Originally, when I booked my 10 AM ticket for a tea tasting, I was concerned that would be too early. I guess I didn't understand how jet lag would be working... I woke up around 4:30 AM, confused how it was light outside. I dosed a little more before breakfast (7:30 AM) and set out into the city.
I reached my destination, Postcard Teas, rather early. It is in a major shopping area, but most of the stores hadn't opened yet. I mostly window shopped, and popped in to a few of the earlier opening. I returned to Postcard Teas a few minutes before 10 AM.
The tea tasting was excellent. Tim explained the teas to us, while Jonathen brewed the tea in the back. We started with green teas, with a comparison between Japanese and Chinese green teas. We were shown pictures and videos of the tea making processes, and told about the different tea masters who produced the teas. The second batch was Oolong, comparing different oxidizations. These were my favorite - I love the complexity of this style.
We finished with Darjeeling and Assam. We tried three different seasons of Darjeeling: spring, summer, and fall (or first, second, third flush). I hadn't previously appreciated the variation that Darjeeling could have; I certainly preferred this to the darjeeling i have had in the past.
When the tasting was over, I tried two additional teas: a roasted oolong and a pu-erh. I bought both teas; the prices at this shop were not as high as I expected, given that these were handmade teas from specific estates.
I returned to my hotel, about a 20 minute walk, and then set out for the Tate. It was a fairly long walk; I stopped at a pub halfway. I had a pint and fish and chips. After, I crossed the Thames and found the Tate. The museum was excellent - I didn't go to either of the specially-ticketed exhibits, but there was plenty of see of their standard exhibition. They had a video piece that I had seen before (I'm not sure where) that has been one of my favorites, so I was thrilled to see it again.
Feeling a bit exhausted from all of the walking, I took a water bus from Tate Modern to Tate Britain. I thought it might lead to a shorter walk, but that wasn't true. On the boat I was able to see some great views of Big Ben, the London Eye, and other landmarks. I didn't actually go into Tate Britain, but walked to Big Ben and Westminster.
At that point I wasn't too far from Buckingham Palace, where I walked next. I wasn't there for the changing of the guards, but there were palace guards out front, wearing the funny hats and looking very serious. I headed back to my hotel, walking through a different part of London from what I had seen so far.
I'm not sure how many miles I walked in total - possibly 10. I was exhausted, and meant to take a nap. That nap happened to last all night. When I had planned this trip, I thought I might be out pub-hopping all night, but I'm too tired to do such things. I also seem to be jet-lagged to be on an incredibly early schedule.
I reached my destination, Postcard Teas, rather early. It is in a major shopping area, but most of the stores hadn't opened yet. I mostly window shopped, and popped in to a few of the earlier opening. I returned to Postcard Teas a few minutes before 10 AM.
The tea tasting was excellent. Tim explained the teas to us, while Jonathen brewed the tea in the back. We started with green teas, with a comparison between Japanese and Chinese green teas. We were shown pictures and videos of the tea making processes, and told about the different tea masters who produced the teas. The second batch was Oolong, comparing different oxidizations. These were my favorite - I love the complexity of this style.
We finished with Darjeeling and Assam. We tried three different seasons of Darjeeling: spring, summer, and fall (or first, second, third flush). I hadn't previously appreciated the variation that Darjeeling could have; I certainly preferred this to the darjeeling i have had in the past.
When the tasting was over, I tried two additional teas: a roasted oolong and a pu-erh. I bought both teas; the prices at this shop were not as high as I expected, given that these were handmade teas from specific estates.
I returned to my hotel, about a 20 minute walk, and then set out for the Tate. It was a fairly long walk; I stopped at a pub halfway. I had a pint and fish and chips. After, I crossed the Thames and found the Tate. The museum was excellent - I didn't go to either of the specially-ticketed exhibits, but there was plenty of see of their standard exhibition. They had a video piece that I had seen before (I'm not sure where) that has been one of my favorites, so I was thrilled to see it again.
Feeling a bit exhausted from all of the walking, I took a water bus from Tate Modern to Tate Britain. I thought it might lead to a shorter walk, but that wasn't true. On the boat I was able to see some great views of Big Ben, the London Eye, and other landmarks. I didn't actually go into Tate Britain, but walked to Big Ben and Westminster.
At that point I wasn't too far from Buckingham Palace, where I walked next. I wasn't there for the changing of the guards, but there were palace guards out front, wearing the funny hats and looking very serious. I headed back to my hotel, walking through a different part of London from what I had seen so far.
I'm not sure how many miles I walked in total - possibly 10. I was exhausted, and meant to take a nap. That nap happened to last all night. When I had planned this trip, I thought I might be out pub-hopping all night, but I'm too tired to do such things. I also seem to be jet-lagged to be on an incredibly early schedule.
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