Finally, after 23 years, I made a trip to Europe. London specifically.
It's not that I've never had an interest to go or that I was too cheap to travel. Rather, I've just never found a good time to do it. In college, I always had responsibilities or commitments during the normal breaks (spring = Lacrosse, Summer = Lofting) and I also never had the option to study abroad (same restrictions). Even during the typically used summer after college, I was unable to go as I spent my time recovering from shoulder surgery.
But last week, I finally made the trip. Largely the result of Falon pushing this through like a $700 billion dollar congressional package (read: I needed a little convincing, but time was of the essence), I spent Wednesday through Sunday in Pimlico, London. I know that many of you will say "That is far too short of a trip!" or "Why didn't you stay longer with that long flight!?!"
Frankly, there was just too much going on. I'm in the middle of classes right now, a few projects at work are nearing their crunch point, we're in the middle of an impressive Michigan football year, and I am finally settling in after moving. Plus, Aaron (our host and fellow Googler) was headed back to the states this week for meetings in Mountain View. So the timing seemed good enough.
I have to admit that I didn't spend a lot of my time there divulging in the typical tourist attractions - even though there were many that sounded interesting to me. Rather, I tried to get the best perspective I could on what it would be like to actually live there. I worked from the Google office the day that I got there - through some nasty jet-lag - AND during a visit from HM the Queen! While I didn't get to shake her hand, I did get to blow her a kiss. I'm kidding. But seriously. She wants me.
I also took a trip down to the theater district and saw Avenue Q - four stars and absolutely hysterical. Enough cannot be said about muppets doing the nasty on stage with a bunch of drunk Brits watching. After that, I hit up a couple of pubs across London - bouncing over to Camden at one point.
But even after some explicit insistence from my mother and father to visit the Tower of London - I never made it. :\ The line is notoriously long and I didn't wake up before noon any day that I was there.
All in all, I had a great time. The end of the trip even ended with a bang (somewhat). Right as we were boarding our plane, one of our pilots got arrested for being drunk. What a freaking idiot. Happily our plane didn't take off with that moron in the cockpit - but rather we were delayed 8 hours. Ugh!
That's traveling.
