Drinking in London

Drinking is one of the national past-times in England (queueing is another). The poms don't miss an opportunity to sink a pint, and because London is so widespread, people tend to meet at pubs for drinks rather than staying in to drink. All of which means lots of drinking in public - moreso because the pub crowds usually spill out well onto the street. Last night we caught up for drinks with little Rebecca, her new boyfriend Richie and her friends from Netley - another Rebecca, Andrew, fellow kiwi Tony and Judith.

We were seated outside a pub, surrounded by a crowd that only grew bigger as the evening wore on. Picking up a round of beers could take almost half an hour, and the pub ran out of glasses and started issuing plastic cups. We also had a surprise visit from a band, installed on the roof of their car, who stopped outside to play some tunes and sell some CDs. Quite a clever initiative, and one that proved popular with the masses.

After a few rounds we took the subway to Picadilly Circus, with it's famous array of video and fluoro advertising boards (like Time's Square). Stopped for BK and then popped into a nightclub where we catching up with another party of people. Not really our scene, so we eventually left to catch the last subway home - very, very crowded.

I had a sudden inspiration, and wore the kiwi balanced on my head the whole way from the club home. This seemed to attract a lot of attention - I have never seen so many English people smiling. Viva New Zealand, spreading joy among the dour Isles.