What a neat town! I really tend to dig these old
European towns. There's so much character and charm. It's easy to see how Cordoba was selected as a World Heritage Site. Walking through
the narrow "streets" of white walled buildings just takes you backs a few hundred years or so, then around the corner there's an
excavation of something Roman. The square where I'm currently having "lunch"
occupies the site where a colessium once stood. Too bad
there's not still gladiators running amok.
Plaza de la Corredera
Walking through the
old town, you start imagine there's a distant melody of a Spanish guitar
wafting through the streets. Turns out, there's actually a street
musician around the corner playing the perfect sound track for being
lost.
A little bit of tourism stuff, My hotel is right next to
en Mezquita, with it's 930 AM bell ringing, I was aroused after a long
night sleep. The hotel was a great find. Location and cleanliness for
low price, and the added bonus of character. The morning started with a
walk to the river and the Punte Roman, an old roman bridge from way
back, though restored and modernized. I'm pretty sure the Romans didn't have
the electrical wiring needed to light the bridge. After that, a trip to
the Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristiano, or castle of the Christian kings.
Today admission was "gratis" and I got to explore the old castle and
gardens. Seems oranges are big thing here, as the place is lousy with
orange trees
Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristiano
After the castle, a stop for coffee and breakfast
right inside the old city walls. Enter the narrow winding paths through
white walled buildings. A stop in the sinogoga, one of three surviving
medieval synagogues in Spain, dating from the 14th century.
Next
was the Mezquita. This Mosque was founded in 785 (and was built in top
of a previous church that was razed by the Muslim occupiers) and has
since been "recently" converted to a cathedral (in the 16th century). This place is
huge and giantly impressive. Words can't really do the place justice,
so check out the pictures.
Inside the Mezquita
And that brings me to my current
location. I'll finish this snack and press on.. Well. For another
cerveza. And a snack. I feel like I eat constantly here, except its all
small foods. So maybe that's healthier?
Lunch, for example,
was the tuna and potato salad sample with the beer, followed by a walk
to a different bodega, this one specializing in Argentine foods. So
another beer and an empanada. There was a couple hours in between those
two snacks, as I swung by a former inn once occupied by Cervantes and
referred to by Don Quixote as a "den of thieves".
After the
obligatory visit to an Irish pub, dinner was tapas.. Small portions of
beef in a sherry sauce, potatoes with a red sauce, and grilled shrimp
and mushrooms on a skewer. Not a lot, but did the trick. That was about
I for the day. Went walking but seemed the place was quiet for the
night by 2300. Tomorrow it's off on another train ride to Algeciras for a couple days by the Med and hanging around a big rock.
After the long trip from Louisville, and since I had
gotten some sleep in Cologne, I decided to go meander about Madrid for
the morning. After finally finding the airport express and stashing my
bag at Atocha Station in town, I set off to see what I could see. Armed
with an one day tourist pass on the Metro, I started my trip at Plaza
del Sol. I was looking for a sign that Grace has memorialized on
celluloid in her abodes for years.
Unfortunately it has been removed.
Palacio Real
From
there I walked down Calle Mayor and found a coffee shop to stop into
for a caffeine jolt and wifi. On down the road I came to the royal
palace and Plaza de Oriente. There's a rally neat, if pricy, cafe
there. I maybe just enjoy plush red velvet covered furniture. But I
dug it. So I had another coffee while waiting for the Palaca to open.
Turns out, it didn't that day. I bet the flocks of Asian tourists were
even more disheartened than I. By lunch I was in the Plaza Mayor
watching the crowds and street performers with a cerveza and tapas. I
also discovered there was a rather significant fútbol match in town that
day between RealMadrid and Manchester United. This is my second trip to Spain, and for the second time there was a big match in the city I was
visiting (last time FC Barcelona vs Chelsea in a semifinals match).
Plaza Mayor
After
lunch, back to Plaza del Sol and another cafe, complete with cerveza
and wifi check in. The the obligatory Irish Pub world tour stop for a
Guinness. My last item on the to do list before leaving town was a stop
at the Hard Rock for a pin. After locating the HRC, back to Atocha and
off to Cordoba. The high speed train (270 km/h) whisked me away, and
it was all I could do not to nod off... And more than I could do at
times. I had this giant fear of sleeping right through my stop. But I
do remember some lovely scenery out the window.
