an ale for st arbucks in the clinker

To the soothing sounds of an Englishman performing ‘Fa la la la, it’s a lovely day…’, Ian, Bron, Rory and I enjoyed a guided pub walk, along the Thames, from Blackfriars to London Bridge on Wednesday. As we ventured out of the financial part of the city and along the Thames, I was pleased to be steered through parts of London that, previously, I had no idea existed. I’m not the greatest believer in ‘touristy’ activities but our animated guide’s enthusiasm kept me interested with his outbursts and stories about London while we traipsed from one pub to the next. I love living in a city that has so much history that it has been re-written time and time again. London Bridge area, as I discovered, hosts an abundance of offerings which include the Clink Prison Museum (back in the day you didn’t want to end up there), a replica of some famous old ship, Borough Market and my favourite, a coffee house dedicated to the patron saint of café lattes, St Arbucks (that was my favourite part of the tour!). Mostly, I learned a lot about beer. And I’m still unwavering in my opinion that it’s largely gross.