Dining in London

Although we have a short stay in London, we find time for several memorable meals.  We always look forward to a stay at the Renaissance Heathrow Hotel, both for the great views of one of Heathrow's runways and the fish and chips in the bar.  We arrive from Pisa and head right over for out treat.

Fish and chips

The next day, during our stroll through London, we arrive at the Borough Market around lunchtime and, after viewing the fabulous selection of dining options available, we choose fish & chips at Fish!, named the best fish and chips shop in London.  We select a haddock and chips and a cod and chips and sit on a concrete bench along the Thames to dine.

 Fish!

 Fish and chips waiting for diners

 Our meals

On the bank of the Thames

Later that day, for dinner, we head over to an old favorite, the Cork & Bottle wine bar in Leicester Square.  We share baked camembert with confit garlic and olive oil, grilled octopus with pineapple and chili jam, and a bottle of the daily wine special.  Wow!

 Cork and Bottle

 Camembert, octopus

After this delightful meal, it's time to stroll over the the Leicester Square Tube station and catch the Underground back to Heathrow to spend the night and rise early for our return flight to San Francisco.

A Quick Stop in London

We stay overnight at Heathrow and take the Underground ("Tube") into London for a day of exploration.  Starting in the financial district, we exit the Tube near Lloyd's of London (the world-famous insurance and reinsurance market) and 30 St Mary Axe ("The Gherkin").

 Lloyd's of London and The Gherkin

From there, it's a short stroll to Leadenhall Market, dating from the 14th century, one of the oldest markets in London, now packed with shops, restaurants and cafes.

 Leadenhall Market

Gracechurch Street leads from Leadenhall Market to the London Bridge, across which we find Borough Market, the oldest and largest food market in London, dating from the 12th century.  We wander and enjoy the great sight and smells.

Crossing the Thames

 Borough Market

From Borough Market, we stroll along the banks of the Thames toward the Palace of Westminster (meeting place of the two houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords), noting familiar sights and seeing what has changed since we were last here.

 Along the Thames

Crossing the Thames on the Westminster Bridge (located, oddly enough, at the Palace of Westminster), we head towards Buckingham Palace, cutting through St. James Park.

 Cutting through St. James Park

To Buckingham Palace

After the palace, we have one more stop in this short visit:  a quick trip to Knightsbridge to visit the Harrods Department Store Christmas Shop to check out the ornaments.

 Harrods Christmas Shop

It's been a quick, but fun, trip to London, but now its time to head home on tomorrow's morning flight to San Francisco.

Dining in London: Fish & Chips, Sunday Roast, and Roast Duck

It's lunchtime at the Camden Market and there are many attractive options, but I'm thinking fish & chips.  I walk right by Poppies Fish & Chips and the smell draws me in.  Poppies is named after Pat "Pop" Newland, who started in the fish & chip business in 1952 when, at age 11, he got a job cutting up copies of The Daily Mirror to wrap fish & chips.  Eventually, he got his own shop and now offers traditional fish & chips with either cod or haddock.  I choose cod and chips and enjoy the feast.

Cod & chips

The next truly British dining experience that I seek out is Sunday Roast.  The Sunday Roast developed during the reign of King Henri VII in 1485, serving a Sunday meal of roast beef, roast potatoes, and accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables, and gravy.  I enjoy this meal at one of our favorite wine bars in Leicester Square, the Cork & Bottle.  This Sunday Roast features roast sirloin of beef, homemade Yorkshire pudding, gravy, duck fat roasted potatoes, and seasonal vegetables, accompanied by a glass of merlot.

 Sunday roast

With everything

What a feast!

Next, another great roast, roast duck!  Long before chickens became the favorite poultry dish, duck was plentiful and roast duck was very popular in England.  Duck breeding suffered during the world wars and never recovered.  However, roast duck is readily available in London and I head out to find one.  A quick search brings me to the Gold Mine on Queensway, just north of Hyde Park, a street with several roast duck restaurants.

The window displays ducks waiting to be consumed and I order one, along with a plate of assorted vegetables and a Tsing Tao (Chinese) beer.

Gold Mine

 Duck and vegetables

 All together

I enjoy great variety in my London dining and all the meals are fabulous, each in their own way.

Greenwich, England

I take the London Underground to Bank Station, where I transfer to the Docklands Light Railway, which takes me through Canary Wharf and over to the bank of the Thames across from Greenwich.  Greenwich is famous for its maritime history and now has several museums, including the Cutty Sark sailing ship, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House art museum, and the Royal Observatory, in addition to the University of Greenwich, the Old Royal Naval College, and the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridien.  I cross the Thames through a tunnel under the river and start my exploration.

 Greenwich across the river

 Crossing under the Thames

The grand buildings and grounds of the Old Royal Naval College are spectacular, although the only building I can enter is the chapel

 Old Royal Naval College

Across the street, the National Maritime Museum holds over two million items related to the history of Britain at sea, including maritime art, cartography, public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, and instruments for time keeping and astronomy.

 National Maritime Museum

Next to the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House, a former royal residence (for Anne of Denmark, the queen of King James I), focuses on maritime art and the story of royalty in Greenwich.

 Queen's House

 Queen's House art collection

Up the hill from the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House, the Royal Observatory hosts the Prime Meridian and a display of clocks and astronomical and navigational instruments through the ages.  The Royal Observatory also features a time ball, which falls at 1:00 every day since 1833 for ships and Londoners to set their clocks.

 The Royal Observatory and the time ball

View from the Royal Observatory

 Time measurement through the ages

Telescopes

And, I get to see the Prime Meridien, the location of 0 degrees, 0 minutes, 0 seconds of longitude, dividing the globe into the eastern and western hemispheres.

 Prime Meridien:  one foot in each hemisphere

Walking back to the Docklands Light Railway, I pass the Cutty Sark, a British clipper ship built in 1869, and the quaint streets of commercial Greenwich.

Cutty Sark

 Downtown Greenwich

I've seen a lot today:  history, art, architecture, science, and technology.  But, I think I'll most remember standing on the Prime Meridien.