What to say? I’m now in Dublin, hence the U2 reference for all who got it. I didn’t. I had to look it up, FYI. I’m not a big U2 fan. The cabbie on the way from the airport to the hotel actually pointed out the neighborhood they got their start at on the way over. Nice of him. I think he fancied himself a tour guide. But I’m getting far afield.
Last weekend in London was nice. Lisa came to visit me, which was a real help. Being away from home for three weeks at a time is tough and having a piece of home come see me made it much easier on me. I don’t think it made things easier on her, in fact I’m sure it didn’t. She tends to worry about what’s going on at home a little more than I do. We should invest in an internet camera thing so we can see the house while we’re away. I wonder how much that would cost. We should also invest in kitty-cams. We’ll get the boys some collars and attach cameras to them. Chances are they’re always fighting or looking at each other anyway, so we’ll know they’re ok. Anyway, since the team I was with last week finished up their testing early and went home on Thursday, I was told to work from the hotel on Thursday and Friday. So while I worked on Friday, Lisa took a bus tour around London, and she loved it. She got to go through St. Paul’s Cathedral, which I missed the last time I was in London. And she went through the Tower of London. I don’t think she was as fascinated with it as I was, but I can understand why. I think
I’m a bit more into that kind of place than she is.
We did the Haunted London Walk that night. Tours like that are generally nice as long as there are only about 10 people, but that’s never what happens on these things. There were 25-30 people I think, and it’s really annoying to try jockeying for position in a crowd like that. The guide seemed very knowledgeable, but the scare factor just wasn’t there. It’s convenient that the ghosts are never there when you’re on the tour. Although, now that I think about it, how interested am I really to meet up with a ghost?
Most of Saturday was spent travelling. No, I didn’t get to go to Stonehenge. We decided to skip it since most people are apparently disappointed with it and you can’t get up close to it anymore. It would be interesting to see I think, but I didn’t really feel like going out of my way to see it. Instead we decided to start off with lunch at Harrod’s. This serves a threefold purpose: 1. She got to see Harrod’s. 2. She got to see the memorial to Dodi and Diana downstairs. 3. We got to eat. One kinda/sorta problem with that though was that the Picadilly line was shut down from Hyde Park to Knightsbridge. Hyde Park is only one stop toward Harrod’s from where we were going to get on that line. Knightsbridge is where you get off to go there. So we walked it. The walk there was easy. No problems at all. We got to see some art for sale by streetside artists, and Lisa fell in love with this set of paintings. They were very simple yet very good. I have to admit that I like them a lot too. Then we walked through a fairly nice neighborhood. She tells me that that would be the most likely place to run into Gwyneth. No star sightings though. I never get to see famous people when I’m traveling. Then we walked through some of the shopping around Harrod’s. It was a very nice looking neighborhood with some very nice looking stores. All in all not a bad walk.
We did have lunch at Harrod’s "famous" deli. I think it should be famous for its high prices, but I’m on a per diem, so does it really matter? Most of that will be taken care of by the company. Then we walked around and she did some souvenir shopping. After that it was time to walk back to the station. The walk back was brutal. Not only did it feel much longer, but it was like everyone wanted to walk back at the same time, and they all wanted to walk much slower than we did. It’s just as annoying, if not more, being stuck behind a slow walker as it is being stuck behind a slow driver. When we got back by the artists Lisa decided we had to have some of the pictures she liked. I don’t remember putting up much of a fight about it. I really like them too and I knew it would make her happy.
We decided that we were going to go to the hotel to drop off our assorted purchases and then we’d run down to Leicester Square to see if we could get some discount theatre tickets for that night. No go sadly. I like theatre, and there were a couple of shows that we both decided we’d like to see, but they all cost 50 pounds or more. That’s about $89 at the current exchange rate, and I wouldn’t pay that much for the best seats in the States. I think she was a little disappointed, but I think she also eventually came around to my way of thinking. We ended up going to the Tate Modern art museum. We took a side trip along the way to walk down the Thames Walk nearby and actually ended up going to the London Dungeons. That was definitely over-priced. I prefer my trips through that sort of thing to be sort of free flowing. I don’t want to be herded into giant groups, and that’s exactly what this was. Oh, and I really like to have air circulating. It makes it so much easier to breathe. If you go, don’t bother with the London Dungeons. Sorry, LD, it just wasn’t that great.
After the London Dungeons we went to the Tate Modern for dinner in the café upstairs and to see a little art. We both had fish and chips, which came as a bit of a surprise for Lisa since I’m not normally a fish-eater. It was pretty good, but I wouldn’t say the gourmet fish and chips was any better than what I’ve had at pubs in the UK. Dessert was good, but it’s hard to mess up dessert. All you have to do is add more sugar and it automatically gets better. Next we tore through the museum. We’re pretty quick when it comes to looking at art. I think we’re fortunate that we both look at it the same way. If one of us felt like analyzing each and every piece, the other would get seriously annoyed. That’s not us. We walk around and take a quick look at stuff. If something calls to one of us, we look. If it doesn’t, we move on. There was some really good stuff though. Lots of Picasso and Dali. I don’t know that I got Dali’s Lobster Phone piece, but it was still interesting and good to see.
