Katy's celebrations started at Mes Amies, a Lebanese restaurant out in Hammersmith. It was a very eclectic place, to say the least. Decorated like a Chinese boudoir on crack and about the size of a matchbox, we all got very cozy together while trying not to bang out heads on hanging umbrellas. Though the service was slow, we snacked on hummus, baba ghanoush, samosas, and pita. We drank wine out of gaudy red wine glasses and played the crazy wax sculpture that was the table's centerpiece. We talked about the London transport system, what "spicy" food really is in England, and times we accidentally set appliances on fire.
Post-dinner we taxied ourselves off to the mysterious Evans & Peel: Detective Agency, a hidden cocktail bar (not unlike the Safe House, to us Milwaukeeans). We had to buzz to get in, then descended a load of stairs before arriving the detective's office.
The "detective" was a jaunty young man who eyed us with a haughty expression and politely asked us to "state our case". After Katy explained it was her birthday, and he looked unimpressed, we jumped in with a sad tale of two missing people. Alas, he said, you have to wait 48 hours before investigating missing people. But we didn't HAVE 48 hours! They disappeared under mysterious circumstances. There was foul play! We couldn't just sit around!
The whole time we were in there, I was scoping the place out. The room was completely enclosed. The only exit was the stairs we just came down. It was decorated all 1940s-eque and I knew there had to be a secret door to get into the cocktail bar. I won't spoil it for those who want to go, but I TOTALLY called the secret of how to get in. Down to the very minute detail of which object one needed to pull to open the secret door. I should be a detective.
The cocktail was small, but lovely, packed with glamorous men and women who could have come from any era. Some women had feathery headpieces or 1920s jewelry, but most people were just there to soak in the atmosphere. We were led to a little wobbly table and presented with a plate of bread and oil. We spent a good deal of time looking at the extensive and exciting cocktail menu. (One drink came infused with butter, while others had maple syrup!) Finally we ordered and spent the night sipping our expensive, but delicious cocktails.
The next day Katy and I slept in to our hearts' content and then had a late breakfast (practically a lunch) of homemade American-style pancakes with honey and bananas. Yum! We enjoyed them with a gorgeous view of a park outside of Katy's apartment window. The sun was shining again!
We were lucky enough that our mutual friend, John (a fellow Cantab from last year) was in London for the weekend, so we decided to meet him and his friend at the South Bank for a little Cinco de Mayo celebration! There were joyful reunion hugs, and then we attempted to navigate the headache-inducing crowds with our cumbersome luggage. South Bank had a "Streets of Spain" area which we were all excited about. Alas, it was less tapas and more stalls selling raw meat and spices (not something you can really eat in the moment). John was adventurous and got a weird dish that was basically noodles covered in garlic mayo with a single, lonely prawn on top.
The rest of us wandered to the other areas of the South Bank to look for more palatable food. Katy settled on a burger while John and I got pork sandwiches: pulled pork with rocket, applesauce, and chili sauce. Yum! Afterwards we parted ways at King's Cross with John heading back to Belgium and Katy and I venturing to Cambridge. Goodbye for now, London!
Monday: Bank Holiday in London. Katy and I spent a bit of the morning working a Bill's cafe. The afternoon, though, was what really mattered. We joined a few friends and went on our first punting trip of the season. If you don't really know anything about punting, check out last year's post on it HERE. Katy punted first with remarkable skill. And while John and I don't really look it, we were having a great time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the punt...
Since it was a beautiful, sunny day out, the river was worse than rush hour traffic in a big city. We tried maneuvering around most punts, but we ended up getting caught in a few multiple-punt accidents. Still, it was nice just being on the water. We drank cold beer and sang show tunes and I accidentally dunked my foot into the river (ew). The best part had to be when we spied a rival punt, captained by our friend. We decided to try a bit of pirate punting. So we quickly caught up with them, sidled our punt right up to theirs, and with the finesse of a skilled pirate, I leapt onto their punt. My goal was to steal our friend's hat, but since he's 6' 7" it proved a bit problematic. After avoiding being pushed into the river about half a dozen times, I retreated back to my punt, calling it a mission mostly-successful. Until next time.
We spent the rest of the punting trip avoiding other punts, watching swans, soaking up sunshine, and talking about how much we're going to miss Cambridge. Alas! I don't want to think about it too much. It's weekends such as these that make me realize how blessed I am to be able to pop over to London for an overnight, to be able to lounging a boat on the river, floating past gorgeous 500-year-old buildings. Extraordinary.
In the comments below, tell me your summer plans! When I'm done with work, I'm going to be spending all of my free time lounging on a little punt on the river. Ah, 'tis the life!
PS: I realized after publishing this that my blog post is lacking something very important. I forgot to mention two of my dear friends who were guests on our punting trip. First is Natalie:
Natalie is a spaniel reincarnated as a bubbly redhead. She spent the punting trip serenading us with her dulcet tones. She also shared her Starburst which was just incredibly generous (even though she only shared the blackcurrent-flavored ones).
Then there's Chase:
Inside, Chase is clearly a stern old man from the 1890s. Most of the time though he's a kind young man from the 2010s. He contributed cheese straws and exciting banter to our punting trip. He also held my beer on multiple occasions when I was either plundering nearby ships or failing to paddle the punt.
My failure to mention either of these two illustrious people in my blog post is a serious slight on my part and I sincerely apologize to both of them.
Love you guys. :)
