Week 4 (Jan 26th - Feb1st)

Wednesday:
I finally made it to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and enjoyed a traditional british meal! I ordered their famous steak and ale pie and a pint of the Old Brewery Bitters, which both were delicious.

On the way to the cellar pub at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

My pint of Old Brewery Bitters

Steak and Ale pie

After that, my friends and I ventured again towards the Whitechapel area where I finally got to see the beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral on our way to The 10 Bells pub.

St. Paul's Cathedral

The 10 Bells was the pub in which Jack the Ripper's victims drank daily and possibly conducted some of their business. It was very interesting to sit in a place with such history and enjoy yet another pint. I got the Camden Hell Lager, which I thought fitting. It was much "hoppy-er" with a bolder taste.

Camden Hell Lager

Abby, Sarah, Carson and I then headed to Brick Lane and went to Ambala Indian sweets. We tried an assortment of 8 different Indian sweets which included Jalebi, Pistachio Barfi, Gulab Jamun, Chocolate Barfi, and Rasgulla. The Jalebi was my personal favorite. It is deep fried batter soaked in a sugar syrup with a crystalized sugary coating, so it is hard not to like this delicious treat haha.

Ambala Indian Sweets

Abby and I stayed on Brick Lane to get some authentic Indian cuisine. The street is littered with these restaurants to the point each store had someone begging you to come eat at their place by offering a cheap meal. One guy even followed us down a couple of blocks. We ended up at this place called Masala because an employee offered us a three course meal and a free bottle of wine for only 10 pounds. Plus they apparently have won some 'Best Curry' competitions. I started with the Lamb and Chicken Samosas that were served with a yogurt sauce. For my entree I had the Madras Lamb which was the spiciest curry I ever had in my life, I swear I burnt my esophagus. Coconut rice accompanied it, but did not help much to cool off my mouth. The red wine did not help with the burn either, but I drank it anyhow.

Lamb and Chicken Samosas

Madra Lamb and Coconut Rice

Friday:
I woke up a bit early Friday to check out both the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery was nice because I was able to see the classic Tudor family portraits of Henry VIII, Queen Mary, and Elizabeth I. Unfortunately I was not able to take photos of these portraits, but it is understandable. Other portraits I had the pleasure of seeing included those of Anne Boyelyn and Shakespeare.

Anne Boyelyn

William Shakespeare

Paul McCartney

The National Gallery also did not permit photos of the paintings, but I was able to sneak a few. I was able to see the art of Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner, Renoir, Monet and Van Gogh.

The Water Lily Pond (1899) by Claude Monet 

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza (1855) by Honore Victorin Daumier

Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery

Megan, Abby, Paula, and I then stopped at a random restaurant on our way to Oxford Street called Browns. They had a two course lunch deal for 10 pounds. I ordered a Chicken Liver Parfait as a starter (SOOOO Delicious!) and had a nontraditional version of Bubble and Squeak as my entree (also quite good). Our waiter was kind of a douchebag and felt that he was not too fond of us 'cheap college students' along with us being Americans but whatever.

Chicken Liver Parfait

Bubble and Squeak

Sunday:
Today I was able to see Hampton Court Palace through the Social Programme and it was beautiful! We explored both King Henry VIII's more domestic Tudor Palace and King William III's massive baroque Palace. I also went through the Hampton Court maze (which was actually easy to solve), see Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar, Chapel Royal, the Fountain Court, the Clock Court, the Royal Gardens, the Chocolate Room, and King Henry VIII's Kitchen.

Henry VIII's Palace

William and Mary's Baroque Palace

Royal Gardens

The Great Vine: Oldest Grape Vine in the World

Fountain Court

Clock Court

Wine Public Fountain

Henry VIII's Kitchens

Joining some friends at the wine fountain

Marcus Aurelius

Mantegna's Triumphs of Caesar

Anne Boleyn's Gateway

Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court's Famous Maze

More of the Royal Gardens

The Chocolate Room

William III's Ornamental Weapon Room

View of the Royal Gardens from the Palace

William III was quite obsessed with Hercules

The Royal Bed Chamber

The Royal Loo

Got a little lazy with details this week but hopefully the pictures are entertaining enough. Again, if you want to text or call me for free via Wifi download WhatsApp and Viber :)