I have mixed feelings about who I am but that is OK, I’m a little bit of everything.
Paddington Bear
Sunday, June 8
L and I have arrived in London. We were in the United Kingdom last year and got engaged; this year we are back for someone else’s wedding.
I am exhausted by the time we check in to the Z Hotel Soho. The room is cramped. Your arms can almost stretch from one side of the room to the other. Most of the floor space has already been claimed by our limited luggage. The small room does not bother me though. Sleeping on planes is impossible for me, and the ten-hour flight from Phoenix has sapped all my energy. I take a quick nap while L goes to look around the nearby Uniqlo.
Eventually, I am able to drag myself out of bed. Soho is even busier than the next-door neighborhood of Covent Garden where we stayed last year. Our hotel is right next to the Palace Theatre where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plays most afternoons and evenings. The crowds are thick but never unmanageable.
We grab dinner at Rock and Sole Plaice, one of the city’s best chippies. Unlike many fish and chip spots, RSP has an extensive variety beyond just the standard cod or haddock.
I decide on skate for dinner, a rare find on most menus. This was always my granddad’s favorite type of fish. Unlike most fried fish, the skate is served on the bone. Pulling the meat from these bones which resemble the strings of a harp is a bit of a faff. The extra effort though is worth it for the strong, yet still clean, flavor of the meat. My granddad had good taste.
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