After my first posting last night, I went to dinner at a local pub called Sawyers Arms.  It was there that Jessie and I met Barbara and Steve, the retired Welsh couple from the picture posted yesterday.  They are visiting London for a four day vacation, and made for pleasant conversation.  We covered a variety of topics as I happily demolished my fish 'n chips, paired with a proper ale.  Three things about this meal captured my attention. 

First, the ale was far from cold.  I'd heard that the English drink some beer warm, but it still surprised me when it hit my lips.  Steve informed me that if stored and served properly, it should be precisely 54 degrees. Furthermore, he told me that they yeast used in some of the ales is over 100 years old, as the yeast from each batch is captured and re-used in the next batch.  Old, warm, beer.  I wouldn't have expected, but it was very nice.

Second, the beer battered fish was cooked to perfection.  It was light, flaky, and had a very mild flavor.  Oh, and it had the skin still attached on one side.  Hmmm, interesting.  After a few bites I leaned over to Barbara and asked if this was normal, or if the waitress was playing a trick on me.  Laughing the way grandmas do, she shared that it is normal, though some people prefer not to eat it.  Though I thought it was odd, it didn't bother me at all, so on I ate. 

My first of many fish 'n chips

Finally, the fish 'n chips came with a little bowl of green stuff that Barbara really wanted me to like.  Unfortunately, this will not make my late night craving list any time soon, but I will rate this concoction of mashed up peas a few notches above the giant scab I ate yesterday (blood/black pudding).

I returned to my room around 10:15 and called home to talk with the family (4:15 central time).  I neglected to remember that it was so early in the US, and asked Phillip what he ate for dinner.  He was clearly confused and Beth got a good chuckle out of it.  Sarah asked a lot of really good questions, and I look forward to being able to see the sights and fill her imagination. 

I was asleep by 11, only to wake up 3 hours later after an invigorating dream about the capacity built into the Marks & Spencer environment as compared to recent Black Friday order numbers their architect shared with me yesterday.  Thrilling!  After texting with Beth around 4, I flipped on Netflix and last read the clock at 5:45.

The bulk of the day was fairly uneventful -- very similar to any other day at home.  The workday ended around 6 pm, at which time I returned to the hotel and headed to dinner immediately.  I ordered a Scottish Venison sandwich to mix things up a little bit, and it was delicious. It reminded me of a turkey burger, but the meat didn't look sickly and it had a more robust flavor.  Tonight I ate alone but enjoyed the robust activity at the pub.  Two pubs in two nights, and both were packed with people socializing in a festive sort of atmosphere.  However, I have the feeling that the festivities continue year round.  Or, perhaps they only visit the pub when futbol is on TV.  By the way, the only thing allowed on pub TV's is futbol.  I'm anxious to see the atmosphere on a weekend.

Well, I'm exhausted after only 6 or 7 hours of sleep since I left Monday morning.  Hopefully tonight will be a better night and I can log some quality Zs.  I'm also hoping for warmer weather so I can enjoy walking around a little more -- it's been bitterly cold, and I'm a little light on proper outerwear.

Cheers