Well the first thing, after leaving my wife to go look after her family, was to walk back to the restaurant where i'd managed to leave my spare clothes. It felt like the walk of shame... a morning walk in the same clothes as the night before! And it was not to get much better as i got to the restaurant and found i had not left any trousers there, so i had to spend the rest of the day wearing trainers, a t-shirt and my suit trousers! Oh well, with a heavy head and having found Ian, the two of us made it to a pub near Euston for some decent British Pies and Ale. Although it was nice to be at a pub with all the Uni mates, I was not with my wife, I was nursing a hangover and I was on apple juice for the first couple of hours.
Finally, with the sun shining, and similar memories from the day after the "stag party", it was time for a beer and then to return home saying goodbye to friends I wouldn't see again for a year or more, to prepare the BBQ for the Krause's, and to see my wife again. I'm still getting used to using the word. I feel it will take a while longer. Though I have had some practice in the last 10 days, being without her, but talking about her and the wedding to everyone. See, after the BBQ dinner and then an English breakfast the next day, Andrea returned home, leaving me to spend a couple more days with my family and mission impossible to get everything into a single suitcase.
Mission impossible was achieved and the nice Russian lady from Aeroflot didn't charge me for excess baggage. Two flights and an 8-hour layover in Moscow later and I was back in Beijing, without electricity (it had run out), at 1am. And then several hours later I was at work. And life was back to normal. Except I was alone. Which was normal. Not in the last 6 weeks when I had been surrounded by various family members or friends (in the UK or in Germany) or my wife and not in the few years before then, when I've been living with Andrea. Rarely have we been apart more than a week (maybe 3 times in 3 years). So that is life as a married man, alone.
Thankfully, those 10 days end on Sunday, and then I may be able to give a better view on what like is like being married. And it might not just be about getting used to wearing a ring. Which I am still wearing, and have not lost. Yet.
Friday, August 26, 2011
How was the big day? Part 3
With the music from the guitarist indoors drifting out through the doors to where we were all chatting and drinking by the river Thames (and taking photos of course), all of a sudden some latecomers turned up, but bearing news. The Hof (aka. David Hasselhof, he of Knightrider and Baywatch fame, as well as a popular singer in Germany) was down the road. And indeed he was, as a few of my friends returned with photographic evidence after they had sprinted of to find him. Aah, memories of the 80s and 90s.
With barely a glass of champagne drunk it was already time to move inside and upstairs to eat. With pockets bulging with envelopes and the seating area a little too crowded to be honest (meaning the waiters had a hard time squeezing past everyone to take orders and deliver drinks), Andrea and I were clapped up the stairs and through the tables. In hindsight it reminds of the AIESEC conferences where we would have elections and as you walked up to give a speech (and back) or to find out the decision, it would be to the same deafening noise. And it was wonderful. To see everyone, to see the restaurant looking so nice after the previous day's efforts decorating, and to sit down and finally eat something (having not eaten since breakfast).
We knew the food was amazing: Belgian food from a fantastic chef. We also knew the drinks were fantastic. Belgian beer, of course. 30 on the menu to choose from. I got nowhere close to trying them all, but a few tables were trying out something of a beer bingo it seemed! After the starters began the speeches. My dad got somewhat emotional, which was very touching. My Best Man kept things suitable for the 6-year old that was there. And I finally explained to everyone the mystery surrounding the table names (one of my friends had asked one of the Chinese guests what the name of his table meant and told me there was no meaning). Indeed, the names did not have meanings, literally, as they were the names of our favourite parks in Beijing. All with a slightly different atmosphere and meaning to them: From the sporty one to the young one to the old one to the romantic one to the pretty one and various others in between.
It went down a treat. Probably no-one else remembers what else I said. Actually, that's not true. I know at least one person who remembers the closing paragraph: My favourite quote:
"Life is not about the destination, but about the Journey".
Which for me provided the segway into explaining how lucky I am to be with Andrea for the rest of my journey. And it's true. Though there were no tears or anything.
