Day 6 - Back to London for the final day

Well, this is it, the final day. Too bad we get to spend most of it in airports and on planes. That is the price of getting cheap plane fare. We had to fly through Geneva with a couple hour layover but the flights were thankfully uneventful. We arrived back in London about 5PM and headed back to the hotel (once again by the brilliant Heathrow Express) to drop off our bags.

We had one final mission. Actually, not a mission but a pilgrimage. Not so long ago I waxed lyrical in this very blog about an amazing IPA from Meantime Brewing in London that I purchased in Austin. Well, Anthony being a frequent reader of this blog also sought it ought and he and Chad were equally impressed. So, no trip to London would be complete without a Meantime. I had contacted the brewery prior to the trip to try and arrange a tour of the brewery but they responded that they were not really set up for tours but were moving to a new brewery soon and please come and see them next year. Well, I'd love to, for sure, now if only I can convince my wife another trip is warranted. :) Since we couldn't go to the brewery itself, the next best thing was to visit their one and only pub, in Greenwich, South London, the Greenwich Union.

We initially tried to make this excursion after the Spurs match but the DLR (Docklands Light Railway), like many other Underground lines were closed that day. Undeterred, we set out first thing from the hotel determined not to be defeated this time and it was more than worth the effort. Not only were we able to get the DLR, it was a delightful ride out on this completely new railway through what is mostly recently reclaimed and renovated office buildings and flats. Upon leaving the stop at Greenwich, we once again had to consult what Anthony had dubbed "The Oracle" (my iPhone) for which direction to go upon leaving the station. Walking through what, at first, looked quite a desolate neighbourhood (to use the King's English), soon the street brightened and livened up. The poor punter sitting outside the pub as we walked up was probably quite disturbed by us shooting pictures and quietly celebrating the fact that we were actually here. We entered the quite quaint pub with certainly myself (and probably Chad and Anthony too) thinking "oh, to have a pub like this near home." No, unlike most of the pubs I seek out, this is not necessarily a historic pub but it has that great non-tourist, neighbourhood local feel about it.

One additional great thing about coming to this particular pub is the fact that nearly all Meantime beers are available. In Austin, in particular, we can only get IPA and London Porter. Here, they had all of Alastair Hook's amazing creations. For those not in the know, Alastair is somewhat unique as a brewer. Not only did he study at the prestigious Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh but also in Germany, so he is equally suited to do outstanding British and German beers. I stuck with Meantime's London Pale Ale as I can't get it in the U.S. but Anthony tried it and then branched out to their Kolsch, which was excellent. However, the real story here, astonishingly, was not the beer. No, don't get me wrong, there is no demeaning of the beer in any way. The Greenwich Union has, at least at this point for all of us, THE best chips in the world! Chad and I both ordered Fish and Chips and the fish was outstanding but the chips were beyond compare. They were served in some sort of metal cup and were so good Chad had to order another cup despite already being full. Yes, they were THAT good!

Given the long journey time back to the hotel and not wanting to miss the Underground before it closed, we headed back to the DLR but not without buying some Meantime bottled beers to go. Once we got back to the hotel, Anthony and I had our beers but Chad, poor sod, still feeling somewhat ill, went to sleep pretty quickly after we had packed everything up for the morning as it was an early rise to catch our plane back to the States.

With the windows open, fans going, bags backed and beer drank, it was lights out for the final time. I must say, as I started to drift off to sleep, I really had to pinch myself to be sure this had all really happened. What an outstanding vacation. A beer lover, football lover, food lover, Man's Man of a vacation if ever there was one. And two of the best traveling companions I could have asked for. And, let it be re-stated, this was actually Anthony's trip but there is little doubt it was really "our" trip. As always when I travel I missed my family terribly but this was without question a trip of a lifetime.

Again, I thank my incredible wife, Valarie, so much.

Yours Aye!
Neil