were there too late in the season to tour Castle Mey and its gardens but it's a must see during the soring and summer months. Instead we just enjoyed a local coffee shop where Tim got the largest hot chocolate I have ever seen, and walking through the small stores before starting our trip back to Bettyhill. 

An afternoon of history

After "checking in" we decided to use the afternoon to go explore the town. Now let me tell you that in comparison to a city like London there isn't much in Bettyhill. That being said if you are here it's for one of three reasons. One you are trying to get away from the world and want to relax and take in the beauty. Two, you are just passing through and are only spending he night. And finally three; you are here for your heritage like I am (though to be honest I wanted to come for the first reason as well). My family name is Macaw which is derived from Mackay. Mackay is the name of the Scottish Clan that once controlled the majority of the highlands from Lairg past tongue all the way to the border of Thurso (roundabout areas with cities to give you a reference). However all that marks this once powerful clans territory are stone pillars that state "Mackay Country". The majority of the people that lived in small croft towns were removed as part of the Highland Clearances back in the 1800s, and it wasn't until the 1920s that families were allowed to purchase fractions of the land that was once theirs and return. Now to spare you a kind drawn out history lesson I will just say that if your family has roots in the Mackay clan, then a trip to the Bettyhill museum is a must as it has probably the most complete history of our clan. We took the afternoon to explore the museum and the graveyard around it. It honestly felt as if I was returning to a long lost home as we walked through the museum and then through the graveyard where headstones completely worn away or covered in moss mark where my distant ancestors lay. 

Hotel and restaurant for two.

The owner of the little hotel we are staying in told us when we checked in that we were the only guests aside from one other couple that he referred to as "the ghosts" because he never sees them and they were checking out the next morning. That being said we essentially had the hotel and restaurant to ourselves. So the hospitality I mentioned earlier continues here at dinner with a beautifully set table looking out onto the ocean and the owner of the whole establishment waiting on us hand and foot. For dinner I chose the Game stew and for dessert I chose the sticky toffee pudding. I have to say that both dishes are equally to die for. They are both rich and heavy meals that will keep you warm and full on a cold night here in the highlands. 

Oh and even the carpets are tartan! 

Home away from home.

After our long drive from Inverness we finally made it to the area where my family on my fathers side came from many generations ago; Bettyhill Scotland. It is literally the most beautiful and magical place I have ever been in my life. I don't know if it's that my ancestors are from here but just being here fills me with this warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Also be prepared for the most hospital people anywhere. When we "checked into" the Bettyhill Hotel we were given the grand tour, ask what time we wanted dinner and breakfast and then showed to our room. Which I'd like to add we were upgraded to from a smaller room with no bathroom entirely free of charge. No money exchanged hands, no credit cards swiped, no checks written. Instead we were treated as if we were family. My recommendation already is that if you find yourself this far up the highlands make a point of staying here at the Bettyhill Hotel. 

And here is the gorgeous view out our room windows. Just breathtaking. 

Zoom zoom!

I would just like to preface this entry with two bits of wisdom. One. If you are traveling through Inverness make a point of staying longer than just one night. It's not a huge city but it has a lot to offer in the way of history, sight seeing, and shopping. Two. Driving in Scotland is not for the faint of heart. Having said that it was literally the most beautiful drive I have ever been on. Now if only my husband knew how to drive a stick shift so I could have been in the passenger seat haha. If you find yourself driving in the highlands remember two things. Keep breathing and you really aren't driving all that slow but the Scottish drive at ungodly speeds on their single lane roads that are nothing but twists and curves. Finally be prepared to stop repeatedly. Either for you to calm down after narrowly avoiding going off the road when you let someone pass, or just to simply take in the breathtaking beauty of the Scottish Highlands. 

Inverness we arrive.

It was a really long trip from London to Inverness. The train ride was decent but by the time we were on the bus I was ready to pass out. In fact I did pass out for about an hour and then Tim was shaking me to wake up as we were pulling into Inverness. Our hotel was adorable. We were booked into the Glenmoriston Hotel which when you first walk through the front door has the appearance of a five star hotel. Upstairs the room was complete with tartan throw blanket and pillows but what I was most excited about was the tub. After dinner at Wetherspoons I sat and luxuriated in a hot bubble bath. In the morning we pick up the rental car to drive up to Bettyhill! Not gonna lie I am utterly terrified at this notion. 

