It's our last visit to London for a while, so why not go back to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese for lunch and another dose of its gloomy charm. According to a plaque nearby, Charles Dickens operated out of the Cheshire Cheese pub while working on his journal All The Year Round.
The entrance has almost been worn away. This metal grill protects what's left of the original stone step. It also provides a more predictable exit for intoxicated patrons.
The front bar is small, gloomy, and charming. There are four bars tucked away in the rabbit warren-like pub. Or, at least, that's how many we've found so far. On our last visit here, we didn't explore downstairs beyond the restrooms. But this time around, we found some stairs just past the restrooms that took us to some small wine cellar rooms, then some more stairs that went to yet another bar.
Maybe I'm just a gloomy guy, but I think this is the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a cider.
Looks like someone needs another gloomy glass of wine.
After ordering food from the bar below, I searched for our table and Robin. Aha, found them.
These stairs go from our gloomy table, down and to the left, to a gloomy bar below.
The bar below. The Tube isn't the only Underground here.
Here's to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Robin points out that the phrase "Ye olde" comes from the misunderstanding of old writing of the words "The olde." The drawing of a "T" in old manuscript writing usually looked like a "Y" and the use of the incorrect phrase "Ye olde" became common.
An iconic UK sight, for me. A bubbling pint of cider. Lots of bubbles. Pints of cider are usually served filled up to the brim of the glass. This pint partially empty because I've already had a sip. Lest ye think I have ye olde cider problem, let me remind you that cider is a very mild drink, about as potent as apple juice.
As you can see from the bubble-inducing pattern in the bottom of the glass, we're drinking cider from an Arcoroc glass. They make glassware for restaurants. If you can figure out what the symbols mean, let me know. The important thing is, the dots make bubbles.
After a typical pub meal (cottage pie) and a farewell to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, we leave the pub's small side street and make our way to Aldwyche Street and the Novello Theatre to see Noises Off.