Arrived
unscathed in Cordoba, and found my way to my hotel thanx to a helpful
cab driver. Found a nice bar to watch the fútbol and have a couple
cervezas, which all came with snacks. I like it. By the time I got to
sleep, it'd had be 24 hours of wakefulness. Involving 3 cities in 2
countries. I plan to make a return visit to Madrid when I can focus more on just that area, perhaps some one I know who's spent some time there will be happy to show me around :-). Next day, to see Cordoba in earnest.
SO this is part deux of the west coast expedition....
After leaving Las Vegas, I wanted to sleep. I took up residence in the backseat of Adri's rental car for the drive to the LA Basin. A couple stops, including a few hours at the Calico Mine in the middle of nowhere for some tourist fun and lunch, we made it into Rancho Cucamonga, where I was staying. I picked up my rental car (free from Avis.. thank you!), and found my hotel and crashed for a couple hours.
Plans were made for dinner, and I was heading to the Hollywood hills to meet up with Adri, Lusya, Dragona, and Razi. All former Amherst, MA, residents (which included Mo and Katya). And half of them are literally rocket scientists working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena. So yeah, genius abounds.
Well, the first thing I noticed about LA is that I need to pay more attention to the scale on the maps there. Even the online maps are deceptive. It make sit look like Ontario is a near suburb of LA.. It's not. It's an hour away with no traffic. Oh well, lessen learned. And then you add in legendary traffic.. its fun to get around.
Reunited with Adri and Lusya, we took off to the Griffith Park Observatory. It's a famous place, and you've most likely seen it movies (like pretty much everything else in LA). It was a clear (for LA) night and you could see a great view of the city before you. They also had telescopes set up to gaze at various celestial bodies on a gorgeous night. It was quite a nice experience.
After Griffith, we headed for dinner at the Mess Hall. Interesting trivia, the restaurant is in the building where the cobb salad was invented. Dinner was fun, and was good to be reacquainted with some friends from back east (for some reason that makes me laugh). After dinner, we headed to Hollywood to stroll down the walk of fame and just generally meander about. Last time I was on Hollywood Blvd I was 13 years old and i remember it being seedier. Times change I suppose.
It's true, I do prefer blonds :-)
After our venturing about, it was time to head back to the inland empire. I thusly informed the others to let me know the plans for Saturday, but don't expect to see me before noon. I made it back to my hotel and crashed, attempting to catch up on the sleep lost in Vegas.
Saturday came and found out the girls were all doing wedding related stuff (which some how included shopping on Rodeo Dr). I had no desire to be dragged about, so I decided to take a scenic drive. The only problem with my plan, I soon discovered, was the scenic drive was across the top of the San Gabriel mountains and winded through the passes and peaks... where there was over a foot of snow. Luckily it hadn't snowed very recently and the ambient temp was well above freezing so the roads were in good shape. And crowded. I never thought of being able to go snow skiing in LA county, but it can happen. And people were out in force with sleds, snowboards, and skis.
I suppose I shouldn't be driving windy mountain roads taking pictures, but I likes the scenery. I only got nervous a couple times when I saw signs proclaiming that snow chains were required ahead. Hrrmm, i don't think i got that option on my rental. Turns out it was sort of overreacting, or they hadn't changed the signs in a few days. Still, it was beautiful and would have been nice to had a motorcycle to take this drive with. The only problem was the drive took about 45 minutes longer than I planned. But I'm glad I took the diversion
The drive was great though. The scenery was beautiful, and once you got
past the main snow ski areas, the roads were pretty empty. The speed
limit was 55, but I can't see how you could manage that without going
over the edge.
Playing in the snow in the morning
After cruising the San Gabriels, I thought it'd be nice to the see ocean. Off to Malibu and a cruise up the PCH. One of my vacation plans is to drive the PCH from San Diego to Seattle... or close to. I think it would be a fun road trip, spread out over a week or so at least. Well, to get to the coast, I ended up on the 101 and had to cross the Santa Monica mountains. The best route looked to be the Topanga Canyon Blvd. And again, back to taking pictures while driving on curvy roads. And again, a motorcycle would have rocked here.
