Back from London: Piss and Vinegar

Well I got back from London last night. I dont know how anyone can afford to live there. Pounds just seem to fly out of your pocket even when you are just standing still. What a great weekend to go though. Not only was it the last weekend of the Future Cities exhibit at the Barbican school, it was also the OPEN HOUSE, where some 600 buildings not normally open to the public are opened and some offer guided tours. Of course the Gherkin was a pre-book only and getting tickets were impossible. I did get down by the old Batter-sea power plant which I have always enjoyed the shape of and let me tell you...it's more monstrous then I ever imagined. We got into Norman Foster's office (WOW!). Walked around Trafalgar's square Saturday night where they were having a huge concert (Scissor Sisters) Would have prefer ed they not been there, as the square was covered with their stage and junk all weekend preventing a true viewing of it's enormity. Monday was up at 5am to take a train out to Salisbury for steak (joke). Took a bus from there out to Stone Henge, which was cool and I enjoyed it, but not as impressive as if getting in the inner circle for a sun-rise, or -set tour might have been. Then back to Salisbury for more steak and a quick run around the cathedral. 1pm train back to London and a quick shopping spree at Harrods. I bought some of those shaving cream bars you use with the brush and after shave, But that was after I went down to the gentleman's lounge and sat for a hot shave with a straight razor. It felt great and was nice to sit for the 25 minutes the entire thing took, but let me say this...if you face is not accustomed to a straight edge razor...no amount of after shave will fix the burn. I think I had an entire layer of skin removed with my whiskers, which were whiskery and why I decided to go in the first place. Before the shave I sat up in the food court and had a bowl of Bouillabaisse, when, as I was slurping away, I was fortunate enough to witness the weekly parade of Scottish bag pipers as they made their way in procession through the aisles. All in all it was an o.k. trip and I was glad I saved my money for the last day at Harrods, in my opinion the bread and water for 3 days was worth the pampering before getting on the train home last night. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention...dont bring pocket knives to the U.K., apparently any kind is considered a concealed weapon and can get you 5 years in prison, even if you re trying to LEAVE the country with it in your backpack. I dont really want to get into the details on that one. Oh and what do you get when you drink cider? Piss & Vinegar!


Foster's City Hall,outside and in!

Battersea Power Plant

Some Rocks I saw on the way to the Steak House!