Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

My First Real Morning in London

Posted by "GrrlScientist" on August 29, 2008
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Professor Steve Steve has a large appetite, especially for such a small bear! If he keeps eating like this, I am going to have to force him to give me a paying job! [larger view].

I have slept, finally and am ready to go to the Nature offices today for our scheduled day of frivolity (and photography).

I have LOTS more images to come (as soon as I can find wifi with an outlet so I can charge up my laptop while writing my blog), including images of one of my readers, Bob O’Hara (I know you all are dying to see what he looks like) and my other science blog colleagues here in London.

My breakfast — the coffee was awful, tasted like instant Sanka (which is beyond disgusting), so I had to go out and get coffee at McDonald’s, where they sell decent coffee for an affordable price (I know, this is shocking).

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Comments

  1. #1 Orac
    August 29, 2008

    Actually, when I was in London at this time last year (where I wish I were again right now), there were Starbucks all over the place–almost as many in New York, it seemed. At least, this was true in the area around The Strand and Trafalgar Square.

  2. #2 SimonG
    August 29, 2008

    It’s weird to have people being so excited by London. Perhaps it just proves that familiarity really does breed contempt. :)

  3. #3 HolfordWatch
    August 29, 2008

    Whatever you are doing – take the chance to drop into Borough Market, go straight to L’Artisan du Chocolat, purchase a cup of their hot chocolate. Also, a bag of their mis-shapes (apparently, it is possible to share these – meh).

    On the way there, you may pass Brindisa – stop there for a chorizo sandwich or choose from any other stall that takes your fancy. The coffee-roaster stall is excellent and you will not regret the time taken to queue for their coffee.

  4. #4 Tziporah
    August 29, 2008

    I’m glad that you are ok and having a good time. Looks like someone lent you a usb device so that you could plug the card from your camera into your computer.

    I’m looking forward to more London updates. How’s the avian population out there?

  5. #5 Tziporah
    August 29, 2008

    The yellow blob in the styrofoam cup in the last picture – that isn’t “coffee”…is it?

  6. #6 Sam C
    August 29, 2008

    I say, old fruit, we like to call the smoke “London”, not “London, England” in our local lingo, which sounds so terribly ignorant. I know it’s a bit tricky for you colonial types, but give it a bash, old bean!

    Toodle-pip!

    (American: “goddammit, you English are so pay-tronising!”, Brit: “I think you’ll find that’s pronounced pah-tronising”)

  7. #7 killinchy
    August 29, 2008

    I say, that’s not a picture of an English breakfast. Where are the baked beans?

  8. #8 Horwood Beer-Master
    August 29, 2008

    Coffee? Not really our sort of drink, just ask for a nice cuppa tea next time.

    And that breakfast doesn’t quite look as appealing as it might (it certainly looks incomplete), is there not a Wetherspoon’s pub anywhere near where you are? I know there’s one at Victoria station but I don’t know most of London very well. Anyway I’m fairly sure I recall they do breakfasts.

  9. #9 Suricou Raven
    August 29, 2008

    As a brit, I would like to point out there is something you have to do. This is a manditory ceremony for all visitors to the country.

    Eat a cream tea. That’s tea with scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. It’s near-impossible to get clotted cream in the US, so enjoy while you can. Delicious.

  10. #10 Bob O'H
    August 30, 2008

    We’ll sort out the cream teas later. Grrlscientist is having a whale of a time – we might have to sedate her soon. The only problem is keeping Prof. Steve Steve in check.

  11. #11 "GrrlScientist"
    August 31, 2008

    the yellow blob is actually INSTANT coffee — i wish they’d told me they would charge me the same for a disgusting cup of instant coffee as for a cup of real tea (yes, I do love tea, but i really need the extra caffeine in coffee right now). anyway, today, i had two hot scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and i thought i’d gone to heaven. even though i was ravenous anyway, this meal was beyond good — i am now a devout follower of the culinary wonders of clotted cream — WOW!! why don’t they have clotted cream in The States???

  12. #12 EyeNoU
    September 4, 2008

    I don’t understand the big deal about clotted cream. I bought some cream recently that was three weeks past the expiration date. It was clotted. I thought it tasted terrible…..

  13. #13 Roman Werpachowski
    September 7, 2008

    @Borough Market

    You people have no taste. You go to Borough Market and all you see is chorizos? What about the Monmouth Coffee? What about Applebee’s Fish (not the restaurant, mind you — the stall next to it), what about the balaklavas, and the cheese shop near the market?