Then, running late, due to the kitchen being somewhat unprepared to deliver so many meals at once and finding it tough to squeeze through everyone to take orders and deliver drinks, before the main course arrived, more guests had arrived. And then the whole night seemed to really speed up. I recall talking to them, being dragged upstairs to eat my wonderful lamb, storming off downstairs to talk to them and others, wondering back upstairs to get a drink, shoving some desert in, talking to more people and then it seemed like it was time for the Jewish chair dance thing (where the wife and husband are hoisted up, separately, on chairs to music, waving a handkerchief, and with people going around in circles).
There were no injuries, thankfully, which meant all of a sudden it was past 10.30pm and we were upstairs cutting the cake (the absolutely, insanely calorific, triple dark and white chocolate cake my mum had made), congratulating the guitarist and then, suddenly, apparently it had reached almost the end of the night. I don't know where the time had gone, but I remember being distinctly disappointed, not the least in how little beer I had managed to get hold of, and then once everyone was all outside, trying to light and set-off some Chinese lanterns, in the strong wind, with only a few lighters and matches. 6 seemed to have made it before everyone returned indoors. As I walked back indoors, knowing the end was nigh, I do remember being somewhat sad it was all over. It seemed like it was just a few minutes ago it all started. Anyway, there was time to convince the barman to hand out a few last beers despite it being after last orders, say the goodbyes, help pack up various bits and pieces and run to and from the car (it was at that point I vaguely recall thinking I must be a little drunk... why am I running?) - and finally fall into a taxi for the 400m ride to the hotel.
Unfortunately, for most of the evening, I feel like I had barely seen my wife. So, finally, as we walked into the hotel, clearly looking like a married couple (she was still in her wedding dress, me in my suit with waistcoat and flower), I looked at her at the reception desk, shoved a credit card at the reception for a deposit, grabbed the key card, thanked the lady for the free upgrade to the Suite, and took my wife upstairs.
With barely a glass of champagne drunk it was already time to move inside and upstairs to eat. With pockets bulging with envelopes and the seating area a little too crowded to be honest (meaning the waiters had a hard time squeezing past everyone to take orders and deliver drinks), Andrea and I were clapped up the stairs and through the tables. In hindsight it reminds of the AIESEC conferences where we would have elections and as you walked up to give a speech (and back) or to find out the decision, it would be to the same deafening noise. And it was wonderful. To see everyone, to see the restaurant looking so nice after the previous day's efforts decorating, and to sit down and finally eat something (having not eaten since breakfast).
We knew the food was amazing: Belgian food from a fantastic chef. We also knew the drinks were fantastic. Belgian beer, of course. 30 on the menu to choose from. I got nowhere close to trying them all, but a few tables were trying out something of a beer bingo it seemed! After the starters began the speeches. My dad got somewhat emotional, which was very touching. My Best Man kept things suitable for the 6-year old that was there. And I finally explained to everyone the mystery surrounding the table names (one of my friends had asked one of the Chinese guests what the name of his table meant and told me there was no meaning). Indeed, the names did not have meanings, literally, as they were the names of our favourite parks in Beijing. All with a slightly different atmosphere and meaning to them: From the sporty one to the young one to the old one to the romantic one to the pretty one and various others in between.
It went down a treat. Probably no-one else remembers what else I said. Actually, that's not true. I know at least one person who remembers the closing paragraph: My favourite quote:
"Life is not about the destination, but about the Journey".
Which for me provided the segway into explaining how lucky I am to be with Andrea for the rest of my journey. And it's true. Though there were no tears or anything.
Then, running late, due to the kitchen being somewhat unprepared to deliver so many meals at once and finding it tough to squeeze through everyone to take orders and deliver drinks, before the main course arrived, more guests had arrived. And then the whole night seemed to really speed up. I recall talking to them, being dragged upstairs to eat my wonderful lamb, storming off downstairs to talk to them and others, wondering back upstairs to get a drink, shoving some desert in, talking to more people and then it seemed like it was time for the Jewish chair dance thing (where the wife and husband are hoisted up, separately, on chairs to music, waving a handkerchief, and with people going around in circles).
