Blitz First, Snog Later

We started the day with an afternoon tour of the east end, in particular the area that was the main target of German bombers during WWII: St. Paul's Cathedral. Being spoiled by the sheer awesomeness of one of our earlier tour guides, Steve, I was a bit skeptical when the petite, jeans-clad middle-aged woman in pink raised her "London Walks" brochures in the air. The result, however, was a really fascinating story about the war and the people who took part in its unfolding. She seemed to really know what she was talking about and told it in a very straightforward way, adding a small flourish or sentimental story here and there.
Needless to say by 4pm when it was finished I was still quite exhausted and made my way home for an early-evening nap.
Later, Tristan cooked pasta and, as we're all attempting to empty out our food stores before the long trip back home, there was plenty for everyone to have a plate. It was a charming family-esque scene that played out with us enjoying our food and maintaining a light conversation before going our separate ways for the night.
For Allie and I this meant a trip to Camden, the reputed underbelly of London, with its great music scene and market where you're likely to be asked if you'd like to buy some drugs. When we got off the tube station the first thing I noticed were the fiber-optic anemone-like decorations that were attached to every light post. The second thing I noticed were the cops stationed conveniently every few blocks or so.
Having said that, we arrived at about 9:30pm and the place seemed relatively quiet. It occurred to me that this was a place for true night owls, and the business probably wouldn't pick up for another two hours or so. We wandered a few blocks and eventually decided to go into a friendly-looking pub called The World's End. Aptly so, it had a pirate ship on the ocean on its hanging front sign.
Inside was quite charming, really. It had a rustic, Victorian home feel to it with book shelves on the top of the bar in one room and a small fireplace in the corner (though I don't know if it was a working fireplace). The walls were painted a faded yellow and the red carpet had gold paisley-like designs scattered across. The ceiling was an ornate reddish tile that had similar pattern to that of the floor. On one wall was a four-case hanging bug collection with each flat cabinet having species of bugs from a different part of the world. Walking through a small hallway we found ourselves in a much larger room with another bar in the center and plenty of open space. A small alcove receded down a half-flight of stairs where a sign posted, "Dining Area for Diners Only." An upstairs loft overlooked the main floor and posters of bands and atmospheric pub announcements decorated the walls. Heavy metal music played loudly from the radio.
We stayed long enough to have a drink or two, then made our way back to South Kensington where I had my first taste of Snog Frozen Yogurt. In the three weeks we've been here, the one thing I wanted and to do and hadn't yet was get yogurt from this cute-looking little yogurt shop near the tube stop. Allie and I went inside and ordered our yogurt. I got mine with coconut and brownie bits (the latter of which make it what is called a Naughty Snog) and prepared for my first taste of the stuff.
It was delicious. I've never been one for eating plain, unflavored yogurts, but this one really hit the spot. It had a sweet taste, but wasn't really too overpowering, which I think is the problem with most frozen yogurts. This was good, though. Especially the brownie bits, which had a crumbly exterior and a fantastically moist interior.
Yay, Snog! Oh, yeah! And no one in Camden offered me drugs.

JD