Topanga Canyon
Once through the canyon and hills, I came out on the PCH and headed toward Malibu. A quick stop at Duke's for some refreshment and to just get out of the car. I've been to Duke's Waikiki location, and it's a favorite. The Malibu location had a similar vibe and really delicious crab and macadamia nut wontons. And a nice view of the sinking sun over the Pacific. Got in touch with Adri and Lusya and got the plans for the night. Meet up at Razi's place then off to Santa Monica.
View from the Barefoot Bar at Duke's Malibu
On the way to Pasadena, a quick stop at Dume Point just to say I made it to the beach while in SoCal. And back through Decker Canyon. There are no pictures while driving this one. I didn't feel i could manage it safely. That should tell you just how windy and potentially treacherous this narrow road is.
Afternoon walk in the sand
Made it just time to take part (albeit a very small part) in the frantic rush to prepare wedding decorations before taking off to dinner and Santa Monica Pier. Dinner was at a favorite place that Razi knew, a taco truck in downtown Pasadena. And they had really good tacos for cheap. We ate over the hood of the car while goofing about. Next was off to Santa Monica. We walked down the pier, road various rides (not being a large crowd, there were extra turns on each one). A nice good night!
After a drive by of Venice beach (dark and quiet by this hour), we headed back to our respective lodgings. but first I stopped for a Double Double, Animal Style, from In N Out. I have to get one of those whenever I'm out west. They're so horribly bad for you, but so delicious!
The next day was the wedding day. The first wedding I've been to that was trilingual (Colombia, Russian, and English). As with every wedding, there seemed to be a rush of last minute panic and decorating and organizing and planning that somehow got left out prior to an hour before the ceremony. Hence, I'm putting out centerpieces and volunteered to hand out programs (which came in the three aforementioned languages.) The ceremony went well, and was a non traditional experience (from an American standard perspective) that included traditions from both countries of the bride and groom. So a non-traditionally traditional affair.
After the ceremony, toasts were given (some requiring translators) and dinner was served. The first dance of the Mo and Katya was impressive. They salsa'd about the dance floor like professionals. Afterward, the party kicked off. Masks, beads, glow sticks, noise makers, and other various party paraphernalia appeared and the DJ kicked up the tempo. It was quite an affair.
I'd like to thank M and K for allowing (or demanding) me to come. It was great to share in their celebration after knowing them for what doesn't seem like that long. I could tell a story about the first time I met them, but I'll refrain to save the embarrassment. Adri and Lusya were great pals for the fun in Vegas and LA. And always good to see the rocket scientists and get shown around form a local's perspective.
After the wedding, it was a quick nap, then Adri and Lusya were off to Vegas to fly out and I had a 4:45 AM flight back to Louisville. It was a great LONG weekend with great friends and making new friends (who happen to be up for showing me aorudn their home towns when I make there... )!!
A few weeks back, i received an invite to join the pre wedding celebrations my my friends Mauricio and Katya. In Vegas. I have a hard time saying no to Vegas, but with Adri, Lusya, Mo, and Katya.... this could be fun. Shortly after that, I received my official wedding invitation... well it was more of a demand that I be there from the bride to be. Within a week, with the graciousness of a few coworkers, managed to get the wedding weekend off.
Vegas, baby!!!
Since I had to work NYE, I planned to meet up with the gang in LAS New Years Day. Getting out there was fairly uneventful since it's one of the 6 destinations served non stop from Louisville. I had my small, but understated, room reserved at the Mirage. First time staying there, and I have to say they've kept the place in fairly good shape being almost 30 years old... qualifying for Historical Building Status on the strip. I was a little annoyed that my room wasn't quite ready for me. But they promised to get it rushed and done up shortly. I think it was really just a clever ploy to get me in a casino before heading up to the room. I fooled them, I left the casino... and walked across the street to another casino. Found a nice snack (oysters and beer... yum).
About 45 minutes later I was cleared to go up to the room. My bags would meet me there shortly afterwards. Again, the room was small but sufficient. I unpacked put away the clothes in the walk in closet. And then just relaxed with an extra dirty martini and caught up on the Rose Bowl while waiting for an ETA from the Amherst gang.
