Two of my favorie pubs: The Eagle and Child (Oxford) and
Hoppe (Amsterdam).
Page down for photos and text.
The Eagle and Child
48/49 St Giles' Street Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3LU, England
The Eagle and Child (aka "bird and baby" as the locals call it) has been a pub since 1650. It is mostly famous now because it was the meeting place for the "inklings" -- writers such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien -- between 1939 -1962. During their time, my grandfather, also a writer and English professor, and graduate from Oxford (Christ Church) was a visitor to one or more of the meetings of the Inklings. So it has always been on my list of pubs to visit.
I finally did this in 2003. Unfortunately, smoking was still legal indoors in the UK, so it was a short visit -- the cramped interior made the smoke especially hard to take. But I still loved my visit, and wish to return again -- Oxford is beautiful, and in my opinion the first city tourists should visit when going to the UK. The Pub's interior has lovely character and, if I recall correctly, some good beer choices. I didn't have a good camera with me, or else I'd have more than just these two exterior photos. I shall return!
To read some interesting facts about this pub:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eagle_and_Child
Hoppe
Address: Spui 18-20, Amsterdam, 1012 XA
Phone: +31 (0)20 420 4420
Nearest Station: Tram 1, 2, 5, 6 to Spui
Neighbourhood: Old City Center/Old Side
For a year or two a good American friend and frequent Amsterdam tourist kept telling me this was his favorite pub in all of Europe. He kept a photo of it on his wall. So when I was in Amsterdam in March 2007, it was easy to recognize this pub, and even easier to love.
If you're like my friend and I then old pubs really do it for you. This pub did it for me. This ain't no imitation old pub. It was built in 1670, and by the looks of it much of the original wood and structure survive. Cramped, creaky and steeped in character, it is as delightfully warped and uneven as the rest of Amsterdam.
Admittedly, it has few places to sit and few beer choices (but I love the Belgian Palm Ale the serve). They do have hard booze offerings. It's a good place to go on weekdays around 5pm to listen to locals yapping after work.
Sand is spread on the floor, I suppose for absorbing occasional spills.
The front door has a leather curtain that helps keep the cold out when the door swings open.
Above: walk through that door behind the bar in the Hoppe and you'll find yourself inside the adjoining "Cafe Hoppe" next door. Cafe Hoppe (below) was built in the 1860's. It has less character than Hoppe, but more seating and they serve food. All photos but the one below show the 1670 pub.
Above photo: the 1860 side -- "Cafe Hoppe". There's even more seating in the front.
