The Pub’s have a fundamental importance to the
British social life since ages. Pubs are short form for “Public House” – which are
public drinking establishments for people from different backgrounds to
socially interact with each other and share a drink. Just like tea rooms as
indicated in my early blog on Betty’s Team room (click here for the same), Pubs have also been promoting
social networking for centuries!
Mridul & I stepped inside the pub to have a beer and queued up behind a long queue in a very narrow and small entrance. Thought it was hardly 4.30 pm in the evening, we instantly got to know that his pub was famous and needs persistence, if you want to enjoy the drink and enjoy the ambience. The ambience inside will take you centuries back in time and you will feel you are in one of the low ceiling caves - as you jostle and queue up to get your beer from the bar. A lot of folks were already in high spirits and were cheerful and welcoming.
Over conversations and catching up on old times during our MBA days, we couldn’t help observing some casks around and a small picture showing the beer making process. The picture was symbolic to those chemical process diagrams I remember drawing during my school and college! Some good knowledge for a beer connoisseur like me! Hope a day comes when I am able to expertly talk about the hops, spicy ness, ales and barley on the beer and the right mix!
The pub is one of the most significant landmarks in
any village, suburb, town or city in England and is the focal point for the
communities around it. The pubs serve a variety of spirits like beers, wine,
scotch and other hard drinks. It is always worthwhile and recommended to check
the local beer that is available and famously served in the pub. This gives you
a distinct experience of acquiring a taste beyond the typical branded
international beer brands. I have visited a variety of Pubs in England in the
last few years. The first visit was in London; where by brother in law had
taken us all for an evening. I had tried Guiness beer for the first time then
and it tasted unlike other international beers I had tried till then. In Leeds,
over the last year – in 2012, thanks to our local expert Guy Bradshaw –
Meenakshi & I have had a chance to visit a host of pubs and I was able to
taste different beers, experience history of various pubs in and around Leeds.
The Leeds pubs deserve a different blog of their own soon!
However, one of the pubs I was recommended by Guy
and had read online was the “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem” in Nottingham. My friend
Mridul who stays in Nottingham also happened to be a forced bachelor in
December of 2012 just like I was (since my spouse Meenakshi was also in India). I was
bubbling with enthusiasm that week anyways – having cleared my UK driving test
and was itching to go for a long drive on the UK motorways. We decided to catch-up over the weekend – a last minute plan which always works! Over the 2 days –
we had a blast, having had sumptuous lunch at Chennai Dosa in Leicester, followed by a visit to this famous pub on a Saturday night and some movies and loads conversation!
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem claims to be the oldest
drinking establishment in England. It indicates it was established in 1189
AD.It is on the foothills of one of the Nottingham castle - about 6 minutes
walk from Nottingham station. Legend has it that knights who answered the calls
of Richard I to join the crusades stopped off at this watering hole for a pint
on their way to Jerusalem.
Mridul & I stepped inside the pub to have a beer and queued up behind a long queue in a very narrow and small entrance. Thought it was hardly 4.30 pm in the evening, we instantly got to know that his pub was famous and needs persistence, if you want to enjoy the drink and enjoy the ambience. The ambience inside will take you centuries back in time and you will feel you are in one of the low ceiling caves - as you jostle and queue up to get your beer from the bar. A lot of folks were already in high spirits and were cheerful and welcoming.
I had a pint of “Olde Trip” and Mridul stuck with a
pint of “Abbott”. We walked around the pub to the other side – where there was
a huge seating in the form of wooden benches in long rows in the available area.
All the people were enjoying the wet and cold Saturday evening, with a beer in
hand – busy in their own private conversations in a public place. The smoke from
different cigarettes was forming a virtual partition or smokescreen giving one
an impression of privacy between the groups in a public place.
Post that one pint, we decided it was a good homage
to the “ye olde trip to Jerusalem” and decided to head home to enjoy drinks at
home! Pubs are somewhat a dying phenomenon in England now as your Supermarket
stores and off license convenience stores sell beer & alcohol at rates –
lower than pubs. It is essential that pubs are preserved as they house so much
of history (some of the pubs in Leeds I visited are almost 120 years old!) and
culture of this country! I encourage you to visit a pub to at least have a pint
to support its existence, if not party the entire night! After all if you are
supporting social networking by reading this blog, accessing twitter or
facebook – isn’t it fair to support pubs who have promoted social networking
for years?
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| The last capture of olde trip - circa 2012! |
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