Too harsh? Sorry. The Dutch directness is rubbing off on me.
This weekend in London was all about being with friends and getting some good culture in as well. Not to toot my own horn, but I've been prioritizing these trips quite well. First priority - if anyone invites me to do ANYTHING, I say yes. Look at me being Miss Social Butterfly! Second - if nothing comes that way, improvising on the fly and using as much of my time as possible to see new parts of London or do things that are relaxing.
I did one of the last 3 pyramid Rick Steves sights in London - Westminster Abbey. I really wanted this blog to take on a poetic, transcendent form. It would be so perfect if I could rhyme this whole blog, but then you might have to wait until pigs fly. There isn't enough time in the world to get me rhyming. Free style rap maybe. Rhyming isn't happening.
Friday night consisted of dinner with a close friend from Houston who just moved to London! It was almost like we hadn't been apart for 4 years. After catch up over a beer, J, M and I headed for Thai on Queensway, which resulted in the only tourist picture of a Thai Noodle bar in the history of Thai Noodle bars.
On Saturday morning, I got up super early and headed for Westminister Abbey. I took some photos along the way. London before 8 is incredibly peaceful and gorgeous
Parliament with the Union Jack
King George V Statue
Parliament
Even the English drive a Deere....
Westminister Abbey
Realised I didn't have a good shot of a phone booth. Perfect to get a picture before the hoards of tour groups.
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Fancy camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Regular camera settings for Westminister Abbey
Westminister Abbey was striking. I don't use that word lightly. There was so much history - the tombs, the memorials, the plaques, the architecture. You couldn't take pictures inside and I don't really think that was a copyright thing. It was more a function of the number of visitors and the tight space. It was an expensive ticket - 18GBP, but totally worth it. The tour came with the audio guide, which had the famous Jeremy Irons describing the sites, including the tombs of Elizabeth I, Mary (her sister), Poet's corner (including the grave of Geoffrey Chaucer), Unknown Soldier memorial, etc.
Like any normal girl, my mind was stuck on how they got the trees into the church for Wills and Kate's wedding extravaganza. It just didn't look possible! The church is gorgeous though even without the trees.
I was second in line because I was there so early, which I HIGHLY recommend. The line was around the building after I left. Suckers.
Car area where Kate pulled up for the big day.
Considered getting this for work, however found it lacking in translation of English audit terms to American audit terms. Disappointing, really. Also - missing a Texas section. We all know that's different than American.
No idea. Blue rooster statue in Trafalgar square = random photo of the trip.
Leicester square was finally normal for one of my trips! The center has always been under construction or surrounded by pile-ons for a movie premiere. That's Shakespeare's statue in the middle of the square.
My training on Monday was on Leicester square. We randomly had amazing weather (70 degrees and sunny) so a co-worker and I went for a stroll around the square. Gorgeous!
NFL weekend in London! Americans everywhere....and a lot of XXXL jerseys.
According to an English co-worker, the Jags are considering moving permanently to London. It won't happen though until LA gets a team and some other markets get consideration. However, Jacksonville is playing a game again in 2014 in London and the NFL is increasing it's schedule from 2 games to 3 games in London.
Not a Viking fan, but love the colors. Minnesota played Pittsburgh....the NFL should have apologised for that match up.
Second time I've walked by Les Mis and haven't seen it. I'm waiting for someone to go with!
Yes, London, Awesome has arrived. #americanexports
Every day when I get dressed, I think about how I could potentially increase my drama factor with my wardrobe choices. Juicy Couture claims to solve that problem.
After a lot of wandering around (love it!) I met J and M for lunch and then more shopping/wandering and then Tea time! After that, it was birthday drinks with J and birthday dinner with coworkers. What a great day!
On Sunday, I went to Hillsong for church, which was in a West End theatre (showing "We will Rock You" - the Queen tribute). It was a real Megachurch in every sense of the word. The music was loud and the lighting/staging said "this is not a church, this is a show". If I was going to a concert, it would have been fun. However, given the purpose was church, I felt like it missed the mark. The sermon was more biblically based than other megachurchs I've seen (I'm looking at you Osteen) but still felt off. I'm glad I went because I now know where a lot of those popular praise and worship songs come from (Australian based though). I just like the smaller church atmosphere.
I had a proper English Roast with M and S (not Marks and Spencers). That was really fun - new area of London (Hampstead Heath!). Then it was off to see J's new flat and then a movie with my friend S. We saw Rush, which is the new Formula One movie. It's a really good movie - I don't know anything about F1 racing, but enjoyed the scenery in it (it has a Hemsworth brother).
After training in London on Monday, I headed to Dusseldorf on Tuesday to teach training. I started very early in the morning and got a picture of the building before work. I didn't get anytime to sightsee, so this is the extent of my tourist pictures:
Company logo (the flower) on the building
I just thought this sign in the airport was hilarious. It did make me smile.
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