London! Day 2 – Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Pie & John Snow Pub

Off-shore continental breakfast: I ordered mini, he ordered lots. Carb holiday! — Off-shore continental breakfast: I ordered mini, he ordered large. Low-carb holiday!

Caught the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Did you know those red suits and fuzzy hats used to be state-of-the-art military garb? Google it! P.S. London in off-season is nice.

Westminster Abbey: our first “no pictures!” stop.

Westminster Abbey: this the only area you can sneak a picture. I was impressed by how many famous folks including great poets are buried here, although a little logistically disturbed trying to step around their paving stones, which apparently no one else felt the need to do. Kind of a beautiful, hoarder-of-fame kind of church. — Westminster Abbey: this the only area you can sneak a picture. I was impressed by how many famous folks including great poets are buried here, although a little logistically disturbed trying to step around their paving stones, which apparently no one else felt the need to do. Kind of a beautiful, hoarder-of-famous-bodies kind of church.

Took a jetlag nap in the cab, then..

Tower of London: officially still a palace of the Queen.

Tower of London: the yeoman wards were really good storytellers of the histories here, including the worst botched beheading, and poor lady Jane Grey, who I now feel compelled to read more on soon. These wards also have very distinguished military service, with. 20 year service minimum to qualify. Wow! — Tower of London: the yeoman wards were really good storytellers of the histories here, including the worst botched beheading, and poor lady Jane Grey, who I now feel compelled to read more on soon.

Towers Bridge: crossed this to find craft beer and lunch.

Lunch around 4pm at Draft House Tower Bridge: Linner? Who knows…

@Draft House Tower Bridge: delicious scotch eggs, a decent stout, and my kind of salad: with hot potatoes and fried chorizo on top! It really hit the spot after skipping through lunch to make it to the Tower of London before they closed.

Took a 2nd jetlag nap at the hotel while K worked…

Then, proper supper time at the Windmill (8:30ish?)! It was really hoppin’ in here.

This was my replacement for Thanksgiving dinner. My favorite thing about Thanksgiving turkey dinner is making pot pie in the following days, so this was a darn good consolation price. Click here to check out my pot pie methods.

K got the steak & kidney pie, which was very good, although undeniably kidney-ish. Thankfully, this meant I got to try the crust, and the fries!

Shepard's Pie at the Windmill! Delicious, and piping hot to the last bite. — Shepard’s Pie at the Windmill! Delicious, and piping hot to the last bite.

Time Out to Nerd Out!

Seeing as we were in the neighborhood, I insisted on hunting up the site of the Broad Street pump, where John Snow determined cholera was spread through the water supply.One of my favorite public health/epidemiology stories. This is back in the dark days, with miasma theory. Per the travel guide I browsed from the British Library’s gift shop, Secret London: an Unusual Guide:

“In September 1854 alone, 500 Soho residents died of cholera. Dr. John Snow, an anaesthetist (also discoverer of chloroform) who lived in Soho Square, concluded that the polluted water pump on Broad Street had caused the epidemic. Initially, the establishment scoffed at Snow’s theory. The Reverend Henry Whitehead, vicar of St. Luke’s church on nearby Berwick Street, claimed the deceased were the victims of divine intervention. But soon after Snow forcibly removed the handle of the water pump, the outbreak ended. In his research into the causes of the disease, Dr. Snow had to look no further than the Broad Street brewery. One of the perks of employees was an allowance of free beer, so they all abstained from drinking water. None of the 70 workers caught cholera.”

Outside John Snow pub on Broadwick (formerly Broad Street).

Inside John Snow's pub: another lively pub! — Inside John Snow’s pub: another lively pub!

Newspaper clipping from John Snow pub, along the staircase.

Sadly, the bartender informed me that the replica pump across the street was not available due to construction, but I did get a snap with this plaque!

Hmm, maybe this is why a girl can’t seem to get a glass of water to drink in this city….

Day 2 concluded!

London!
Day 2 – Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Pie & John Snow Pub

Time Out to Nerd Out!

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