How to drown one's sorrows

London (reflective of the UK in general I think) has much more of a pub culture than a cafe culture. Australians may consider themselves to be big drinkers, but caffeine is probably the drug of choice for many, whereas in London it's not uncommon to start drinking at lunchtime (even on a weekday).

The odd thing is though that, although most of the pubs look the same from the outside (like Olde Englishe establishments) some are very cool and some are not, but you can't tell what a pub is going to be like until you get inside. The bad pubs are identifiable as soon as you walk in the door - filled entirely with old men nursing a pint at the bar or on their own in the corner. These are very sad places. There are plenty of watering holes that don't fit this description, you just have to know where to find them!