Rainy Bank Holiday Weekend

Greetings from cold, gray London. So much for that summer-like weather!

Although the U.K. doesn’t celebrate Memorial Day, they do have an annual “Bank Holiday” on the last Monday of May. They have a Bank Holiday at the beginning of the month as well. This seems odd to me for two reasons. First, why not space out the holidays over the summer months like we do? It seems like a waste to have two holidays in May and then none until late August. Second, can’t they come up with a more inspiring excuse for a holiday than a day off for bankers? Even when we clearly are just giving ourselves a random holiday in the States we attach some nominal meaning to it (read Presidents’ Day). At any rate, Bank Holiday Monday and the following “Privilege Day” today (for civil service employees) bought me an extra two days to play before starting work.

The weather forecasters were calling for nasty weather on Saturday evening and Sunday. I got out early on Saturday morning to see as much as possible before the weather turned nasty. I skipped breakfast and headed to Borough Market near London Bridge just south of the River Thames. Borough Market is an enormous food market that dates back to the 13th Century.


An entrance to Borough Market. The building on the far left is the Globe Tavern, which was featured in “Bridget Jones Diary.” Bridget’s flat was above the pub.






A very un-kosher, but yummy ‘sausage roll’ I enjoyed at Borough Market. It may look like a turd, but trust me it was good!



After visiting Borough Market I took a stroll down the Thames towards East London.



Posing in front of Tower Bridge.



London City Hall



Tower of London



Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre



Walking Across the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s Cathedral



Looking Back towards the Tate Modern Art Museum from Millennium Bridge



On Monday I met up with Guy, a friend of my friend Andrew, who has graciously offered to play tourist with me. We toured the Tate Modern and had a leisurely lunch in the restaurant at the top of the museum.

The Tate Modern is housed in a building that was originally the ‘Bankside Power Station,’ a coal-fueled power plant that operated until 1981. (No wonder Londoners’ mucus was black!) The building was renovated and opened in 2000 as the Tate Modern.


The entrance hall (known as Turbine Hall).



Guy looking over the exhibition schedule while we waited for a table at the Tate restaurant.




The incredible view from our table.



Looking over the menu, trying to find something filling I can afford.





Cheers Mates!

Jet Lag is No Joke

The pictures posted are from my journey to and first day in London: London Newspaper from Tuesday, May 22 (day of arrival); the entrance to Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives); View of Downtown Charlotte from an airport rocking chair; Soho Square; London Skyline (with St. Paul’s Cathedral); political satire displayed at a Newsagent; London Eye/Parliament.





I’m beginning to settle into London now. Today is my third day and the weather has been amazing (70s and sunny). One local told me this is a “miracle.”


My flights were relatively painless thanks to two great seatmates. On my flight from Atlanta to Charlotte I sat next to a cute Southern gentleman who is the attorney for Hooters. I was amused that the general counsel for Hooters is a gay man. We shared a beer at a NASCAR themed eatery when we arrived in Charlotte before going on our separate ways.




I nearly had a two seat row all to myself on my flight to London, but at the last minute a young lady came running down the aisle in heels, a sexy top, a fancy retro purse, and a cup of water. Her introduction was to ask me to hold her water while she got herself situated. Despite my first impression that she was a prima donna, Sarah turned out to be a lively and entertaining seatmate. Within a minute or two she was telling me about how I had to meet her gay brother in London because we would get along so well. (We might meet up this weekend at a picnic they’re having together). We got to talking and before we knew it the flight was half over. Somehow this nice English girl who writes and has an artistic inclination ended up married to an ex-Marine in the suburbs of Phoenix. Check out her work at: http://www.foofoofashion.com/home.htm




I spent my first day in London getting settled into my new apartment and walking around to keep myself awake. The weather was amazing and city was buzzing (as you can make out from the posted photos).




The jet lag really started to set in around in the early evening when I took the tube to Notting Hill for dinner. I ended up going to a cozy Thai restaurant (which is no surprise to those who know my eating preferences). I was really out of it by the time I sat down. Anyway, since I was by myself I took out my guidebook and started reading about the neighborhood. As I began to smell something burning I quickly realized that my bookmark was sitting over a candle in the middle of the table. It caught fire and in a panic I called to the waitress. Since she was ignoring me I decided to take quick action and spill my water on the bookmark. When the waitress finally noticed me she simply took the candle away and ignored my request for replacement water. This would have been bad enough in and of itself that I would never show my face again in this establishment. Unfortunately, further self-imposed embarrassment was on its way. When the bill arrived I realized that I had completely forgotten to bring my wallet with me. After an awkward exchange with the wait staff I offered to provide my credit card number (thank G-d I knew it by heart!). They were able to process the transaction without having my card available and I avoided having to wash dishes for the rest of the night. At this point I realized that it was time for bed. After passing out a few times on the tube I made it home safely and enjoyed 10 hours of restful sleep.

Leaving California

Welcome to my blog! I've created it to chronicle and share my adventures this summer in London. This posting is being written in a hurry, so please excuse the lack of creativity. I'm about to leave for the airport to catch my flight from Atlanta to Charlotte for my connection to London. I've spent the last few days in Atlanta with my parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and adorable nephew. Enjoy the pics..next posting will be from London!!!!