Prague, Warsaw, London and Gayle. The End of a Journey.

Prague

Prague.

John and I arrived in Prague on Easter day. We checked into our AirBnB and hopped right across the street to a small local restaurant, U Bohouse. The food was delicious! My bestie Gayle was flying to Prague in 3 days to spend the rest of our adventure with us. We wanted to get a feel for the neighborhood before she arrived. We found a great little Martini bar a half block from our flat so we decided to go in and have a drink. We were the only ones there and it was an eclectic mix of books and monkey themed artwork. We loved the vibe and decided this was a place to take Gayle.

Beer Garden

Over the next 3 days we scoped out more restaurants, bars and the beer garden that was RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR FLAT!

The BEST Pork knuckle!

Gayle arrived and we started her stay out at U Bohouse. For the next week, we toured the city, visited the beer garden more than once, had a wild night at the martini bar, drank wine in the park and discovered the very delicious pork knuckle!

Monastic Brewery. Pic by Gayle.

We also visited a brewery in the cellar of a monastery!

Vinohrady

Prague is the most beautiful city I have seen. Our neighborhood, Vinohrady, was in the city yet felt very much like a small neighborhood with beautiful buildings, friendly people and great places to eat and drink. I would not hesitate to stay in Vinohrady again sometime.

Warsaw

Warsaw.

From Prague we took a train to Warsaw Poland. On our train ride to Budapest from Oradea Romania, we had a dining car which was wonderful. As it was the same train system going to Warsaw and the website also indicated a dining car, John and I were eager to show Gayle the perks of European train travel by dining and drinking in the dining car. Well, we were informed by a very nice train employee that there was no dining CAR but instead a dining CART. I guess they forgot the “T” on the website.
We had a first class compartment on the train all to ourselves until we crossed into Poland. We were then joined by less than friendly passengers but they kept to themselves and we just ate our snacks.

Warsaw was very different from the other European cities we visited. During WWII, Hitler destroyed approximately 85% of the city. Because of this, Warsaw for the most part has been completely rebuilt. It is a beautiful city with modern buildings and gorgeous parks. Our AirBnB was in the city and right across from several bars.

Gayle and John right before getting yelled at

There were also milk bars in our neighborhood. Milk Bars. A Polish tradition. They started at the turn of the 1900's and became extremely popular during the communist era. It's like an American diner - kind of. Milk Bars in Warsaw are all the same. There is a large menu (all in Polish) when you walk in. You order from the cashier and then give your receipt to a cook in a window. If you linger around the window she will tell you to sit your ass down (right Gayle and John?) When your food is ready she will call it out, in Polish of course. You bus your own table when you leave. Did I mention the food is authentic polish fare and is so so good! Oh! The 3 of us ate for $8-$12 !

Radio Cafe. My favorite European cafe.

One day we decided to take the Hop On Hop Off tour. It was a bit of a mess, there was only 1 bus and a lot of waiting around. However, it allowed us to have a great lunch at Radio Café waiting for the next bus to arrive. We had, of course, pork knuckle. We also ordered perogies. It was a classic meal at a classic café in Poland.

We found a great bar to have drinks (and pork knuckle), a great restaurant to have one of the greatest brunches I have had and a great neighborhood central to Warsaw.

London

London.

So we took a very early flight out of Warsaw to London. We stayed in the Elephant & Castle neighborhood. At first, arriving at the train station, we found the neighborhood a bit sketchy. But after we got settled in at our AirBnB flat, we ventured out and found the nearest pub. We ordered traditional English fare, Fish and chips, bangers and mash and sticky toffee pudding. Quite good I must say. A very nice English guy named Joe who worked at the pub gave us several suggestions for things to do, eat and drink in the neighborhood and London in general.

We took a tour of London and also a nice bus ride or two and took in the sights. London is so big that you wouldn’t be able to see all of it in a month of Sundays. It is an incredible city!

Mercado Metropolitano

One of Joe’s recommendations was the Mercado Metropolitano. An Italian market, it was designed to look like the huge food halls in Turin and Milan, but a bit more funky.   There were so many food stalls offering everything from BBQ to pizza to charcuterie to our favorite, raclette. We went there twice and just stuffed ourselves. 

We took Gayle to one of our favorite parts of London, Islington. We sat outside and drank beer and then introduced Gayle to middle eastern food at Harman’s.

Going home. Pic by Gayle.

Leaving London and Europe was very bittersweet. We were anxious to see everybody back in the states and be back in our own space would be exciting but I truly love Europe. We have made new friends and have seen so many beautiful places. From pet sitting to AirBnBs, it was an incredible journey. I’ll miss saying to John “Did ya ever think we’d be doing this?” and waking up in the mornings and for the first few seconds wondering where in the world I am. Our plan is to go back, not right away but in the future.

Goodbye Europe and goodbye to AbroadWithJohn.

Cheers.

Barb

A Storm in London

We left the perfect little English town of Wincanton for our next sit in the big city of London!

This would be our first sit where we would not meet our hosts, at all. Our host and her husband would be leaving for overseas before we arrived and returning after we left their flat. It was odd for us. At the beginning of our journey we would have been relieved, the introverts that we are. But here we were now, after many sits and many wonderful hosts who made us feel at ease, welcomed in their home and became our friends, we wanted to meet Lianne and her husband. My how we have changed!