There were no injuries, thankfully, which meant all of a sudden it was past 10.30pm and we were upstairs cutting the cake (the absolutely, insanely calorific, triple dark and white chocolate cake my mum had made), congratulating the guitarist and then, suddenly, apparently it had reached almost the end of the night. I don't know where the time had gone, but I remember being distinctly disappointed, not the least in how little beer I had managed to get hold of, and then once everyone was all outside, trying to light and set-off some Chinese lanterns, in the strong wind, with only a few lighters and matches. 6 seemed to have made it before everyone returned indoors. As I walked back indoors, knowing the end was nigh, I do remember being somewhat sad it was all over. It seemed like it was just a few minutes ago it all started. Anyway, there was time to convince the barman to hand out a few last beers despite it being after last orders, say the goodbyes, help pack up various bits and pieces and run to and from the car (it was at that point I vaguely recall thinking I must be a little drunk... why am I running?) - and finally fall into a taxi for the 400m ride to the hotel.
Unfortunately, for most of the evening, I feel like I had barely seen my wife. So, finally, as we walked into the hotel, clearly looking like a married couple (she was still in her wedding dress, me in my suit with waistcoat and flower), I looked at her at the reception desk, shoved a credit card at the reception for a deposit, grabbed the key card, thanked the lady for the free upgrade to the Suite, and took my wife upstairs.
How was the big day? Part 2
Wow indeed. The night before, at dinner between the Krause's and the Lane's, Andrea had been worried about her hair (I suppose this must be fairly common) as the German barber in her village had cut it too short (or something...). Anyway, that day, as I found out later, Andrea had Kitty to help her and had managed to get to a hair salon at midday, a nail salon at 1pm and get to the wedding place by 3.30pm. Impressive. And not just about that German efficiency! (or it typical Lane last-minute?) She looked stunning, of course. So stunning I would spend the next 8 hours with a big wide grin on my face ruining all the photos!
In fact everyone looked good. Everyone was smiling. And then it began: the welcome from the registrar, a few "repeat after me's", my sister's reading, my other sister video-ing the whole thing, some pretty awful German vows from me (following the English ones), then the witnesses were up and then down again, the wedding registrar was signed, the cameras kept clicking and rolling, there was a kiss and some clapping and then it was over. Almost before it had started, it was over. From the walking-in tune (Shania Twain - From this Moment) to the walking-out tune (The Calling) it seemed to take 5 minutes, but somehow it took 30. The walk back through the room was way too short to savor the moment (and I think we probably should have walked slower)!
And then we were outside the room, alone for a few seconds. It was so surreal. It was only a short time ago I'd been shouting at Andrea to tell her to go away so I wouldn't see her whilst I was waiting for the registrar. And then, all the planning, the decisions over what to say and what music to have came to be. That methodical choosing process (which ceremony, A, B, C, or D; which reading etc) had become a highly emotional, somewhat romantic (I mean, there were 50 people watching, so it was not THAT romantic), incredibly special and very meaningful half an hour. I won't forget looking at Andrea, then at the registrar, and back at Andrea again non-stop for the whole time. I won't forget the slight awkwardness of reading out the German and having to transfer the paper with the vow on whilst trying to put on a ring as well! And the rings fit.
We had been declared Husband and Wife, and as we walked down to take photos on the beautiful marble staircase, apart from a few friends who wondered out, most people stayed in the room. Must have been something fun happening there or something! And so there were some photos and there was some chaos. There was a dress that I kept standing on and there were attempts to organize people in various languages. And then there was the effort to direct people across the street to the beautiful St Pancras station for some more photos which was of mixed success. We managed to get a few group shots before security forced us to leave.
