London - Best of the Isles

No, Not Beer - Cheese
Luckily, my colleagues love cheese.  We went to a cheese shop last night and stocked up on three interesting varieties from the British Isles.  On the left is a Stichelton - an unpasteurized blue that uses the original Stilton starter.  On the right, something called "Stinking Bishop" from Gloucestershire, which is washed with fermented pear juice of the same name.  Not shown is a Welsh variety called Gorwydd Caerphilly.

London - Catching Up

With Old Friends
I worked with this dude for three horrible years in Paris.  Wayne, my counterpart from London, made the weekly trip to Paris and without him I might not have made it.  He always had a way to make me laugh and lighten up.  He retired a few months back and we caught up in a pub near Covent Gardens. It was great to see him.

London - The Agency Lifestyle

It's a Step Up from Cubicle Hell
The UK office of our department shares space with some of our ad agencies.  What a difference that makes.  Both Saatchi and Leo Burnett share the building.  After a hard day, you can take the elevator to the pub for a drink.  Matter of fact, this is London so you can drink any time of day.

London - The National Pasttime

Arsenal vs Swansea City
When our London colleague asked if there was anything we were interested in doing while in London we asked for the impossible.  His eyes widened when we asked for tickets to an Arsenal game.  "You lot are quite cheeky, aren't you?" he asked, laughing.  Some how, some way, he came through.

London - Fifty in Style

French Rules
I guess I should have celebrated my birthday with a typical English Sunday roast, but nope, not me.  French all the way.  The Frenchies are paying for it, so it seemed only right.

London - Back in the Fancy

Marylebone
On the other side of the scale, away from those neighborhoods that an English colleague said were for the "common" people (yes he actually said that out loud),is Marylebone.  It's pronounced MAR-LEE-BONE, which I tried to explain to the Costa Ricans without success.  "Just stop looking at the letters and listen to what I'm saying Mar-Lee-Bone."

London Bus Rides - Part 2

East End - Shoreditch

I asked my Engliish colleagues which neighborhoods I should avoid and then made sure I visited each and every one of them.  Brixton was to be avoided at all costs and close behind was the East End - which is said to be rough around the edges.  I took a bus from Brixton to Shoreditch and found it to be in the middle of the classic gentrification.  

London - Bus Rides Part 1

Brixton
We are staying in the posh neighborhood of Kensington.  If you only walked around here you could be fooled into thinking all of London is dripping with money.  I sought out some regular neighborhoods by bus, the first one the epicenter of rioting in the early 80's.  Much of the music I listened to at that time was coming out of London and it referenced those riots in Brixton.

London - The Sun

It Actually Exists!
Today, for the first time in five days, the sun peeked out for an hour.  I ran outside to get a shot for posterity, I may not see it again any time soon.  I've taken many walks around Kensington and I must admit, it is a beautiful, if impossibly expensive, place.

London - Stealing

Meet My Fellow Thieves

Joseph, Jose and Ileana - my colleagues from Costa Rica.  We're here in SW London, smiling, pretending, hand-shaking and lunch-sharing.  Meanwhile, we are secretly figuring out how to steal jobs from London and put them in Costa Rica without upsetting the British unions.  It's a crap job.  I am not particularly proud to be involved in it.

London - Museums

The V&A
The Victoria and Albert is the largest museum of design and decorative arts.  It wasn't my first choice but when I saw the line to get into the Natural History museum, I made the most of it.  Turned out to be very interesting.

London - Touchdown in Kensington

Trying to Adjust the Brain
I've never been a big fan of London and coming here from Tokyo doesn't help.  I had to have a talk with myself this morning to adjust my attitude.  Few get to travel for work, I am staying and eating for free so make the most of it, I told myself.  I am staying near the Earl's Court tube station in SW London, a ten minute walk from Hyde park.  This is a shot from my hotel.

London - Just for the Day

A Very LONG Day
A couple of us boarded the 7am Eurostar bound for London for a day of meetings.  I dread this type of day - 5 hrs of travel and 8 hrs of meeting.  At least is was a nice office - it looked at the back of the New Tate gallery.  The Tate is being expanded and the work is ongoing.

London - One Day

I Went to London and all I Got Was a Meeting...
Took the Eurostar last night into London.  It was extremely cramped and uncomfortable, I was quite shocked.  All those billions spent and they pack you in like sardines.  Now that I think about it, I guess those two are related.  I'm in Kensington on the west side of London for a one day meeting, this is a view from the room.  They've converted some old factories into offices.  Quite nice.  The weather is as expected, cool and dark.  We're back on the Eurostar tonight to Paris.  I'll try to take a few shots of the new St Pancras station tonight - it's quite impressive!