Rowlands in England

My dear family came to visit me from Christmas Eve to New Years Eve. No way was I doing more air travel this year, so they came to England. Even my sister who currently resides in Malaysia came. One would think a family spening Christmas Holiday in a forgiegn country would travel a bit, and we did... a little. We went to the city of old York, which is always worth the trip, and we spent Boxing Day in Newcastle (North East England to Newcastle is like Phili to South Jersey).

Mostly though, we drank. We went to every single pub in the small town of Durham, which happens to be the most densly PUBulated city I know. One thing to know about my familiy is that they are loud. I am the quiet one, and that is saying a lot. The Brits, unless absolutly shit faced and about to beat your face in, are a quiet bunch. In a bar with no music, you can not easily ease drop on any converstaiont. An Irish family from New Jersey, however, can be heard over the loudest of sound systems two blocks away. Needless to say, in every bar, people cleared out once we arrived. We even tended to 'own' entire back rooms of places after a good 15 min. The best though was when we played Cardnal Puff Puff, a drinking game popular in a small Rhode Island college invented in the 70s that involves memorization and chugging. We screamed, laughed, sang, and spilled beer. Every parton of the estabilishment moved to the tiny front bar while we spread out in back, which is the largest part of the bar.

It was a grand time, and we visited the following bars in the six days we spent drinking in Durham:

Osbournes (empty as usual)

Zen (not really a bar, but the Rowlands did drink pleanty)

The Boathouse (We did not drink, but it is worth mentioning)

The Big Jug (just chris- to catch a football match)

Slug and Lettuce (locely way to spend Christmas eve- the only place with out drunk and dissorderly locals)

Ask (don't ask for too much because the service is terrible)

Swan & Three (Victoria was begging to go here all trip because she wanted to know what the three stood for- I can never remember)

Varsity (3 times)

The New Inn (the only other patron was my conditioning coach)

Llyods (The Bishop Mill I.e. where my team goes clubbing after games)
The Court House (there was an Irish band rocking out to fiddles and accordians- my dad was happy)

The Shakespeare Pub (Cardnial Puff Puff lives on!)

The Half Moon (classic Durham drining hole)

Market Tavern (my family's first experience with muchy peas... i still don't know the difference)

(also about three bars in Newcastle)