I went out to meet them, and have a quick dinner. That's when I discovered the burger place in the back of Paris. Wasn't sure if we were going to eat but i needed sustenance and the sliders seemed like a great idea... not to mention the bartender (who's name was Lala... seriously) was scantily clad in a corset that highlighted her assets. I discovered it was happy hour when she brought two drinks. OK I'll take that.
FINALLY, Adri and Lusya made it into town. And being a little sick and exhausted from NYE and a trip from LA, they decided to sleep and we'd reconvene the next day.
I slept a few hours after doing some gambling and piano bar-ing. The next day we all met for breakfast before piling into the car and off to the Hoover dam. I'd been there before on a trip with my parents and family... about 25 years ago. Wow I'm old. And I'm still scared of heights. I remember seeing a picture from when my parents took my older brothers there for the first time, well before Jamie came around, and seeing a picture of one of my brothers standing on the walls, which behind him was a sheer drop to the bottom of the canyon. Brian looked terrified... and I can't say I blame him. On the return trip 20 years later (with Jamie in tow), a couple uncles tried to get him back on that wall... I thought he was going to invoke his Marine Corps training and really hurt them. Apparently you can be scarred for life... Of course now those ledges are marked "Do not stand or sit on walls"... preventing such nonsense.
After spending some dam time exploring the dam site, we decide we were dam tired and get out of the dam area and back to Vegas. A quick lunch (again at the same burger place in Paris... loved the sliders with Bleu cheese, bacon, and avocado), we split up and went out on our own. A quick stop by the room and I decided to head over and spend sometime at a favorite bar, called Kahunaville in the back of TI. In the past, they tended to make strongish drinks and give out free shots. Things haven't changed.
After a few rounds of video poker, I walked across the street to the Venetian. I really like the way they've done the inside of the place, with the feeling you're actually in Venice. There's also a pop art gallery there I like to dream about buying things in. Afterwards I found myself down stairs in the Bourbon Bar, checking out what they consider to be a vast bourbon collection (with Jack Daniels figuring prominently, though incorrectly, front and center). Amazingly the prices weren't ridiculous, and then again there's the comp if I play a game. More video poker it is.
I soon received notice that dinner would be happening soon, off strip steaks. Good call, the prime rib was tasty and came with a free beer that didn't suck. It had been decreed that we would be meeting up with the bride and groom to be and families and maybe check out a club or two that night. After dinner we headed back to Bally's and met up with the rest of the gang. While waiting on the group to assemble, I decided it was time to take craps. I know the basics of the game (thanks to a iPhone app), and I know it's the best odds in the house. While some of Mo's family tried out slot machines, I found a lively craps table. And oddly enough, won money. I like this game.
We found ourselves heading to Chateau at Paris. Then we found ourselves at a table. Then we found ourselves with a bottle of Jack and a bottle of Goose on the table. The music was good, the crowd was fun, and we partied like rockstars till the wee hours of the night. If you ever get the chance, party with Colombians and Russians. You may not remember the details of what happened but you'll know it was legen...
DARY!
Sometime shortly before sunrise, I made it back to the room. The next day (not necessarily morning) when I came to, it was decided I needed coffee and food in a bad way. Adri and Lusya walked over for a visit. After a stop at Starbuck's and lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, we decided to go help Lusya find the tattoo she was thinking about. Alas, she didn't get it that day, but has the design narrowed down.
I had made plans to have dinner with my favorite Vegas local. I don't know how long I've known Jill, but it seems like forever. And we have an almost Biannual meet up schedule when I'm in town. We had a nice catch up, and I met her husband, at Cabo Wabo (thought unfortunately it was too cold to sit outside and watch the Bellagio Fountains... note to self, it's cold there in winter). It was good times and I'm always glad to see her. And we agreed to a tentative meet up during warmer times in a couple years.
After first dinner, I met Adri and Lusya for second dinner. Don't worry, I didn't eat a whole meal, just had a nice dessert... in the form of Limoncello Martini(s). Afterwards we did a little gambling and the girls headed off to bed. I kept gambling... bad move. Everything I was up, I lost. Oh well, I did learn some more ins and outs of the game. I kept to my budget when it came to gaming. When I had lost enough money that was it. I like to think it was a wash when I include the drinks and learning experience... and just the fun of a lively craps table with a shooter on a roll. I still don't see how people can play these games with $1000's of dollars... and be ok with losing it. I guess they have better paying jobs than I.
