Category: England (2003)

The next afternoon, I went to shop a little bit, and then got my stuff together to stay with Rob in Uxbridge, as I was leaving the next day to Moscow. We met some other workers in the Uxbridge office, for some drinks, and then went to one of the worker’s house for dinner. We ordered pizza, courtesy of APL, and the leaving vice president ordered about 8 pizzas for 8 people. As wasteful as this seemed, he still had the audacity to make a snide comment about me not eating the little crusts at the end of the pizza. I guess he didn’t seem to mind the waste of leaving 5 pizzas uneaten, but those two crusts sure did erk him.

That night I went over to Rob’s, and got ready for my flight the next morning. I had had such an amazing time in London, that I didn’t want to leave, and Rob made it even harder by making comments about me having to queue for food when I go to Moscow. I know, I know, it’s not like that really, but it is indeed a more inconvenient place than England. The next morning, we drove through London to pick up Stephen, as Rob and Stephen are airplane buffs and wanted to see me off at the airport. We said our goodbyes and I was off to Moscow for Evgeny’s wedding.

From this trip, I know for a fact I will be visiting this great city again. I really enjoyed the people, the social life, the environment, and the overall ambiance that this great city gave to me in just one week. I look forward to my next visit to London in the near future!

The next day we went around to Buckingham Palace again to watch the changing of the Guard. This procession led through the streets with all the soldiers and bands. Unfortunately, I wasn’t tall enough to look through the crowds and see what was going on in front of the palace with the actual changing of the guard, but I do know it was blistering hot outside, and I got tired of standing in the sun trying to imagine what was going on. So, we left, and continued on to Westminster Abbey.

This is the most famous church in England, where Princess Diana’s funeral took place. The church was absolutely breathtaking with it’s huge ceilings. The coronation throne was in the church as well. Many famous people in history had been buried there also. After touring the church, we headed for other parks, and then on to walk around the city.

That night we went to meet the other trainees in my program at Swedish Cottage for a nice dinner out. Here I met Rob and Stephen, guys in my class who are completely hilarious. We had exchanged emails throughout the year, and to meet was great fun. I’m looking forward to their visit to San Francisco!

At dinner, we went to a Spanish Tapas place where we ordered a lot of food. The food was good, but small. The bad thing about London is the fact that the food is soooo expensive, it was reminiscent of Tokyo.

That night we went to another club, and I danced my heart out until the wee hours of the morning. Amazing how much energy you have when work doesn’t get in the way!

Today was eventful as I went around the city. I was able to use the Tube to get everywhere I wanted, and I went to visit some of the sights. Eric showed me around the cool places in London going to the parks, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben. John joined our tour around the city and we had a blast walking through London.

I think the main thing that I’ll not forget is the way the entire city looks like a set from a movie back in the old days. The taxi’s are those black, old cars, the architecture is so great and really depicts what you would have imagined London to look like. There was something so quaint about the city, that I felt I could live there easily. The streets were filled with people throughout the entire day, and the cobblestone streets were narrow and usually quite crowded as well. It was fun to see the cars on the other side of the road. I had forgotten from living in Japan how different it is.

So, almost every night, I spent out clubbing on London’s scene. It was great fun, met lots of great people. I’m amazed at how many Americans and Canadians there are living in London. I hadn’t had this much fun so often, that I really didn’t want to leave! The nights were spent until early in the morning when we would get back home, of course smoke-drenched, and sleep until midday. This is definitely a tour of a city I had not done before.

England. As I made my journey to Russia for Evgeny’s wedding, I decided to take a flight passing through London, as I had never been before. Boy am I glad I did! I never thought I would enjoy London as much as I did! Arriving to the airport, I then took the train into the city and met up with some friends for lunch. We ate, then walked around a little bit, then I headed back to the flat I was staying at for a nap. Then, that evening, I met one of the other guys in my training programme for work, and we all went out to dinner.