This weekend our one and only goal was to stay in and save money seeing as Jocko got his first pay packet April 24th, and we had went all out the weekend before. We failed that goal when his mate called him to let him know he had two extra tickets to see the FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley Stadium in London: Manchester United vs. Everton. Jock, being the most devoted football fan I’ve ever met (though I’m sure it’s not that uncommon in this country), couldn’t pass them up. Plus, we rationalized that we had eaten in every day last week, and spent Friday and Saturday night without spending a dime.

I could get a day out in London with my new friend Gemma, and he could go with her boyfriend to the game, then we could spend the night at their place thus saving the money for a hotel room. Now that we have a car, it’s really easy to jet on up to London two hours away. So, first thing Sunday morning we headed to Londontown. It started off really hazy and grey in the 40’s Fahrenheit, but as we got closer, the sun started burning off the clouds. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. I don’t think Gemma and I stopped talking the entire day.

We all had breakfast together in the morning at a cute little cafe around the corner from their apartment in Putney, South London. We climbed on the tube, and let them continue on their way to Wembley. It was Shakespeare’s birthday and there were supposed to be lots of festivities around the Globe theatre on the South Bank of the Thames. When we got off, the merriment was overwhelming. There were clowns with balloons, paintings playing the violin, dragons bicycling in place, and Charlie Chaplins drawing crowds. Most of the time we were so entrenched in conversation that we didn’t notice the street acts.

Painting Strumming Guitar

After I started having severe stomach pains from it being close to that time of month, we decided to walk towards a pharmacy. Seeing as we couldn’t find any pharmacies open, we stopped in a pub instead. That pub led to another, which led to one that I had found on my last trip to London with my friend Fink near Embankment Station. It’s underground and is made from what seems to be a sewer, with curved ceilings and a faint damp smell. But with the candles and the wine, it seems so romantic. Gemma and I had some bread and cheese and a couple of glasses of wine, and then made our way back nearer her home to finish watching the football game.

Man United lost, and we were very sad, especially after seeing the Everton fans shouting in the bar. I tried to shout back, but they remained steadfast in their team alliance. Gemma and I decided the best way to deal with our boyfriends inevitable foul moods when they returned was to drink more. So, drink more we did. Unfortunately, when the boyfriends returned to us, they were very sober, and not too upset at the result of the game. Apparently they knew it would happen when they saw the line up. Oh well, a good day in London it was, and ended with a nice Chinese take away.