The next morning, after a fairly sleepless night and seeing another Vegas sunrise, I was summoned for the departure to LA. I didn't really feel I needed to ever give up my room, but apparently they want you to keep paying for it. Oh well, we had to leave some fun leftover for LA.
Adri, Lusya, and I at Chateau in Paris... Rockstars
A couple weeks, I was asked by a close friend if I'd be interested in taking a trip with her. Obviously, it was just a formality since she knew my answer would be a "hell yeah". So within a couple days it was determined that I would meet Maggie Brown in London (the one in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, not the one in Kentucky... where I think the woman at the early voting registration thought I meant when I put "London, UK" in the "What city and state will you be in on election day?" block on the form). Seemed like a great plan.
Initially I wasn't going for the full time, but after some arranging and finally finding a place to stay for a reasonable price (I highly suggest using VRBO), I decided I'd leave on the 31st and come back on the 6th. Mainly because I wanted to be around for Guy Fawkes Day. Then came problems, due to Sandy the ebst chance for me getting to London on plan was via Los Angeles. Sure it's only 3 hours the wrong way, then an extra two hours back. But the price was right. And more importantly there were seats available.
And here I'll throw in Non-rev traveler tip number 1: Be flexible in routings and times. You never know when you'll have to go west to get east. It luckily worked out pretty well and I was able to get on (in premium economy no less) and with no one in the seat beside me. About 10 hours later, I landed at Heathrow. The flight went pretty smooth and I was well taken care of. Non rev tip #2, if you bring some nice chocolate for your crew, they seem to be exceptionally accommodating and generous with food, beverages, and first class amenities kits (the eye shades came in particular helpful when the nearest passenger decided to read about halfway through the flight). After a short interrogation by Her Majesty's Customs, I was allowed in the country.
The accommodation I had booked via VRBO.com was a nice separate bedroom/bathroom in an apartment a block off the Thames. I had a private entrance and the rest of the apartment (Also rented out) was walled off by a security door. The location couldn't be beat really, especially at the price. I had essentially a hotel room in a prime location for half the going rate, with a pub on the corner and block walk to the South Bank.
View from the South Bank of the Thames, one block from my flat.
After meeting the owner, a brief tour of the area, and settling in and washing the funk of 14 hours of being in an airplane, I set off to meet up with Maggie. It was dark by this time (being that dark comes in London at shortly before 5 PM this time of year). After dinner with Maggie and her hosts, it was time to tube it back to my place and crash. On the way back I was passed by a parade of police vehicles escorting a vehicle with a royal standard flying. I didn't get a good look inside the car, but that's kind of cool. Of course I popped in for a quick pint of Ale at the Thirsty Bear Pub, a neat place in Southwark with tables that had your own taps and an iPad installed for the customers use.
Friday saw the tourist activites begin in earnest. A meet up in front of a Notting Hill bookstore (not the one form the movie), then breakfast at Cafe Diana before heading to Kensington Palace. The place was a small and sparsely decorated royal residence. OK, it was neither small no sparsely decorated. You could visit the Kings Apartment (as used by George I and George II) and the Queens Apartment (as used by Queen Mary II). Also there were special exhibits dealing with Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebration and another of Princess Di memorabilia.
The Kinds Apartment - Kensington Palace
After, a walk through Hyde Park (and past some giant geese and pigeons) brought us to the Prince Albert memorial for a couple photo ops. Then down to Buckingham Palace to see what the Queen was up to (turns out didn't look like she was out doing a lot that day). Afterwards, a traditional lunch of English meat pies and off to Westminster Abbey.
I feel I should give a little bit of personal history. This is my second trip to London, the first being my first international jaunt ever way back in the spring of 1999 (the first stop on a 3 country week and half trip). So much was changed since that trip, both with me and with the city itself. For instance, the area I stayed for this trip wasn't much thought of at the time of the last trip. It was sort of run down with not much happening. That's all changed. The movie Notting Hill came out after I came home, so that area was considered a very interesting tourist area, unless you just wanted to walk down streets of houses and shops. I was much poorer then and didn't do a lot of the things I paid to do this time. Plus, that being my first time abroad, I was a bit bewildered and generally awestruck at all times. And there wasn't a proliferation of travel websites, iPhone apps, and easy to find information on the interwebs.