And then we were in front of the Routemaster -kissing again. The famous double decker London bus. The kind my dad drove in one his first jobs out of school. It was a pleasant surprise since my dad had loaded it with Prozecco and most people piled up onto to the top to enjoy the 1 hour tour around London as we weaved our way, slowly, over to Canary Wharf. I recall finally getting the chance to say hello to people who had come from across the World and across the country, some drinking, some awful tour guiding, and then finding my mum's glasses on the floor as we got off the bus outside the restaurant. Everything continued to fly by. After visiting the restaurant a few weeks earlier, and then the day before to drop things off and decorate and check the plans and arrangements, I was now back, holding a flag saying "Just Married" (Andrea had one too) with 50 people training behind us, a married couple.
In fact everyone looked good. Everyone was smiling. And then it began: the welcome from the registrar, a few "repeat after me's", my sister's reading, my other sister video-ing the whole thing, some pretty awful German vows from me (following the English ones), then the witnesses were up and then down again, the wedding registrar was signed, the cameras kept clicking and rolling, there was a kiss and some clapping and then it was over. Almost before it had started, it was over. From the walking-in tune (Shania Twain - From this Moment) to the walking-out tune (The Calling) it seemed to take 5 minutes, but somehow it took 30. The walk back through the room was way too short to savor the moment (and I think we probably should have walked slower)!
And then we were outside the room, alone for a few seconds. It was so surreal. It was only a short time ago I'd been shouting at Andrea to tell her to go away so I wouldn't see her whilst I was waiting for the registrar. And then, all the planning, the decisions over what to say and what music to have came to be. That methodical choosing process (which ceremony, A, B, C, or D; which reading etc) had become a highly emotional, somewhat romantic (I mean, there were 50 people watching, so it was not THAT romantic), incredibly special and very meaningful half an hour. I won't forget looking at Andrea, then at the registrar, and back at Andrea again non-stop for the whole time. I won't forget the slight awkwardness of reading out the German and having to transfer the paper with the vow on whilst trying to put on a ring as well! And the rings fit.
We had been declared Husband and Wife, and as we walked down to take photos on the beautiful marble staircase, apart from a few friends who wondered out, most people stayed in the room. Must have been something fun happening there or something! And so there were some photos and there was some chaos. There was a dress that I kept standing on and there were attempts to organize people in various languages. And then there was the effort to direct people across the street to the beautiful St Pancras station for some more photos which was of mixed success. We managed to get a few group shots before security forced us to leave.
And then we were in front of the Routemaster -kissing again. The famous double decker London bus. The kind my dad drove in one his first jobs out of school. It was a pleasant surprise since my dad had loaded it with Prozecco and most people piled up onto to the top to enjoy the 1 hour tour around London as we weaved our way, slowly, over to Canary Wharf. I recall finally getting the chance to say hello to people who had come from across the World and across the country, some drinking, some awful tour guiding, and then finding my mum's glasses on the floor as we got off the bus outside the restaurant. Everything continued to fly by. After visiting the restaurant a few weeks earlier, and then the day before to drop things off and decorate and check the plans and arrangements, I was now back, holding a flag saying "Just Married" (Andrea had one too) with 50 people training behind us, a married couple.
How was the big day? Part 1
It's been almost two weeks now, so enough time to reflect and try to remember what happened. And a lot happened, but it seemed to happen at Light Speed.
The morning that was supposed to be longest wait ever (as I'd count down the hours until we finally left home) seemed to fly by. The drive into London went so smoothly I forget London even has traffic - we even had time to detour into Soho to pick up a camera part my sister left behind. The wait at the pub outside Camden Town Hall (a pub that probably does good business in that location) seemed to fly by. Supposedly we were there 30 minutes, but all I recall is greeting cousins and friends, having a flower pinned to my jacket, downing a quick half pint, taking a few photos with the Best Man and then getting the phone call.