I spent Saturday in the airport. Lisa’s flight left at 2:45 and mine left at 4:45. Hers was international and mine was considered domestic. So we got there at 12:00 so that we could get checked in and get through security. I left her at her gate at 2:30 when she started boarding and went to hang out in the British Airways Lounge. It was nice, but I’ve been there before.
So, now I’m in Dublin, and I wasn’t here two hours before I had my first adventure. I managed to find a cash machine and the taxi stand and told the driver to take me to the Hilton Dublin. I was a little skeptical because I was sure my reservations were at the Conrad Dublin, but that’s what my itinerary said. So I asked him to drive me by the Conrad on the way there so that I could see where it was. Lucky for me it was close. I tried to check in at the Hilton and they’d never heard of me. They called the Conrad and it turned out that I should have been there. Unfortunately, my driver had already moved on to his next job. Fortunately, it was only a five-minute walk to get to the Conrad. Of course, that’s not the whole adventure. I still had all of my luggage with me: a large suitcase, my computer bag, and a carry-on suitcase with an extra change of clothes. And just to make it more interesting, it was raining. A five-minute walk in the rain while lugging all of my baggage. Sounds fun doesn’t it.
The hotel is nice. This must be a five-star hotel. There’s a soft robe and slippers laid out for me every night, a beautiful king-sized bed with nice fluffy feather pillows, decent television, and a phone in every room. There’s even a phone in the bathroom, which I am militantly opposed to. There are some places that I should not be reachable, and the bathroom is at the top of the list. The offices that we’re working at are nice, but unfinished looking. They tell me they’ve been here for two or three years, but they’ve still got unpacked boxes everywhere and not a whole lot of art hanging on the wall. It looks like a bachelor lives here. I finished up my part of the program very quick. It helps that they’d eliminated half of my testing, but that would still have only another day. The most touring I’ve done is going to dinner. The Chinese place we went on Monday was ok, although they spice their chicken for sweet and sour chicken weird. It’s almost like they were spicing it to have some gravy on the side. Dinner on Tuesday, however, was amazing. I had this incredible roast loin of venison with asparagus and potatoes. I’ve decided that if there’s a vegetable I like it’s asparagus. Weird huh? I think I might also like artichoke too, but I’ve never had one of those that wasn’t mixed in with a whole bunch of other stuff so it’s unclear.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
London on my mind – October 8-18
I know you’ve missed me. You can admit it. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.
The truth is I haven’t really had anything to write about on this trip. Oh, I had a nice weekend, and I got out and did things, but the trip as a whole hasn’t been all that exciting. It doesn’t help that I don’t really want to be on this trip in the first place.
The plane ride over was ok. In some ways it was more exciting than the first time, but in other ways less. I had to take a connecting flight out of New York, and our plane just barely made it in time for me to get over to my flight to London. I made it. My luggage didn’t. It’s a good thing I brought a carry on with a full change of clothes. I walked through first class on my way to business class, and that was an eye opener. First class looks NICE!!! I have a hard time even describing it. I think the seats actually unfold so that the passengers are laying down rather than just having a nice recline. I’d love to take a trip that way. I finally saw Fantastic 4 on the way over. It was an adequate movie, but nothing special. Certainly not as good as Spiderman and actually not as good as Hulk either. Then I watched the tail end of Batman Begins. The food was nothing special, but I think that’s just the way airline food is. I guess they really can’t have a full-sized, made-to-order kitchen on a plane. It just wouldn’t be cost effective.
I’m staying in the same hotel I spent the weekend in when I was in the UK in August. It’s not the worst hotel I’ve stayed in. It’s better than the one in York, although the York is a Marriott 5-star while I think this one is 4-star. Something like that. The best one over here so far was the one in Leeds, but I’m a little far out to be staying in Leeds this time. Breakfast at the hotel is a little better. They have ommelettes and frittatas, which taste pretty good. They also have that nasty English sausage though. I’ve decided to steer clear of any place that serves "traditional english food." It’s just not worth it.
Speaking of food, I’ve had some hit and miss luck. I’ve been to some places that served some very bland food. I went to a steak chain on Leicester Square that was just about the most boring steak I’ve ever tasted. On the other hand, I’ve been to a couple of French places that were amazingly good. There’s a much better selection in London than there was in York.
Now, on to actual work. The office out here is far, far away from the city. It takes us an hour to get here in the morning and an hour to get back. We don’t leave until 6:00 anyway, so a big chunk of time is eaten away by travel. Top that off with the slow service at restaurants and most of the evening is time I’ll never get back before I can do anything interesting. That being said, the office is pretty nice. They tell me that this place used to be a nut house, and it’s definitely got that feel to it in some places. It’s a bit of a maze too. What’s really weird is that it’s set in a residential neighborhood. Nut-house-turned-office-building in the suburbs mixing with the soccer (football) moms and playgrounds. We see a whole bunch of kids in uniform walking to school each morning, and they all seem to be coming out of this neighborhood. The work is fine. It’s nothing I haven’t done before, and therefore nothing special really. I’m just trying to get through it without getting too bored with it. I’m failing, by the way. I think by time I get toward the end of something I just get bored with it. I’ve noticed it in other aspects of my life. If I’m playing a video game, I may have spent hours and hours trying to finish, but when it gets to the end I just lose interest. Sad really.
