I’m in the final stretch. My part in the project I’ve been working on is finished, so all I have to do yet is tie up loose ends. I’m booked for a flight home this wednesday, but am trying to switch to an earlier flight. So far no luck.

The weekend was great. I went to a party Saturday night, and spent Sunday with my friend Rachel at a music festival (All Tomorrow’s Parties). The fair had an impressive lineup over the last few days (modest mouse, the shins, tortoise…) but I was only there for a few hours. It was still nice to get out of London for the day and enjoy some sunshine.

The extended section of this entry contains some large photos, so beware…
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I flew in this morning and had a few hours to kill before my first meeting, so I finally had a chance to see the Cathedral. I had walked around it several times before, but hadn’t had a chance to see the interior or climb the tower because I’m so often tucked away in conference rooms during their open hours.

So I climbed the hill to the old city ‘Cite’ and did it justice. The sky was overcast and the atmosphere generally gloomy, but that kept the visitors away and I had the place mostly to myself. It’s a 12th century building, and towers over the town from the highest point on the hill. I’m sure on a clear day the view of the mountains from the tower is spectacular, but today I couldn’t see that far.

A view from the top

p.s. I’ve been watching Richard Clarkes’ testimony this evening in my hotel room. The man has courage.
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This will be my last week on the project before heading back to SF. I’m flying to Geneva wednesday morning, and will be back in London friday night. I’ll probably need a day or two to tie up loose ends, but I could be back in the US as early as next week tuesday.

I did a little more wandering on Saturday. I went back to Russell Square near the University of London, where I spent some time in school. It was interesting to see how much it’s changed in the 10 years I’ve been away.

From there I headed south into Covent Garden where I was to meet Rupert and friends for drinks and dinner. Before I got there I was distracted by the sounds of the anti-war rally in Trafalgar. It was quieting down when I got there, but it looked like there had been a sizeable crowd.

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Lausanne was gorgeous today, although I spent much of the day indoors. This is my second to last trip here, and it’s been filled with meetings. I’m starting to get excited about being home, seeing friends, and preparing for my next adventures.

I did get a chance to leave the office early this afternoon to take in the sun and warmer air. I walked up the hill toward the Cathedral once again, this time with my jacket over my shoulder. It was probably in the high 60s, maybe even 70. The streets of the old town were actually somewhat crowded, I think everyone in town had the same idea. The cafes were packed, with tables out on the street. I had dinner on a patio outside and read last weeks economist. I guess that’s how I relax…
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The Madrid bombings have been huge news here. I’ve been paying close attention and have noticed an emerging debate worth watching.
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An excellent article by Jonathan Schell of The Nation.
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Saturday turned out to be quite beautiful. There was intermittent rainfall, but for most of the day the sun broke through the clouds and warmed the city, a nice respite from the gray gloom of the previous week.

I went on a meandering walk through The City (the oldest part of London which is now the financial district). I was out hunting Roman ruins and other glimpses of history I’ve been reading about in my book. The picture above is of the interior of one of the oldest churches in London, a crusader church hidden among the tightly clustered buildings of ‘the temple’.

Later on I stopped near the south side of London Bridge by the Tate museum and checked out an open-air food market. I enjoyed some comfort food and a cup of hot spiced cider.

I met up with my friend Rachel and her friends later in the day. We went to a pub, got tipsy, and discussed politics into the wee hours.
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It was good to be in London this week without the stress of traveling. Now I have a weekend to look forward to before heading to Switzerland again Tuesday.

What to do? Some potential ingredients for a fulfilling weekend might be:

• Seeing 21 grams? I’m hearing good things from different sources.
• Being a tourist. I’ve been really enjoying a new book by Edward Rutherford called
  ‘London’. It’s historical fiction, one of those grand epics that starts out in the bronze age and goes all the way, in this case, to the London Blitz. I’m reading a part about the building of the tower of London, so maybe I’ll go check it out.
• Eating. I can’t get enough of the amazing Indian food here. There is apparently a great Tandoori place open to the street in East London.
• St. Patricks Day. While I’m really bummed I’ll be in Lausanne on the 17th, the big London St. Patricks Day Parade is actually on Sunday the 14th, so I’ll probably check it out. I think it involves drinking lot’s of Guinness and walking somewhere.

On Navigating
I’ve been experimenting with different routes to work since there are so many options. One of the reasons London is such a world class city is it’s unrivaled trasportation system. There are 3 different underground routes I can take to work, and a few bus routes as well that I’ve only started to discover. Last night I took a double-decker from Westminster to Queensway where I had some mediocre Chinese food. It was a different experience seeing the city pass by instead of the tunnel walls of the underground.

-Jeff
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The weather has warmed a bit and I spent a good deal of the weekend outside. I relished every moment of my free time saturday and sunday as I recovered from two days of 8 hour client meetings and the travel. It’s quite an involved process my commute to Lausanne. It usually takes around 4-5 hours each way, a combination of subway, train, plane, train, taxi, foot etc. Sometimes it’s all for a two hour meeting. They’ve been putting me up in a very nice hotel though, it’s far nicer than my London apartment, and that makes up for the inconvenience of the trek.

Working on the train…

I got back into town saturday morning after spending a rainy and uneventful night in Geneva. I had wanted to see a bit of the place, but a late meeting and general weariness conspired against me. I did briefly leave my hotel looking for food, and ended up lost in the maze of alleys near the cathedral. I stumbled upon a nice little Thai joint and had dinner. That was the highlight of my evening.

Yesterday (sunday) I sat in a pub and read a book. I think I’ve found a little neighborhood place to call home. They have Caffreys and Stella on tap and serve excellent Thai food.

Note to self: considering my plans for the next few months, maybe I should hold off on all this Thai food…?
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Having taken a bus to the castle Sunday, I was pretty much stranded there until it returned for the trip home. In all, I had six hours to kill, so I spent quite a bit of time wandering the castle grounds and the little cluster of houses nearby.

The photos in this section are mostly of a hedge maze I explored near the castle. It was fairly ordinary except for the ‘grotto’ at the center. Unlike other mazes with a standard entry and exit, the goal of this maze was a large stone mound in the center that provided views over the maze from above. The mound was actually a domed structure covering a series of spiral stairways…down. In order to get from the center of the maze back to the outside, I had to decend into the grotto and navigate the underground passages beneath the maze. The passages were elaborately decorated with statues and strange carvings, all apparently based on pagan mythology. The experience added a little spice to that gloomy afternoon.
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