so. london! was only there for a few days, but i packed a lot in. was just fun to be in a place where i understood the language, could freely ask questions, directions, if the food was spicy, etc. was still a foreign country tho, that much was clear when i arrived. i got the third degree from the passport agent. she LOVED that i had such a complicated situation (i didn't go into all of it, but did say that i had to get a second visa to continue my work in russia), and was really hoping i would stumble when asked what i would do if i didn't get the visa. i think she was hoping i'd say "oh, i'll just hang out in britain! but i didn't. i said i'd go back to the US. which earned me the official approval stamp and i was allowed in.
first stop, monmouth coffee in borough market!! the snobbiest, most upscale boutique coffer-y in london. i was craving good old espresso, and wanted to see if they lived up to the hype. wah waaaahhhh. closed. cuz it's sunday. and most places are closed in sunday in london. some shops are open 12-6, so i quickly dashed off to marks and spencer, boots, and selfridges to buy buy buy essentials. underwear, hair product, deodorant, rain boots. all things that are possible to purchase in russia, but it is MUCH easier and cheaper in london.
monday was a bank holiday. again, many places closed. i have a habit now of arriving in a country at the time of a national holiday when everything is shut. same thing happened in istanbul, but it was much more dramatic than in london...more on that story later. anyway, went to the russian visa office (the only governmental office open in london i'd guess), paid for my visa and told to come back the next day to pick it up. standard. then met my friend danielle for lunch. danielle and i studied together in kenya in 1995. i haven't seen her since then. it was so wild!! and so fun. we reconnected via the amazing Facebook. she lives about 1.5 hours outside of london with her husband and 2 kids and made time to come in to see me. wonderful. and it was like we'd never been separated! love that about good friends. we ate at a fab contemp dim sum place called "ping pong" which satisfied a lot of my asian cravings. didn't stop talking for 3.5 hours when i had to go get my hair cut, and she had to catch her train back home. we vowed not to let another 20 years go by before we see each other again!
this is me and danielle! we haven't changed a bit. :)
look! london has bridges with locks from lovers, too! and the locks say the names of the wedded on them. so sweet.
view of london bridge from millenium bridge.
the invisible man paid a visit to the north bank. totally confused this kid.
and then i got my hair cut!! as far as we know, there is only 1 english-speaking hair salon in moscow (there are probably more, but no one has done any research). so one thing i was stoked to do was go to a salon in london. found a great one with a discount for your first visit. francesco took care of me. and gave me a glamorous new look that i will never be able to replicate! but now i know it could be a possibility in the future - love it!
saw a couple terrific plays while in london. War Horse (yes mom, i totally cried...even at the beginning, watching the colt!! so sweet!). the puppetry was incredible. my fave part by far. but the best thing was that it was playing in the same theatre where blue man played in 2007!!! so fun to return to that theatre! the lobby is EXACTLY the same. but the bathrooms have been redone. ha ha! so i waxed nostalgic for a bit.
this is the pub we used to go to after shows.
this is the new london theatre! no trace of blue anywhere to be seen. i bet backstage there must be some...
tuesday i went to the david bowie exhibit at the victoria and albert museum. fanTAStic. he was incredible. IS incredible. such an innovator. they had his music, videos, costumes, drawings, clips of plays and movies, writings, and how he influenced english, and american pop culture through the years. very impressive. and very inspiring to always be yourself and go for it. then i sat in a lovely coffeeshop and did some work, and ate a tasty country bread sandwich with pastrami and avocado. and more espresso. picked up my visa, bought some clipboards for the office back here (for some reason office supplies are VERY difficult to come by...i think that has more to do with our accounting and limited ability to make purchases as a company than the lack of office supplies in russia). it was quite a party at the visa office, btw...there were 8 of us in town getting visas. 6 of us were picking them up at the same time. aussies, canadians, brits, and a couple americans. too funny. dinner tuesday was fantastic indian food at Dishoom, recommended by my friend tamara who lives in london. super tasty and the best meal i've had in months. not that i haven't had good food, but this was AMAZING food. here's a quick shot...
then i went to see another play...the curious incident of the dog in the nightime. based on the novel by mark haddon about a boy with aspergers. very cool play. the boy LOVES math, so all over the theatre they had painted different geometry and algebraic equations and charts.
was a terrific few days - a whirlwind of activity. but now i have enough lotions and cremes and smoothing pomade to last for the next year. whew! and i satisfied some major food cravings. and it's sunny now in moscow, and all the trees have green leaves, and people are biking and smiling and out and about. but it was very nice to leave for a bit and speak (more or less) my own language, drink great coffee and buy a vanity fair.
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