Mark Foster – “Au Revoir” 

Let’s have a break form all that brokenhearted relationship talk.

I went to London, one of my favourite cities in the world, to meet my English friend Carla and to spend some time away from home. I really needed to get some distance from my ex and from everyday life.

The big isle in the north means a lot to me.
I spent 10 Months in England, in a place called Orpington (south of London, Kent), when I was 16 years old.
It was an “exchange year”, which means I basically went to school there with all the English kids and I even did AS-Level exams.

I try to go back ever year to see my best friend and to visit my host family.
This time we went into some old pubs – it was wonderful and I had a great time!
So I thought I should share those three places with you.

All of them are situated near the St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Let’s start off with the Ye Olde London , 42 Ludge Hill.

You can see the entrance of it on the very top picture.
It’s a pub with a nice little garden. You have to walk downstairs through the whole pub to find it.

To be fair, since I work at a pub in Switzerland I usually feel very comfy in Pubs in general, because I know
what kind of people go there and I know how the system works and so on.

So for tourists or just to refresh your mind – You go and order at the bar and you pay directly. If you buy drinks you wait for them to be made and you take them with you and sit down wherever you want. If you want food you also order and pay for it directly at the bar. The staff will bring you the food to your place, once it’s done.
Very simple.

If you are a fan of beers, Pubs are perfect for you. But also if you’re like me – I’m not a fan of beers – there are some very very nice drinks you can have. A part from “the hard stuff” I would recommend you ciders.
The apple one’s are more sour, so if you are a sweet person like me, choose strawberry or passion fruit ciders.
You’ll love them.

What I have been obsessed with this time has been the Crabbie’s Ginger beer.
If you like ginger flavored drinks, you cannot go wrong with this.

And – drink the ginger beer and the ciders with ice! Trust me.

On the website you can find out more about the place:
Ye Olde London

---

Next one’s the Punch Tavern on Fleet Street

It’s a quite romantic little pub with all its fairy-lights.

The guys there were really into gin. They have loads and loads of different ones.
I wish I did remember what we drank – there was definitely gin in it.
The one with lime – and I think it was mixed with bitter lemon or something – was very nice.

Just ask the bartenders, they will mix something for your taste. And the prices are super-decent!

Find out more about them on:
www.punchtavern.com

---

And the last one I’d like to share with you is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street.

Okay I seriously wished I took more pictures of this place – it’s genuinely amazing!
Inside it is a maze of little rooms which seem to be actually part of a huge cellar.
I really cannot describe it differently, go and check it out yourself.
It’s just all connected with little stairs and it’s all underground.

To be honest, I wasn’t amazed by the beverage menu but I am positive you’ll find something for your taste.
I guess it really depends on how picky you are.
We tried the apricot beer – it wasn’t too bad.

Apparently Charles Dickens has been known to visit the pub frequently.
When you’re there you can easily imagine him sitting there.

I suppose this place really scores with its venue.
There is no official website for it but I hope this will help you:
Visit London – Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Have fun exploring and trying out those pubs!
xx jana