For instance, last time I stood outside Westminster Abbey, I took a picture, and went across to Parliament (where I did go inside and watch a small debate in the House of Commons). This time, I paid the fee and went in. It's well worth it. It's a beautiful cathedral with history just oozing about. You walk past the graves of kings and scientist (Newton and Darwin... the latter i find it amusing that he's buried in such a notable church given a general rejection of his theories by the church). Also there are poets and composers, and memorials to many more notable people who are not buried there. I highly recommend this as a stop on any trip to London. And then over to Big Ben, Parliament for photo ops before splitting up and making plans to meet for dinner.
The next morning, the plan was to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham the off to the Tower of London. Well, apparently everyone else had the same plans. Buckingham was packed, and despite arriving 45 minutes before the ceremony we were no where near the front and in a good viewing spot for the ceremony. We did watch some of the guards parade by, then squeeze through the crowd to get to the tube and head to the Tower.
The Tower is a must see, more than worth the price of admission (and since we bought a year pass for two it was a must see twice). And definitely take a tour with one of the Yeoman Warders, commonly known as Beefeaters (and supposedly no one knows why). If you have the time, take two tours, since each Beefeater tells different stories of the history. Though I think they all involve MURDER!! After the tower, and deciding the lines for the crown jewels was ludicrously long, we headed over for a quick look around Piccadilly Square before splitting for the evening. And i was off to explore some more historic pubs, places where Dickens and Shakespeare had once popped in for a pint for example.
A quick note, it seems that every Frenchman had taken a long weekend and ventured to London for a holiday. The place was lousy with French, and eastern European to a lesser degree, tourists. I suppose that explains the outrageous hotel prices (high demand), but it was just annoying. Another good reason for mid week visits.
Sunday morning brought rain. Which given the time of year, I'm surprised it took that long. The plan had been to start early back at the tower, and hope for shorter lines. Well, that plan was replaced by sleeping in until the rain was forecast to stop. And to the credit of the BBC, they were pretty well spot on with the time the rain would move out. While waiting outside the Tower tube station, I watched the filming of a car chase scene for some movie or TV show. And I found it amusing that anyone would use London for a chase scene. I mean, I get the use of the scenery, but realistically... you're not going anywhere fast in a car in that city.
The rain had indeed scared away a lot of the tourists, and we pretty much were line free at the Tower for most the day. After that, we headed over for a proper high tea at the Orangery. Orginally built for Queen Anne with the intention of being a type of greenhouse, this very classy place serves traditional teas, crumpets, biscuits, and of course cucumber sandwiches (though I preferred the smoked salmon sandiwches) complete with the crust cut off. All very posh.
After that, we had dinner at a local Kensington place with Maggie's host. Ffiona's (that is spelled correctly) was very delicious English fare with a little bit of a twist. Also, apparently Georgia May Jagger (Mick's daughter) frequents the place on first dates (I guess he has a lot of those???).
The next morning I woke up early for no apparent reason. And determined to remember, remember the fifth of November (ha), I took off for Trafalger Square and the National Gallery. Since it was so early, I decided to take a nice walk down the Thames, crossing on footbridge by Charing Cross, and up to Trafalger Square for coffee and a croissant while waiting for the gallery to open. Turns out, I'm not much of an art critic and that all 13th Century Italian paintings seem be representations of saints, Christ, or the Madonna. It seems that as you journey through the years, the subjects get less religious and a little bit more creative or secular (I think this may have something to do with less and less Church domination of everything after the Renaissance.. just a theory). The paintings, as time goes on, get more and more abstract in nature. And I have to say, I do really like Monet's and Van Gogh's works. We had visited a modern art gallery the day before (Tate Modern) and I really don't "get" that stuff. After the Gallery, I headed over to the British Museum, but decided not to go in, having been there years before. Instead, I had a pint in a tavern once frequented by Karl Marx and George Orwell (who, in my one political comment for the week, more people should read today). I decided to walk over to the Dickens House and Museum, since it was relatively close. Unfortunately I found it closed for renovations.
