I was in London for three weeks on a business trip starting the weekend before my birthday. Our new company is continuing to merge, slowly. It was great to finally meet face-to-face some of the UK colleagues I've been working with for the past four years. My friends John and Sarah (and their 11 week old newborn boy Levi and their labradoodle Hank!) have been living in London for over a year now and were nice enough to let me crash at their flat for the whole time. I hadn't seen them since their wedding so it was great to catch up, and play with Levi and Hank.
Generally we took it easy, seeing things around town and at times doing the touristy thing. Regents Park, Notting Hill, Tower of London, London Eye, Churchill Museum that has underground bunkers they used during WWII, sat for a service in St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, and I even took the Jack the Ripper walking tour one night. And of course I did some pub shopping involving fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and lager.
Originally I was supposed to be in London for two weeks then my trip got extended, so at the last minute on Friday night before my last weekend, I decided to go to Paris. I'd been there once before in 2000 with Michael and John but wanted to see some more stuff while I had the opportunity to be in Europe. Seeing Paris, I felt more like I was in Europe than in London. Really is an amazing city. And they have this awesome rent-a-bike system now that is everywhere, so I just checked into my small hotel around Bastille, ate at little cafes, and rode my bicycle up and down the Seine, stopping at Notre Dame, Tour Eiffel, Musee d'Orsay, and Place des Vosges.
Then I got back to London and it dumped snow all night long, the most in 18 years. The trains and buses virtually stopped. Office was half empty. No clean up trucks on the street, thick ice on the sidewalks, man what a mess. It all melted away by the rain a couple days later.
Also I feel the need to gloat a bit because, since I was on a business trip, I was able to fly Virgin Atlantic first class. A. Maze. Zing. Their car service takes you to and from the airport, both in your departure city and your destination. Which from Tokyo is even more amazing because normally you have to take a bus or a train for 1-2 hours to Narita. And you sit in little pods on board the plane that lay flat, so you can actually sleep comfortably. And personal security check-in. And blah blah blah. Even better, I met three guys from Radiohead (2 guitarists and bassist) who were also in the clubhouse when I was leaving London to return to Tokyo. I asked to take a photo but they said "it's kind of weird". Whaeva Mr. Celebrity, ha. But they were actually really nice and chatted with me for a bit, they were on their way to LA to continue touring.
Generally we took it easy, seeing things around town and at times doing the touristy thing. Regents Park, Notting Hill, Tower of London, London Eye, Churchill Museum that has underground bunkers they used during WWII, sat for a service in St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, and I even took the Jack the Ripper walking tour one night. And of course I did some pub shopping involving fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and lager.
Originally I was supposed to be in London for two weeks then my trip got extended, so at the last minute on Friday night before my last weekend, I decided to go to Paris. I'd been there once before in 2000 with Michael and John but wanted to see some more stuff while I had the opportunity to be in Europe. Seeing Paris, I felt more like I was in Europe than in London. Really is an amazing city. And they have this awesome rent-a-bike system now that is everywhere, so I just checked into my small hotel around Bastille, ate at little cafes, and rode my bicycle up and down the Seine, stopping at Notre Dame, Tour Eiffel, Musee d'Orsay, and Place des Vosges.
Then I got back to London and it dumped snow all night long, the most in 18 years. The trains and buses virtually stopped. Office was half empty. No clean up trucks on the street, thick ice on the sidewalks, man what a mess. It all melted away by the rain a couple days later.
Also I feel the need to gloat a bit because, since I was on a business trip, I was able to fly Virgin Atlantic first class. A. Maze. Zing. Their car service takes you to and from the airport, both in your departure city and your destination. Which from Tokyo is even more amazing because normally you have to take a bus or a train for 1-2 hours to Narita. And you sit in little pods on board the plane that lay flat, so you can actually sleep comfortably. And personal security check-in. And blah blah blah. Even better, I met three guys from Radiohead (2 guitarists and bassist) who were also in the clubhouse when I was leaving London to return to Tokyo. I asked to take a photo but they said "it's kind of weird". Whaeva Mr. Celebrity, ha. But they were actually really nice and chatted with me for a bit, they were on their way to LA to continue touring.