This photo above is the view out our window the following morning. I highly recommend the Glenmoriston. The staff are friendly and your reservation comes with free breakfast and it's not just cereal. 

Onwards to Scotland!

This morning was our last in London before heading to Scotland. We repeated our motions from our dry run and got out to Kings Cross by about 945am. With our train leaving at 1145 we decided to get some breakfast at Fullers Pub there at the station. When we walked in and got seated we were two of their five guests in the whole place. They came and took our drink orders and then proceeded to forget and ignore us and seated and served and took meal orders from about four other couples in our area. It wasn't until I was like, Helloooooooooooooo that we got attention. The other couples that ordered right before us had their food within fifteen minutes. We didn't get our food until after I went up to tell them we were leaving we would pay for our drinks but our train was due any minute that they instantly showed up with our food. We quickly scarfed down our breakfast and left thinking it was like transport in the United States where you have to be a minimum of a half hour early. Nope. We didn't need to be ready till fifteen minutes before hand. Oh well. We are now on the train headed to Stirling where we catch the bus to Inverness! 

A fabulous Italian dinner and a bust of a gay bar.

While in Soho we stopped in at a little restaurant called Made in Italy. It was small, quaint and definitely a romantic atmosphere (despite the couple on a date next to us that didn't seem to be going very well). It had a traditional fire brick oven which they cooked our delicious Italian pizza in and cheap wines. I give Made in Italy five stars. After our fantastic and filling dinner we decided to pay a visit to one of the highest rated gay bars here in London. G-A-Y bar to be more precise. Honestly I was rather disappointed. It was neat looking yes and filled with people from every walk of life, but it was overly loud with tv blasting as high as they could for the Xtra Factor which was on tv last night and people loudly trying to be heard over the music and tvs. There wasn't even a dance floor. But at least we didn't have any issues with the bouncers not letting us in as that was one of the reported complaints of people who have gone to this bar. But we still had a wonderful night overall.  

Americans are such prudes.

After our short visit to the British museum  we walked through Soho. Soho is also the center of gay life here in London as best I can tell. Specifically Old Compton road. From the burlesque shows to peep shows, gay bars (one of which is actually titled G-A-Y) to sex shops; it was abuzz with life and filled with more people than we had seen since the circle lines and district lines closed down tube service for two days. Being in the neighborhood I decided to take Tim to his first European sex shop. I have been to many during my previous travels ( you wouldn't believe the things they sell in German sex shops) and so it didn't even phase me, but Tim looked like he was ready to run out the door! The doors to the shop were wide open and they had large windows displaying their goods to the whole street. It was definitely something he wasn't used to, but it was clean and the staff were all super friendly and seemed as if it was second nature that they worked at a shop where they sell dildos and leather bondage gear. Americans are so prude when it comes to things of a sexual nature in comparison to the culture here. We don't even have tv shows where you can get women naked. Lol. 

A continued day of botches

So to continue our day of mishaps we figured since we were here an extra day we might as well try to squeeze some extra sights into the schedule. We hopped back onto the bus after watching some British tv for a little while to go to the British Museum. Only to get there and be told that they were closing and pushing people out the door. This was one of those exasperated sigh moments. I checked their website literally four times and it said they were open till 8pm. So I wasn't really sure why they were suddenly closing. We were told that we could walk around for a few minutes but that we wouldn't be allowed into any of the galleries. We managed to squeeze our way into the Egyptian gallery but only to be ushered back out into the main hall thirty seconds later. Oh well. What we did manage to see seemed pretty nice. I suppose it's something to do in the future. 

Successful dry run

Yesterday we woke up early, packed our bags, dropped the key into the mail box for check out, went to breakfast at the Shakespeare, and hopped on the train to Kings Cross Station. Only to get to Kings Cross Starion and realize that the date wasn't October 26th it was only the 25th. We had packed up and left a day early for our train to Scotland!! So back onto the underground we went and made our way back to our apartment. Luckily the key was sitting on top of a pile of mail and Tim was able to grab it from the mail box. With that successful dry run we'd made it all the way to Kings Cross and back and still had a half an hour before our train would have left!

