Tags
February 5, 2012
Hello!
I got the subject right this time. Except, I’ve yet to hear anyone say “cheerio” since I’ve been here. I’m just sending another e-mail to check in from across the Atlantic. Things here have been great thus far! I’ve started to settle into the groove at the office. I could seriously get used to a 2 minute (in high heels) commute to the office each day! The teams on both sides of the pond are keeping me very busy with work! The group here is also keeping me very busy with invitations for “drinks!” There are certainly some differences I’m noticing in the Philadelphia and London offices (besides the obvious accents). One of the biggest things that has taken some time to get used to (besides looking right first) is the keyboards. They’re slightly different – just different enough to be a complete pain sometimes! I am really enjoying my time on the team here in London and love being the resident “America expert.” At home I don’t get to be the expert of anything!
I have also had a chance to catch up with some former colleagues from my old company and I hope to meet-up with a friend from college this week. Having familiar faces in London has made this experience much more fun and enjoyable. I have had the chance to do lots of exploring while I’ve been here. The great thing about traveling alone (no offense to my wonderful travel buddies) is that I can go where I want, when I want, for as long as I want. Last week, I did a jog across the London Bridge (it’s not falling down in case you’re wondering) and the Tower Bridge. Then I made a quick pit stop at the Tower of London for a few photos before heading home. I also got to celebrate Chinese New Year in Chinatown. We had tasty Dim Sum, great Chinese tea and even got a visit from a dragon inside the restaurant (seriously, I have pictures!). Then we went to Trafalgar Square for some performances and to see Fireworks celebrating the occasion. It was loads of fun!
Yesterday, I did a longer jog (I had no idea it was 6 miles until I got home and checked out the route) and managed to see the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament and West Minster Abbey. I even stopped on the Westminster Bridge in the exact (by exact I mean approximate) spot I snapped pictures from 10 years ago! It was very cool. As you know, London is one of the world’s fashion centers – so, I checked out a vintage fair my coworker informed me about. How could she have ever known I love to shop so much?? I found some great items – including a beautiful scarf, some fancy tea sets and vintage designer prints from Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Today, I went back to Trafalgar Square to check out the National and National Portrait Galleries. Both of them were amazing. I particularly enjoyed seeing the work by Degas, Van Gogh (who I’ll see more of in Amsterdam) and all the depictions of Biblical scenes by Michelangelo and Raphael (the painters, not the turtles). After the museums I wandered past St. James park and headed to my appointment for tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. She must have forgotten I was coming because I couldn’t get in the place! Thoroughly disappointed, I made my way to the pub for a late lunch/early dinner. Forget the Super Bowl in America, the action is right here in London with the Manchester United versus Chelsea football (soccer) match. It seems that they play whenever I’m in Europe (how do they know I’m coming?). People kept asking me to choose sides (hey – I just went for the fish and chips!) and I decided to leave when they said picking the team with the better uniform (Chelsea, IMO) wasn’t a reason to root for a team. I can only imagine how they would have taken my “cutest player” strategy for picking a winner.
I’m now home and preparing to Skype with the parentals, finish up my laundry (which takes twice as long in the environmentally friendly and compact combo washer and dryer) and get ready for the week ahead! Next week, I’ll tell you all about my travels to Brussels – assuming I’m neither chocolate (from the chocolate tour) nor “real life” (from the beer tour) wasted!
Cheers,
E
PS – I’ve attached a couple of photos I’ve snapped along my travels!