Trafalger Square : from left to right: National Gallery, Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields Steeple, and the Lord Nelson Monument
After the full day, met up with Maggie and we went over to St Pauls Cathedral to take in the Evensong service. This being my first ever event in a Anglican Church, I looked on with interest and enjoyed the choral performances. It's much more, i suppose ceremonious is a good word, than the Southern Baptist church I grew up with. Afterwards, I took off for White Chapel to visit the Ten Bells, a pup made famous (infamous) by Jack the Ripper. Then back to Southwark and a couple other recommended dinner and drinking places. I ended up stumbling (not in the drunken sense but in the unexpected sense) into a pub full of local musicians "jamming" in the corner. It was pretty damn cool.
The next day it was time to go. Headed back to Heathrow for the flight home. (I really enjoyed Delta's lie flat seats). Non-rev tip #3: Flying back to the US requires you to pay a boatload of taxes, and the UK it came out to about £185... don't be surprised by this. Once again, I brought chocolate for my crew, and once again it was greatly appreciated. Back in the US, I was again interrogated by Customs. I get it, they ask questions and judge your response to get an impression of why you're really there.. but it's freakin annoying. Maybe it's because they flip through seeing full pages of stamps and visas from your less than normal destinations. Who knows.
It was overall a great trip. I had good company and we, for the most part, had surprisingly good weather. I do feel like I walked more in the last 5 days than I have in the previous year, and have the aches and sore feet to show for it. But the pain is worth it. And a reminder it's time for new shoes.
SO that's my triumphant return to London. There's still more I would like to have done (especially outside the city), but time ran out. Good reason to go back I suppose. It's an expensive city, but there are ways to save money (lots of museums are free, and the tube/bus system is extremely economical and useful... just remember to mind the gap).
It's been a while, which I just noticed. Before I get to the latest foray I'll do some catching up. Since I wrote my broke up letter to Insight, I've been enjoying the newness and fun of my relationship with AT&T's cable offering. I can't say I have many complaints at all. I also changed mobile phone providers for the first time since 1996ish. Lot's of upheavel!
Other than that, there's been days couple days spent in Piedmont Park with Yinyer for music midtown. A meet up with Ms Linda while she was in Atlanta. Spent some time with Tanjoe at their palatial estate in New-Nan. Went down to Orlando for a work related trip and was able to meet Shelley for lunch and mee tup with some friends working down at Airtran. Then Back in Atlanta for a day to take in a GT win over Boston College, followed by an evening of brews at the Darkhorse with ET and Yinyer. Pepper in some meet ups with Grace and AXL, that pretty much sums it all up. Well, there's been working in there too, including extra shifts.
Oh, and my niece got in engaged... and I'm very happy for her. Except I feel a little older now :-). October was pretty full. Now, on to fun stuff (as if the above wasn't fun enough) in the next blog. coming soon.
This relationship just isn't working for me anymore. It's been five years since we first got together, and things started great. All my needs were being met and really enjoyed our time together. But as time wore on, things just seemed to get dull. You kept asking more of me. A little at first, but it added up. I tried to bring new things into the relationship. Remember when I bought the new HD TV? That was a good time. Sure you brought a little more to this relationship after that, but with newer demands on me. I endured because I had invested so much into the relationship and thought i had no other options.
Then came last Thursday. Out of no where, you denied me a relaxing evening at home. You refused to allow me to enjoy the Bears/Packers game! That was the final straw. I left in a huff and went out to pour over my options at the local watering hole. It was then I realized there are newer, faster options present to me. And demand less of my resources to maintain the relationship. AND, allow me my NFL Network!
So after all the random service interruptions, the grinding down of broadband speed in the evenings, and sudden random bill increases; you're kicked to the curb Insight. Sure you pleaded with me to keep you. Offering a lower bill and promising better service... except of course for the NFL network... which couldn't be had at "a reasonable price". So the annual 5% increase couldn't offset the price of football but would get me instead yet another home shopping network, or HD Lifetime! Maybe if you quit spending the money to mail me a letter or two every week trying to sell me a new phone bundle I clearly don't want you could afford better channels. Too little too late. I shouldn't need to threaten you to get the "best pricing".
Take your DVR and leave, I have a newer faster model now. Go screw over some other customers.
PS. You can also eliminate the "greeter" position at the office, a sign that points me to the line for the one person working the service counter would be just as effective and instead train the "greeter" to work the other side of the counter... thus reducing the wait in line.