Safe travels

One of the most terrible and terrifying things that can happen to a traveler happened to us on Friday. We went out for breakfast and discovered that my debit card, our complete means of financial support while on this trip, was gone. It was one of those moments when your stomach just plummets and you go icy cold with fear. I'm pretty sure I smoke more that day than I have any other here with how high my stress and anxiety levels were. Luckily I have an awesome bank that was willing to work with me to make it possible for my mother in law to withdraw money from my account and put it into my husbands account. They also let me know that in the future I need to make a trip to the bank to talk to them as they can give me a travelers card which is a back up debit card that they can transfer all my funds to as well as some emergency travelers checks. Moral of the lesson. Stay calm and make phone calls to get everything resolved. Also make sure that you have someone in your natural country that can help out and visit your bank before leaving to find out what their options are. 

Metro, Herero, or homo?

So this post comes at a request from the husband. Here in Europe in general the men tend to be much more fashionable than in the United States. From the well groomed in their crisply ironed suits, to the hip young fashionable gents in their designer shoes. This being said it's almost always impossible (aside from those where even a caveman would know) to determine what men are gay and what men are straight without literally walking up to them and asking. How awkward would that be? So be sure to enjoy all the well dressed and manicured men here in London. We sure do. And here's mine 

To be the tourist or not to be the tourist? Part One

Personally I am an off the beaten path traveller. Like any tourist I enjoy going to all the big things that everyone else does like the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramid of Giza, but over the years I have learned that I Despise (with a capital D) being around other tourists. I'd much rather spend my days in the life of those that inhabit the country I am visiting. That being said today was our tourist day (along with about an hour yesterday haha). Today we took a trip to Kings Cross Station to pick up our tickets to Salisbury and Bath as well as our tickets for Saturday to Inverness for the Scotland part of our trip. While there Tim posed at Platform 9 3/4 with the half vanished trolley. He stood in line for about twenty minutes just to get to the front to have the photographer walk away. Good thing my phone has a really decent camera. Honestly here's my advice on this. It's essentially the holy grail of locations for die hard Harry Potter fans like my dear husband, but the photo they take of you costs 10£. For comparison that is more expensive than a day pass to the transit system (off peak of course) and the flash on the camera they use is terrible. So with that I would say go up and have someone with another camera stand at the side and take the photo as their photographer does and save yourself 10 quid. 

To be the tourist or not to be the tourist? Part Two

After our jaunt to Kings Cross we hopped back onto the tube and shot down to Westminster Station. Here we went out and were awestruck by the sheer beauty of the Parliament building and Big Ben. Despite its massive size it's honestly one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. It has a wonderful gothic look to it, something fit for Quasimoto, but at the same time it's elegant. And then as Tim stood there for his photo the clock tower rang out! It was perfect. Now, we didn't take the tour of the parliament building as the tour we really wanted was the combined parliament and Big Ben tour. Unfortunately for us though, the Big Ben tour is only offered to UK residents. So next we hopped back onto the jubilee line and got off at The London Eye. We did The London Eye ride, and to be completely frank with you, it was a waste of money. Yes it was neat being able to see the whole city from so high, but it cost us £40 and we were stuck with a group of German tourist kids that either took up the entire bench or crowded all the best vantage points for photos. My recommendation is that if you have the extra cash to spend buy yourself a fast track ticket with the private ride upgrade. Then you can have the bench to yourself and plenty of photo opportunities. 

The Wonderful World of Marriages

Today my husband made me travel the whole way across London to find himself some Mountain Dew. That is all for this post. 

The early bird gets the worm they say...

Waking up at a ridiculous hour courtesy of my husband doesn't serve one well here in London. At least not in the Battersea or Clapham junction area as none of the restaurants open for breakfast until about 7am at the earliest. Also the buses in our neighborhood don't start until about 530am so you are pretty much stuck either walking or catching a taxi which are also far and few between at that hour. However I suppose a positive will be that we get breakfast at Jacks before anyone else. More bottomless English breakfast tea for me! I think I'm going to try the sausage for breakfast today! And an excuse to wear my new scarf from H&M!

Schmoozing with Shakespeare

For dinner after Wicked we walked back up to Buckingham Palace rd to dine at The Shakespeare. It's was a large pub style restaurant filled with dark woods and leather seats. Outside up front along the windows there was seating to drink your pint of ale and catch a smoke while watching the tourists pass by on their way to and from the palace and Victoria Rail Station. The outside even has a painting of Shakespeare himself to add the the character of the place. I had yet another pie for dinner. This time the Venison pie with mash. It was deliciously rich and sweet made with a port sauce and onions. Of course I did what any good Englishman would do and mixed the mash right in!