Yes, the phone call, the one that said the Bride was about 50m away and I had to get out of there fast. So those 30 minutes were done and I was all of a sudden hiding in a dark room in Camden Town Hall where I thought the registrar would be. Except there was no-one there. I was in the right place of course. I was just early. So when Andrea walked into the same room 3 minutes later, i went to hide in another room so I wouldn't see her, and then she found the registrar - who was wondering where I was. Hiding. Behind him. Anyway, after Andrea had been hidden away in a room upstairs next to where we would get married, I was able to leave the dark room, go find the registrar and get led back into the dark room.
And then it began. The lights went on and I had to double-check the information on the wedding certificate. And then I had to inform the registrar we'd decided not to do 1/2 of the ceremony in both german and english. Instead we'd just do the vows in both languages. Otherwise, without practice, we feared not only would I sound like an idiot, but all of us would get confused about who was saying what, when, in what language. So the thirty minutes I was supposed to be in that room ended up flying by and as we walked upstairs I didn't feel ready at all. I was sure there was supposed to be some real instructions, some counseling... something.... but not, I walked upstairs thoroughly unaware of where I was supposed to stand, who would play the music (if the music would work!), or what the room would even look like (since the previous glimpse we'd had of the room it was set-up for a meeting, not a wedding).
Walking into the room, as 40 people were packed in (seems the final 10 scraped in after me), I didn't really know who to talk to. Surely there was not time to say hi to 30 people? So I ignored everyone, walked to the front, spoke to my parents, panicked over the music and videographer and then asked where to stand. And then, a few nervous minutes later, we played the music and Andrea walked in with her dad. Wow.
Wow.
The morning that was supposed to be longest wait ever (as I'd count down the hours until we finally left home) seemed to fly by. The drive into London went so smoothly I forget London even has traffic - we even had time to detour into Soho to pick up a camera part my sister left behind. The wait at the pub outside Camden Town Hall (a pub that probably does good business in that location) seemed to fly by. Supposedly we were there 30 minutes, but all I recall is greeting cousins and friends, having a flower pinned to my jacket, downing a quick half pint, taking a few photos with the Best Man and then getting the phone call.
Yes, the phone call, the one that said the Bride was about 50m away and I had to get out of there fast. So those 30 minutes were done and I was all of a sudden hiding in a dark room in Camden Town Hall where I thought the registrar would be. Except there was no-one there. I was in the right place of course. I was just early. So when Andrea walked into the same room 3 minutes later, i went to hide in another room so I wouldn't see her, and then she found the registrar - who was wondering where I was. Hiding. Behind him. Anyway, after Andrea had been hidden away in a room upstairs next to where we would get married, I was able to leave the dark room, go find the registrar and get led back into the dark room.
And then it began. The lights went on and I had to double-check the information on the wedding certificate. And then I had to inform the registrar we'd decided not to do 1/2 of the ceremony in both german and english. Instead we'd just do the vows in both languages. Otherwise, without practice, we feared not only would I sound like an idiot, but all of us would get confused about who was saying what, when, in what language. So the thirty minutes I was supposed to be in that room ended up flying by and as we walked upstairs I didn't feel ready at all. I was sure there was supposed to be some real instructions, some counseling... something.... but not, I walked upstairs thoroughly unaware of where I was supposed to stand, who would play the music (if the music would work!), or what the room would even look like (since the previous glimpse we'd had of the room it was set-up for a meeting, not a wedding).
Walking into the room, as 40 people were packed in (seems the final 10 scraped in after me), I didn't really know who to talk to. Surely there was not time to say hi to 30 people? So I ignored everyone, walked to the front, spoke to my parents, panicked over the music and videographer and then asked where to stand. And then, a few nervous minutes later, we played the music and Andrea walked in with her dad. Wow.
Wow.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Married! :-))))))
That is with a very big smiley grin. In fact embarrassingly big smiley grin as you will see in the photos (or saw, if you were there).
