#17 london

After missing our original flight to london, we finally flew into auld lang a day late - but not until we'd completed a hellish 24 hours of travelling from Shanghai to Helsinki, Helsinki to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to London (I guess we need some sort of punishment on our trip of a lifetime, no?). And then we arrived at Heathrow, exhausted, smelly, dirty... and British Airways fvcking lost my bag! FinnAir managed to transport my bag on the first two legs without a hitch, but could BA do the same on their puny little Amsterdam-London leg? Noo-o (to be said with toushie-toushie girlie intonation). Still, my spirits lifted a little when I saw the place we were to be staying in, with Kris' friend Chris Hotop. Some crappy, sagging couch in a dingy little flat shared by ten beer-swilling Aussies? Oh no. We got a room to ourselves (bliss! and the master bedroom too) in a spacious two-bedroom loft apartment in a converted school building with huge windows and - get this - a mirror ball! And there were only three beer swilling Aussies to reap the pleasures of this abode. Better still - Chris' work were paying for it all. Fantastic! Who doesn't love living it up at the company's expense?
Our 8-day stop in London was well-timed, as it came at the midway point of our travels, after the grime of Asia and before the poverty of South America, so we could rejuvenate and stock up on essentials. London was a bit like the gourmet pastrami in our travel sandwich, if you will (or am I taking this way too far? having just re-read that, yes, I think so. I am gay).
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with friends: a visit to St Albans and the oldest pub in England with Maria, curry with Henry, Brick Lane with Finn, the British Museum and "the best curry in London" with Cutzy and Bahbak, drinks with Matt and Lucy, great pub grub with Kris' cousin Brant and Liz, a home-cooked meal with my relos John, Lesley and Caro, beer and coffee with Emily and Jon, pub lunch with Louise, drunken shenanigans with Antony and friends, beer with Sam and Grant... and a German techno warehouse party with Chris and friends that I shall not forget (and neither shall Hotop's mattress). Sorry I missed you Richie... Mike... Emma.... Isabelle and others! Next time, I promise.
London was also the place for unexpected family reunions, as we had dinner with my parents who were on a 6-week trip around Europe, and we also had lunch with Kris' mum as she was on a 3-week European tour! Unfortunately we missed my sis who is moving to London in a mere few weeks...
Anyway, had a lot of fun in London - glad we went there as we were originally trying to avoid Europe (mainly because of cost) - although I'm glad I don't live in London simply because of the weather - it was a few days away from summer yet England experienced a cold snap, with temperatures plummeting below ten degrees (well, that's what it felt like to me) during the day.

Next stop: Barrrr-theh-lona!