An Idiots Guide to Dining in Fancy Restaurants

Day 4 - Tuesday 13 March - Today, Davey went to class (yay!) and when he returned we decided to head over to the Tower of London to learn about the Bloody Tower, the Crown Jewels, and the Beefeaters. First of all, the tower isn't really a tower. It's more like a huge castle with a bunch of little towers strewn about it. Second of all, despite all of the awful things that happened inside, the place is beautiful, and the sun and green grass just added to it's elegance. Third of all, we missed seeing Prince Charles by about half a day. According to our tour guide, he had visited earlier in the afternoon, thus prompting all of the beefeaters to dress in the dress uniform complete with red coat and pants (yes, we missed the red coats yet again). However, when we got there they had all already changed back into the daily (and more economic) uniform of black coats and pants. Despite this, our tour was wonderful. We got to learn a little British history as well as hear some amazingly corny jokes, which I won't torture you with. In addition to the splendor of the Tower, we also got to see some great views of the Tower Bridge, which I must say should just become the London bridge because it's really what everyone is talking about instead of the actual London bridge. I tried to include some of the pictures that we took during the day so you can see just how pretty it is.

After exiting the Tower upon its closure, we headed home and ate a very quick dinner in order to rush down to Victoria Station to try and get tickets for Billy Elliot. We did get tickets and sat at the very front of the upper level (safely contained behind a safety rail) to see the show. It is easily one of my favorites. Being an absolute sucker for any dance show, I immediately fell in love with Billy and literally sat on the edge of my seat watching him learn to tap and pirouette. Billy was not the only amazing part of the show though. Literally every member of the company danced from the woman playing the grandmother to the overweight miner. This is definitely worth seeing if you have a chance.

Day 5 - Wednesday 14 March - Day trip!!! It is my understanding that it's just not right to visit London and never see some of the other sights of England. Because of this, Davey and I decided to visit Bath for the day to see the Roman Baths and a different side of England. We took the tube to Paddington station (where we still cannot find Paddington) and boarded a train to Bath. It was definitely a great way to see the countryside and the less well-known side of England. We got to Bath around lunch time and proceeded to walk around, taking in the scenery. We soon came upon the actual baths and noted the huge tour groups (and Trident protesters) outside. So we went into the local abbey to waste some time and were treated to a choir from Memphis as we walked around. After our lap around the church we went back to the baths and paid our entrance fee to tour the building. I was actually very disappointed. I guess I expected more authentic ruins rather than exhibits and recreations. There were a few baths still intact and it was wonderful to see them as well as the various statues throughout. However, I think I could have lasted without the venture. While in Bath we also got to see our friend David who is studying abroad there and he showed us around the Circus and the Royal Crescent complete with commentary on the architecture and the history. While walking, we also found a great mini-golf course and green. However, we didn't have quite enough time to fit a round in because we had to get back to London for dinner reservations.

Davey took me to a Gordon Ramsey (of Hell's Kitchen fame) restaurant for dinner. The food was amazing! Both of us felt quite out of place in the restaurant, but enjoyed it immensly (especially the box of truffles that we were given to take him in place of a mint).

The meal also prompted us to create our own idiots guide to dining in fancy restaurants. It is as follows:
1. When ordering food point to what you want on the menu. Do not attempt to pronounce the actual dish. You will only be corrected. If you feel that you must say something, say the easiest part of the dish (ie, beef, sea bass, lobster bisque).
2. If asking the waiter a question, smile and nod as he answers you so that you appear to understand what he just said.
3. When given choices, ask the waiter for his personal preference. Say "that sounds great" and you will have that. You'll figure out what it is when the plate arrives in front of you.
4. Try whatever is put in front of you (unless you actually know what it is and know you will not like it). It usually turns out to be pretty good.
5. At the Savoy Grill the amuse bouche before the meal and the pre-dessert are wonderful.