Cobra and the Wiz take on England

It’s taken us a week to sort out our beer list and photos but we have compiled some of the imbibing high points of our three-week trip to England and Sweden. Our trip began with a visit to the Borough Market located in the shadow of Southwark Cathedral. We were greeted on arrival by a banner proclaiming “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” An auspicious beginning we thought! After perusing stalls stocked with everything from oysters to steak and kidney pies, we headed across the road to the Market Porter where we enjoyed a Young’s Traditional and a Leeds Best while we kept an eye on the goings on in the market stalls. The following day we made a trip to the London suburb of Hammersmith (well worth the 20 minute journey on the Tube) where a bevy of pubs from the 1600-1700s grace the shores of the Thames. We narrowed it down to two, both with river views, the Dove and the Blue Anchor. In no time, we were enjoying an assortment of tapas and a couple pints of Tim Taylor’s Landlord and John Courage while we watched the boats drift beneath the Hammersmith Bridge. Back in the city, another favorite, which we returned to after an absence of 10 years, was the Black Friars pub, with a spectacular arts and crafts interior complete with a mosaic ceiling and monks round the fireplace. For photos see (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30728992@N04/3582856651/). A great setting for a pint of Lancaster Bomber Ale for Cobra and a Sharp’s IPA for the Wise Old Sage.