A very big thank you to everyone who came (and for your generosity) as it was an incredible day - everything Hollywood has decided a wedding should be! Fun, beautiful bride, friendly, crazy, inspired, emotional ... even the hangover afterwards!
Unfortunately time sped up during the event (was there a weird astrological occurrence?) and I was unable to spend as much time talking to everyone as I wanted to. For which I apologize and warmly welcome everyone to come and visit in Beijing!
Videos and photos will go up eventually i hope; but in the meantime, i have had little time to reflect. I do know I am incredibly luck to be able to spend the rest of my journey with Andrea. Happy!
A very big thank you to everyone who came (and for your generosity) as it was an incredible day - everything Hollywood has decided a wedding should be! Fun, beautiful bride, friendly, crazy, inspired, emotional ... even the hangover afterwards!
Unfortunately time sped up during the event (was there a weird astrological occurrence?) and I was unable to spend as much time talking to everyone as I wanted to. For which I apologize and warmly welcome everyone to come and visit in Beijing!
Videos and photos will go up eventually i hope; but in the meantime, i have had little time to reflect. I do know I am incredibly luck to be able to spend the rest of my journey with Andrea. Happy!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
A week in Eastern Germany
At 2am, after a 90 minute flight, a 90 minute train ride (of which the connecting train left 45 minutes late – so much for German efficiency!) and a 45 minute car ride I arrived in Doberlug-Kirchhain. A small town, or a large village, it is where Andrea calls home and where I was to spend 6 days and get to finally meet her family.
Unsure what to expect, the next day I quickly got to know the local area: there is a main high street with cobbled streets and nice buildings particularly around the main square which has a solitary café providing outdoor seating. There are few shops or buildings of note, but those that are in Kirchhain (Doberlug is the other side of the train tracks 2 km away) give a good representation of life in rural Eastern Germany: a few bakeries providing the bread fix that Germans need for breakfast and dinner, a few butchers providing the meat fix, a small games room for gambling and drinking as well as around 4 or 5 pubs of which only 1 is actually welcoming (with a nice beer garden too), a couple of cafés selling doner kebabs (a german institution thanks to the Turkish immigrants), a bank, a town hall, a bicycle shop (most people cycle around the town as it is small), a financial services shop (actually a self-employed guy who opens up his house and puts up lots of signs and a small information booth outside), a barber and a dress-maker amongst other things.
In addition, there are 3 supermarkets which also have bakeries and butcheries thus making life tough for the local independents, and 3 discount stores: one for clothes, one for household goods and one that sells all sorts (basically anything under 5 euros). Surrounding the town are fields, fields and more fields. Dotted between the fields are other small villages, but only a couple of towns bigger than Doberlug-Kirchhain of any note within 20 km, and wind turbines. In fact there are a lot of wind turbines and even a fair number of houses with roofs covered in solar panels.
Most people own their own fairly large house, which they would have built once upon a time, though a three bedroom detached house with large garden goes for about 50,000 euros here which is a sign of the lack of demand to live in the area. Once children leave the local schools they rarely return leaving most of the population in the latter end of their lives but for those that are here it is a nice, quiet, convenient life.
The Kirchhain church traces its beginnings back over 400 years whilst in Doberlug there is a castle and historic town centre with several functional shops and a few others such as a jeweler. The town clearly has history and there is culture too in some respects – a nearby village, Lindena had its annual summer festival when we were there. Unfortunately it rained most of the night. In fact both Doberlug and Kirchhain have a restaurant specializing in ice creams. I had not realized the germans liked their fancy ice creams so much!
My first few days were spent in the local area checking out the back streets and countryside (particularly the lakes nearby from disused coal pits that were flooded) and finding one of the pubs with a nice beer garden. We also prepared for the "polter abend" which took place on the Saturday night with family and friends. It is a traditional german pre-wedding party whereby guests bring old crockery to smash when they arrive. Other than that it was really just a good old BBQ and the weather managed to hold up.
