Most of the rain we'd experienced prior to today had been of the light drizzle sort. But today it started to come down harder. Made for a slow start to the day, which was OK after yesterday's schedule.
Maxine had gotten a recommendation on restaurants from someone she used to know at JD Power. So, for our first meal since arriving in England, we went out for French food... Best meal of the trip. I had Cassoulet and Maxine had Steak Frites. In general, we'd found that in France while the food was good, the service was indifferent (it's the whole thing about it not really being service but a metier). Anyway, this restaurant, La Poule au Pot (chicken in a pot), seemed to be staffed entirely by French natives. But, and this is the good part, with a British service attitude. So, good food and good service.
But, a good and big enough meal that we literally did not eat dinner this night!
After lunch the rain had pretty much cleared and I discovered that across the street was the HQ location for William Curley, one of the chocolate shops I'd wanted to visit. Went in. Bought our second dessert (the first, with lunch had been good, but the opportunity to add to it with chocolate could not be resisted). One of those chocolate places where they know where the cocoa beans come from and the guy who roasts them (makes it easier for them to manage how the ultimate product tastes because they can get ultimate consistency).
After picking up chocolates, and with the skies still clear, we wandered the area, Sloane Square (got famous when Princess Diana lived there before she got married). Moderately high end retail stores and windows to look in. Also stopped in the Saatchi art gallery (we're very happy at how many of the museums in London are free). Photo exhibit there wasn't particularly interesting, but in part, because I just don't think of photographs as art in the same way as paintings (especially abstract) or sculpture or any of the fields where something is being created from nothing. Finally, rain started up again and we caught a bus home.
A lot (all?) of the museums do something called "Lates". Just means they stay open late. We'd gone to the V&A late the 2nd night we'd been here. Tonight was the Science Museum's Late. Wandered the museum and then went to a nearby pub I'd researched, the Queen's Gate. Same parent as the White Horse where we'd been the other night. I got into a conversation with the manager regarding his beers -- not sure, but I suspect that an American asking in detail about the beers is a novelty. Had a nice time. But getting antsy to try one more pub (Maxine being very cooperative in this endeavor), we headed to the one closest to our apartment, the Tea Clipper. Had a beer called a London Pale Ale there. The beer flavor was pretty insipid and tasted a bit metallic (the beer line, age, ?) and I didn't bother to finish it. So much for this very nearby pub being our local hang out.
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