i've now "lived" in london for almost a month - that's since my first day at google london (november 30) and coming back after the new year (arrived in the uk after a red eye on new year's day).
my few weeks here before christmas went by all too quickly and consisted mostly of flat hunting and bank account opening and making sure i could actually live here like i a normal person when i got back. happy to say i found a great share in a neighborhood called marylebone right in the dead center of london. it's like the union square of san francisco or the herald square of new york - tons of shopping minutes away, super close to the biggest parks in london, and an easy 15 minute bus ride to work and hopefully love 30-45 minute walk in summer. but not right now. because it snows here.
i did get out to enjoy some of the holiday sights before heading back to california for the holidays. london really does love christmas. watch love actually. it's all true. here are some pictures to prove it:
this is somerset house. famous for ice skating in the wintertime in london. the ice skating rink was sponsored by tiffany's this year. what delightful product placement.
i also got to do some shopping in covent garden which was all decorated for christmas (and enjoyed some delicious paella cooked right in the middle of the open air market)
and enjoyed a delightful cupcake from a cute little cupcake shop for dessert.
i also got a chance to get out and see some of the sites. i was staying about 10 minutes walking from big ben in my fabulous two bedroom corporate apartment - the likes of which i will probably never see again in london. but it did make it nice and easy to talk a walk and realize even more, that this is really where i live now.
the journey back to california was uneventful. there was a british airways strike announced just days before i was set to fly back. through me for a loop my didn't affect my flights and in the end they ended up not striking. i did have a bit of an issue with them though. back when i booked my flight in october i had thought i would still be in zurich, but since my visa came through, i was already in london. since i was flying british airways, i was set to connect through london from zurich on my way to sfo. i called ba to make this simple change, just eliminating a leg of the flight and in essence making the whole thing cheaper for them since i was flying less, however they told me it would be a whopping $350 to change my ticket. i had already looked into flights back to zurich which were only $60 and i told them this on the phone - that it was ridiculous that i could fly back to zurich for cheaper than to just stay in london and fly from there. and the lady said "sorry - that's how much it costs." customer service all the way. anyhow, i woke at 4:00am to catch a flight to zurich only to grab my bags, walk out of the exit, and back right into the entrance to check into my flight. safe to say the guys at the passport checkin in zurich thought i was a little nuts.
in the end, it wasn't all a total loss - british airways actually upgraded me on my flight from london to san francisco and i don't know how i'll ever go back to coach. oh wait - i can't afford it. my business class seat included access to the frequent flyers lounge filled with food and drink and good magazines, a seat that laid all the way down, and lobster for dinner. i could definitely get used to that. but sadly think it might not be a regular occurrence.
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