On one day Andrea and I drove to a fairly famous area only an hour away called the Spreewald, named after the river Spree which runs through here (it also runs through Berlin 100km away). What makes the area a tourist hotspot is the hundreds of rivers and the villages built alongside them which are very pretty. Although fairly touristy (most of the houses actually along the rivers are for rent as holiday homes since it is not that convenient if you don't have road access, which some do not) it is pretty and kayaking around was fun, despite the intermittent rain. We even had to operate a lock ourselves, and pull our kayaks along some rollers here and there whilst trying to navigate around the rivers and avoid sluices (the signage was awful).
Another day, along with her parents, we went to visit one of the largest pieces of mining machinery in the world, called an F60, which is basically a massive horizontal crane with wheels under both ends so it could roll along on top of the coal pit, scooping up the earth on top of the coal, transporting it to the other end of the pit and dumping it. The length of the crane is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and it was a very interesting couple of hours walking through the machine and learning how it works and the history of coal mining in the area. The machine has been disused since 1992 after reunification led to a change of energy policy and a lack of demand for the type of coal that was in the pit. A bit of a shame for the machine which had only been built a couple of years earlier!
Other highlights of time in the countryside was a wonderful run through the back streets when there was blue sky, visits to local bakeries (as well as the ice cream shops), walking the dog, eating some german food (including plinzer, which are basically pancakes with sugar and butter on top, but are eaten as a main meal) and trying to speak some German!
Sunday, August 07, 2011
check, check, check
One by one, going through the list to prepare for the big day on Saturday. Although organizing a wedding in 3 months certainly has its advantages by making deadlines shorter and choices more limited. With support from family there has been less hassle than expected though there is still a number of headaches that we had to deal with; from the legal side of being in the country the appropriate number of days to working out what the German guests will do over the weekend!
Most things are now organized or done (from a stag/hen night to the decorations and even to a pre-wedding honeymoon!) and all that awaits is the big day itself.
Three weeks in London flew by with a lot of work and social engagements; a lot of decent beers; and a lot of consideration for the future. Some of the highlights include:
On the other hand, the British rail system tends to get fixed before it breaks (though clearly it requires a lot of fixing) unlike the Chinese one, the British media do turn-up some interesting and meaningful stories (on page 19 or something) unlike the Chinese one, and the UK is so incredibly diverse and London so incredibly attractive and vibrant, unlike China.
Most things are now organized or done (from a stag/hen night to the decorations and even to a pre-wedding honeymoon!) and all that awaits is the big day itself.
Three weeks in London flew by with a lot of work and social engagements; a lot of decent beers; and a lot of consideration for the future. Some of the highlights include:
- Flying over London with the plan turning on the wing over which I was seated providing an amazing view of the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf, Millennium Dome and most of central London along the Thames.
- A BBQ on the evening we arrived with the long daylight hours and even some sunshine (the last sun we would see for about two weeks!)
- Getting to see a lot of my parents and my sisters, getting to know the new puppy, seeing my sister's wonderful new-ish house, and driving (for the first time in 18 months)
- Going shopping in real shops that have my size shoes and provide customer service that is helpful without being nagging!
- A fun treasure hunt and comedy night with old friends complete with plenty of alcohol though somewhat surprise and indignation at the behavior of many of the people that were at the comedy club and that wonder the bars of London at night
- Having a day by an outdoor pool in 30 degree weather (the 2nd day in the first 2 weeks to see the sun) and walking around great british countryside drinking great british beers (though i left London the day the great british beer festival started unfortunately!)
- Buying wedding rings - so much easier to buy an engagement ring for someone else to wear than it is to buy a ring for me to wear since i have never worn a ring in my life - and sorting out the details of there ceremony in both languages.
On the other hand, the British rail system tends to get fixed before it breaks (though clearly it requires a lot of fixing) unlike the Chinese one, the British media do turn-up some interesting and meaningful stories (on page 19 or something) unlike the Chinese one, and the UK is so incredibly diverse and London so incredibly attractive and vibrant, unlike China.
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