Before I fill you in on what's going on in London, I have been informed I have to report that I inadvertently filed my previous entry from a gay Internet café (not that there's anything wrong with that). After signing off and heading outside, the pieces of the puzzle slotted into place: the overly friendly owner, the same-sex couples seated throughout the café, and finally the name of the café, Coffee Fellows. All a learning experience.
On our last day before flying to London, we went to Austria. For lunch. That's it. Just lunch! Very cool! Austria's lovely. Similar to Germany, but possibly even more picturesque. We went to a wonderful little café with a modern, but classic atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyable!
After a delayed flight into Heathrow, thanks to a very foggy London afternoon, we made our way to the adequate Royal Court Apartments in Paddington. We're here for seven nights, but haven't seen much of the city yet (where the temperature is a scorching 5°C). Today we went for a brief wander through the city to Hyde Park, where we caught the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery 41-gun salute to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. It was a typically British affair with lots of horses, cannons, overdressed participants and plenty of dignitaries in top hats. Jolly good show!
This evening, we've wandered the streets of London checking out the shops, etc, and snagged a few books (including, at long last, The Da Vinci Code) for those wind-down days. Over the next week, we'll do all those touristy things London things, and hopefully catch a matinée of The Phantom of the Opera.
After that, it's off to Edinburgh!
I can't believe it hasn't even been three weeks yet. In so many ways, it feels like much longer, but at the same time, I still can't believe I've left. Homesickness is fleeting, but it was inevitable. Under the circumstances, it's not too bad.
I'll have some pictures uploaded soon, as it's getting a bit out of hand on my camera.
Hope that all is well with everyone at home and abroad!
m*a*s*h* 101
13 years ago
Hey Matt,
ReplyDeleteAbout time you updated! Great to hear from you. I was worried some crazy German woman had kidnapped you and was fattening you up (which would take a while!) before eating you like a sausage.
Good news mate, I got my cadetship (finally!) and I'm working in sports. Exactly what I wanted! But don't worry, nothing else has changed...the headlines are still terrible. But still nothing compared to "WOCCA WOCCA WOCCA!" or "LEAF ME ALAWN! Haha!
Glad you're having a great time, and thank God you've finally discovered beer. It's about time you pansy! Haha!
See you soon. That's a lie, but yeah...
By the way, all the new shows have just returned. A new show called Prison Break has just started and everyone is raving about it. It's the Desperate Housewives/Lost of 2006.
Take care,
Your mate,
-Nick Smart
"snagged a few books (including, at long last, The Da Vinci Code)"
ReplyDelete*shakes head in despair*
Good too see you capitalise on this opportunity to drink good European beer (unlike here, where you need a loan to do so). Now if only you did so with music, there's always hundreds of good gigs going on o'er there.
London is a cool place, but everyone seems so down. And it's pricey. Actually, being in the cold day after day might start to get at you too.
Good work with the gay bar voyage. I hope you weren't wearing a cowboy hat.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you mate. Congrats on the promotion! I want to see you change that paper into a reputable journal of opinion one lousy headline at a time!
I'm looking forward to catching up on all the '06 TV when I return (they're plugging the new season of 24 something shocking here in London).
Stephen,
No cowboy hat. Just cowboy boots. And only cowboy boots.
(Just kidding... obviously)
I'm growing to like London; it's great to be back somewhere where everyone speaks English (and proper English, at that!).
And yes, European beer dumps all over that Australian stuff. Blah!
Cheers,
Matt