Artwork in lobby.

We took "the tube" to Islington, a neighborhood in London. Lianne had said the subway station was next door to the apartment building. She was right, literally next door which made getting around London very easy for us. Sometimes at night we could hear the tube underneath us even though we were 7 floors up. The building was ultra modern with keyless entry, a concierge and some very cool artwork in the lobby. The apartment was also modern and the views of London Town were fantastic!

Our "roommate" was Storm. She is a beautiful black and white kitty. She was extremely well behaved and a little shy. She loved sleeping on the heated floors in the bathroom. She was easy to be around and loved rubs and attention. She tolerated us well and liked us to get her toys and play with her.

She loved to sit by the window and take in all the activity down on the streets. I don't blame her, it was fun to just people watch and see the happenings in the neighborhood. One morning we caught a glimpse of an elaborate funeral procession, quite impressive I must say.

The neighborhood had everything we could want including 2 restaurants that we really enjoyed not just for the food but for the service. Both were run by Middle Eastern families that have nailed down customer service. Two doors down from our building was an Italian restaurant. The owner waited on us our first time in. He and his staff were friendly and attentive, making small talk with us and making us feel welcomed. The second time we came in, a few days later, he not only remembered us but also what brand of beer we drank. He engaged us in conversation about where we were from, provided us with great food and again made us feel so welcomed.

The other restaurant was just down the street and featured Middle Eastern cuisine (soon becoming my favorite cuisine!) Our first night we were waited on by the wife and co owner. She was very pleasant and after we ordered she provided us with a complimentary appetizer. She also talked with us about where we were from, how long we were staying and what we liked to do in London. Our food that night was incredible! Two days later we decided to go back. She remembered us, asked what we had done since we were last in and again gave us another complimentary appetizer. Her service was outstanding, we didn't lack for anything. When we get back to London, we will make it back to both these restaurants!

Borough Market.

We explored London outside the neighborhood. We went to Borough Market, our niece Dena said we would love it and we did. We were lucky enough to get to spend an evening with Dena in London during one of her layovers. Dena knows so much about Europe and has been a great resource for us.We met her at a pub and sat drinking pints, laughing and catching up with her before we all caught our trains and tube back "home".

Lobby of the theatre.

We caught a play in a small theatre. We have always liked going to the small theatres. When my mother lived with us, the three of us would attend shows all around south Florida and then in Asheville after we moved to North Carolina. This theatre held around 70 people. It was a great little comedy and afterwards we strolled through the neighborhood and stopped for a late night coffee. A perfect evening in London!

We were in London for Guy Fawkes night. Our host Lianne said we should go up to the rooftop terrace and catch the fireworks. We had no idea who Guy Fawkes was and why he gets fireworks on his day. Turns out, Guy Fawkes is the inspiration for the masks and logo of the activist group Anonymous. Long story short, Guy Fawkes was a member of a group who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. Fawkes was in charge of guarding the explosives placed under the House of Lords. He was found, arrested, tortured and hung. Fawkes became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, the failure of which has been commemorated in Britain since November 5, 1605.  There ya go, he's kinda of a big deal in Britain. A great reason to shoot off fireworks not just on November 5 but the entire weekend! We did go to the rooftop, where we met several of the neighbors, all very nice, successful, young and from many different countries. Beer, wine and appetizers were served and everyone seemed to really enjoy the fireworks. The rest of the weekend we could watch fireworks from the livingroom of the flat. Pretty impressive!

We hated leaving London but our next stop was Ireland so we weren't too broken up!

Cheers!
Barb 

London!

Cheers London!
We arrived at Gatwick Airport at 11:00AM. By the time we got through Immigration, took a train to London, took a subway to the nearest stop from our hotel and then walked to our hotel, it was four hours later, Exhausted, we took a short nap then headed out to explore.  Our hotel was ideally situated, just off the main street so it was very quiet. We were staying in Islington, a borough of London. Great location! Our first stop was at Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant where we shared a great spicy wok-fried broken rice dish. We then headed out for our first pint and ended up at The Islington Town House where we had a pint of Beavertown Gamma Ray Pale Ale. On our way back to the hotel, we couldn't resist the "meat cone" at Casa Manolo.
We choose the Iberico ham.

My kind of cones!

After a good night sleep, we ventured out and had breakfast at Bill's. We decided to get a day pass for the buses and just take them throughout the city. We jumped on and off, saw Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, grabbed a pint and by late afternoon we headed back to the hotel. Later that night we went out for dinner and found an amazing Turkish restaurant, Gallipoli Cafe Bistro. We ordered mezzes with some wine. Incredible food and a great ambiance. Grilled Turkish spicy garlic sausages, housemade hummus with minced lamb and THE BEST Baba Ghannuge I have ever had. All washed down with some tasty red wine. We had an entertaining table of young English gents next to us and the windows were open letting in the street sights and sounds. London is full of diversity and personalities! Just a great night!

John at Gallipoli.

The next morning we headed out to catch a train to Bakewell for our first house/pet sitting. More on that to come!

Cheers from lively London!
Barb