Pints Abroad

Over the past 7 days I have accomplished the following:

• Moved into my new room
• Did not pee myself on the Tube (although very very close)
• Watched Tottenham lose to West Ham
• Drank and rated 10 different pints of Guinness
• Got adjusted to the time change
• Been to at least 20 different pubs
• Watched Tottenham beat Dortmund
• Seen an Iranian protest
• Saw a Van Gogh painting I had to recreate in 3rd grade art class
• Visted the Churchill War rooms
• Drank half a bottle of water
• Wore the same pants 4x
• Unadjusted myself to the time change

As you can see, it has been a busy week. There’s a lot to say about this week, and a lot to cover, but for the sake of time, I will stick to the important stuff: What I have learned so far.

The Tube: A masterpiece of infrastructure and engineering. Everyone will tell you it is so simple, and admittedly, it is. What is not simple about the tube is the fact that it was not designed for my need for constant stimulation in mind, and as a result having a good non-service IPhone game is a must (bonus points if you can play while standing up)

Driving on the Left: Basically like trying to write with your left hand. I will never know which way to look, and basically look both ways twice, hoping I’m not going to get hit. I have turned into a mindless sheep when it comes to crossing the street; once I see a ‘local’ cross, I do too. I also have no clue which side of the sidewalk to walk on. It kinda just seems like a free-for-all. You have people walking literally wherever on the sidewalk.

Weather: litterally no one cares about the weather here. There’s absolutely no reason to check it. It’s sunny, but the sun doesn’t make you any warmer, or it’s cloudy, and the temperature stays the same. Rain? Yes, always, but also it’s always a weak rain, so it doesn’t matter. It also gets dark here at like 4:30, which means the majority of the day is in the dark, but it also doesn’t get much colder in the dark.

Pub Culture: Pubs are everywhere. Every pub is cool, and every pub is packed with people. From what I can tell, they each have the same four options: Guinness, Fullers, Camden Town, and Landlord’s. In central London, it seems like there are a lot of chain pubs (most are Greene King’s); however, we have still found some cool standalone spots. The happy hour scene here is awesome. Once the clock hits 5 PM, the pubs are filled with people in suits enjoying a pint, and when I say filled, I don’t just mean inside. Unlike in America, where once it hits October, everything goes inside, they just don’t care, here it’s awesome.

Lastlty here are this week’s Guinness Rankings as well as the POTB (Pub of the Week)

Nags Head (CG): 5.1/10

The Coach & Horses (CG): 8/10

The Crown*  (CG): 6.2/10

The Anchor* (B): 4.8/10

Ye Old Watling (Central): 7.8/10 

The Ship(Burrough) 7.7/10 

Queens Head (Shoreditch): 7.4/10

The Round House (CG): 7.7/10

Mr.Foggs (CG): 6.3/10

Simmons (SoHo): 7.1/10

The loose box (W): 6.6/10

This week’s POTW is The Coach & Horses pub in Covent Garden. In an area filled with tourist stops and overpriced food, The Coach & Horses pub is a needle in a haystack. The Guinness was easily the best of the week, and the pub’s atmosphere was also amazing.

This week, I think we are doing a day trip to Canterbury, and then next weekend, we start our first of 3 away games at Edinburgh. Should be some good updates there.