|
|
Contents |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 |
Day 4 |
Day 5 |
Day 6 |
Day 7 |
|
Malta - Day Five Of London and Buckeyes |
|
It was an early and unwelcome morning that greeted us that day in Malta. Our sojourn on that island was coming to a close, which meant that our honeymoon was almost over. It was a slow trudge to our giant bathroom with the marble floor and the pair of sinks. And it was a painful ride up to the 15th-floor lounge for our last breakfast on the island. I was even wistful for the joys of waiting for an elevator than never worked right as we stepped off of it for the last time. The front desk called for a cab and it arrived soon thereafter. The Saturday morning traffic was light, so it was a quick ride to Malta International Airport. With naught but a quick stop at the newsstand, we were heading toward the gate and away from Malta. But I did make sure to pick up a Maltese rugby jersey -- that was a must. Why was the Maltese rugby jersey a must? Because I couldn't find any soccer jerseys. We were on our flight soon enough. And soon enough we were heading to London for a day of sightseeing, a night of Ohio State football, and a restful stop on the way back to America. Back to LondonArriving in Gatwick airport, we jumped onto the Gatwick Express to head into the city. We were staying at a place in the city called the Hotel Kempinski and we were looking forward to a bit of sightseeing on this Saturday afternoon before heading to a bar that showed Ohio State games Saturday nights. Everything was going fine as the Gatwick Express headed into Victoria Station and I even noted my wistful optimism to Chris as we arrived, since I have had a couple of very good vacations begin in this exact manner. Note to self: Never be optimistic about anything ever again. Battling the CrowdsThe problem with arriving at Victoria Station in the middle of the day on a Saturday is that everybody is coming through Victoria Station in the middle of the day on a Saturday. So struggling through massive crowds while towing suitcases is not the most relaxing way to begin a vacation stop. Nor is waiting in long lines to get to the ticket machines where we can get our train tickets. Nor is fighting through the confusion of the train station while fighting the crowds while trying to keep your wife and your luggage all going in the same direction. Nor is getting to the Oxford Circus Station and getting dumped onto a street corner unsure of where we were going or which way our hotel was in and we were doing it in a very, very busy shopping district at the middle of the day while towing suitcases. I, of course, screwed up the job. I got us through the crowds as well as I could, which really wasn't all that well. I got us to the hotel as well as I could, which was poorly, as I missed the road we wanted and went some two or three blocks farther than I needed to. But I did find the street we needed to see the Ohio State game, so it was actually somewhat successful. It looked as though things seemed to be going pretty well for us as we arrived at the door of the Hotel Kempinski. The HotelWe checked in and headed upstairs to a pretty nice room, all told. The entire sleeping area was about the size of our bathroom in Malta, but what can you expect in London? But the bathroom did have a bidet. But I never really got comfortable enough with the thing to give it a try, so I can't provide a report. It was while we were unpacking that we heard something very odd that was rather shocking. It sounded like something metal slamming into our door with a loud crack. I would compare it to a BB fired from a slingshot. Subsequent investigations of the door provided an explanation: the door latch was not latching when the door was first closed. Thus, when Chris and I left to go grab some lunch, I was forced to stand there and yank and push down on the handle in an attempt to figure out how I could bend the door so that it would latch and lock. This was the first issue I would have at the Hotel Kempinski. A Much Needed MealChris and I headed out to grab a quick bite to eat and we quickly located a promising-looking tavern near our hotel (I believe it was called the Shakespeare Tavern) and we headed to the upstairs restaurant. A waitress arrived and led us to our seats and then disappeared for probably fifteen minutes. We were tired, we were hungry and we just wanted a nice meal. However, we were being stymied in this effort by a waitress who clearly had no intention of serving much of anybody that day. Furthermore, people would come upstairs and wait by the door for a seat, only to be -- from what we could tell -- told that the upstairs restaurant was closed. They were the lucky ones. Twenty minutes after being seated, we were finally given our drinks. All told, it took us about an hour-and-a-half to eat a meal at a pub because the waitress would disappear for long stretches of time before returning to take care of one table, then disappear again. It has been noted in some circles that if people were expected to tip waitstaff in Europe, patrons might get better service. Again, you need to have drinks and a meal in front of you before you can be expected to relax and enjoy them. During our very long meal, Chris and I decided against visiting St. Michael's as we had intended. Instead, we just wandered the streets of the general London area and saw the shops and byways and streets that made up this area of the city. We stopped in a record store and I spotted some albums by The White Stripes that were intriguing, but I decided not to buy. And we whiled away an afternoon in an urban neighborhood, just wandering in and out of streets and byways. But even that began to be too taxing for our travel-addled bodies and we returned to the hotel to take a nap. The Buckeye ConnectionA few hours later, we awoke to our final task: getting someplace to watch the game. Specifically, the Ohio State - Michigan State game that was occurring that weekend. So we donned our Ohio State sweatshirts for just that purpose and headed over to Bodean's Barbeque for some beer and football. Bodean's is an American-style barbeque joint in the middle of London. It seems that some American somehow ended up in London and, for want of some decent barbeque and American sports, opened a restaurant. Thus, Chris and I found ourselves a seat in the upstairs of Bodean's and got ourselves some food and beer. We were informed that this was a Buckeye Backer bar, but there were also some folks in Florida and Kentucky attire, so we could not determine exactly how this worked. Should you ever find yourself at Bodean's, you'll need to know the following: 1. You cannot order beer unless you have ordered food. This is the most important step. 2. Once you order food, you can order beers the rest of the night. Once you have had food, now you have access to as much beer as you like. 3. This bar provides football from some manner of overseas station providing American sports to people (like American expatriates) who need their fix. Thus, I don't know if they always have the Ohio State game, but I will assume so. 4. They probably thought that Ohio State and Florida fans would be a good mix -- when would they ever play each other in anything? So it's a Buckeye and Gator Backer bar, from what I could tell. 5. Be nice. It's a long way from both Columbus and Gainesville and everyone just wants to see their team. And you may need to talk to the Florida fans to figure out all of the above steps. For the Expatriate on the GoAnyway, this place seems to be a slice of the United States in the middle of London. American beer (Coors Light), American food (good barbeque... which would taste like the best thing on earth if you don't get it very much), and American sports to those who need them. Should you find yourself staying or living in London, and needing a reminder of home, I highly recommend this place. They even advertised a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the fixin's -- should you find yourself jonesing for a taste of the New World on the last Thursday before the last Saturday in November. Or if you were originally from Britain, then lived in the U.S. for several years before moving back to England, getting married and having two children -- but you still have fond memories of your stay in the United States -- you may also enjoy this place. Mind you, the fact that Britain is 5 hours ahead of the United States means that the 3:30 game starts at 8:30 in London, meaning that it's going to be a late night. But Chris and I enjoyed our evening, we had a few beers, we had some decent food, then we returned to our hotel without event. And Ohio State won, which also helped the evening. Tomorrow would be our trip home, and we were yet blissfully unaware of just what would be required to do that very thing. |