The weekend was nice. I don’t even remember what I did Friday, but that’s not because I was too drunk to remember. I must have taken the tube to Picadilly Circus, but I just don’t really remember doing it. It doesn’t matter anyway because Saturday was the real day. I went down to Leicester Square that morning and bought myself tickets to see Les Miserables and the Producers. I’ve wanted to see Les Mis for 10 years. It never comes to Dallas. I’ve only been to New York once, and I don’t even know if it was playing there. Where else can I go to see it? It was amazing, and it completely lived up to my expectations. I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself somewhere it’s playing. The Producers was also very good. Very funny in some places. I did have this very faint hope that Mel Brooks and Matthew Broderick would decide to sneak in for one night only and play the leads, but that was just wishful thinking. The leads were still very good, although I think the accountant one had a somewhat weak voice. I swear there was a song where the notes were just out of his range, so he was a little on the flat side. Still, they were up there doing their thing, so who am I to complain.
The truth is I haven’t really had anything to write about on this trip. Oh, I had a nice weekend, and I got out and did things, but the trip as a whole hasn’t been all that exciting. It doesn’t help that I don’t really want to be on this trip in the first place.
The plane ride over was ok. In some ways it was more exciting than the first time, but in other ways less. I had to take a connecting flight out of New York, and our plane just barely made it in time for me to get over to my flight to London. I made it. My luggage didn’t. It’s a good thing I brought a carry on with a full change of clothes. I walked through first class on my way to business class, and that was an eye opener. First class looks NICE!!! I have a hard time even describing it. I think the seats actually unfold so that the passengers are laying down rather than just having a nice recline. I’d love to take a trip that way. I finally saw Fantastic 4 on the way over. It was an adequate movie, but nothing special. Certainly not as good as Spiderman and actually not as good as Hulk either. Then I watched the tail end of Batman Begins. The food was nothing special, but I think that’s just the way airline food is. I guess they really can’t have a full-sized, made-to-order kitchen on a plane. It just wouldn’t be cost effective.
I’m staying in the same hotel I spent the weekend in when I was in the UK in August. It’s not the worst hotel I’ve stayed in. It’s better than the one in York, although the York is a Marriott 5-star while I think this one is 4-star. Something like that. The best one over here so far was the one in Leeds, but I’m a little far out to be staying in Leeds this time. Breakfast at the hotel is a little better. They have ommelettes and frittatas, which taste pretty good. They also have that nasty English sausage though. I’ve decided to steer clear of any place that serves "traditional english food." It’s just not worth it.
Speaking of food, I’ve had some hit and miss luck. I’ve been to some places that served some very bland food. I went to a steak chain on Leicester Square that was just about the most boring steak I’ve ever tasted. On the other hand, I’ve been to a couple of French places that were amazingly good. There’s a much better selection in London than there was in York.
Now, on to actual work. The office out here is far, far away from the city. It takes us an hour to get here in the morning and an hour to get back. We don’t leave until 6:00 anyway, so a big chunk of time is eaten away by travel. Top that off with the slow service at restaurants and most of the evening is time I’ll never get back before I can do anything interesting. That being said, the office is pretty nice. They tell me that this place used to be a nut house, and it’s definitely got that feel to it in some places. It’s a bit of a maze too. What’s really weird is that it’s set in a residential neighborhood. Nut-house-turned-office-building in the suburbs mixing with the soccer (football) moms and playgrounds. We see a whole bunch of kids in uniform walking to school each morning, and they all seem to be coming out of this neighborhood. The work is fine. It’s nothing I haven’t done before, and therefore nothing special really. I’m just trying to get through it without getting too bored with it. I’m failing, by the way. I think by time I get toward the end of something I just get bored with it. I’ve noticed it in other aspects of my life. If I’m playing a video game, I may have spent hours and hours trying to finish, but when it gets to the end I just lose interest. Sad really.
The weekend was nice. I don’t even remember what I did Friday, but that’s not because I was too drunk to remember. I must have taken the tube to Picadilly Circus, but I just don’t really remember doing it. It doesn’t matter anyway because Saturday was the real day. I went down to Leicester Square that morning and bought myself tickets to see Les Miserables and the Producers. I’ve wanted to see Les Mis for 10 years. It never comes to Dallas. I’ve only been to New York once, and I don’t even know if it was playing there. Where else can I go to see it? It was amazing, and it completely lived up to my expectations. I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself somewhere it’s playing. The Producers was also very good. Very funny in some places. I did have this very faint hope that Mel Brooks and Matthew Broderick would decide to sneak in for one night only and play the leads, but that was just wishful thinking. The leads were still very good, although I think the accountant one had a somewhat weak voice. I swear there was a song where the notes were just out of his range, so he was a little on the flat side. Still, they were up there doing their thing, so who am I to complain.
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