Couple utterly gratuitous pictures of/around London
Just because I had the new camera with me: Westminster, via flickr Trafalgar Square, via flickr
British Museum
Sunday Heather and I went to London. Destination: the British Museum (lots more pictures here).
British Museum, via flickr
Working from home
Not quite all day, but as I have some proposals and other things to finish up today, I'm largely out of the lab. I'll put in some extra
Saturday in Ely
Today we went to Ely, which is about 15 minutes from Cambridge by train. It's a much smaller town, but has one of the most impressive cathedrals in Britain. (Heather's account of the visit is already up, and she has several pictures.) Since we went to evensong at King's College chapel-- which is one of the most remarkable examples of English Perpendicular architecture-- it was interesting to compare them.
We biked from our house to the train station, finally found a space in the bike parking area (which is nuts), and after many minutes in line, bought tickets. This was the first time I was using the electronic ticket kiosk and my local chip-and-pin card, and with a large line behind me, I just wanted to get through the transaction as quickly as possible; as a result, I bought two one-way tickets, but at least they were to the right place.
via flickr
Biking around Cambridge
I've done a lot of bicycling here. I do a certain amount of biking in California, but this is one of the most bike-friendly places I've ever lived. (Not having a car also makes a difference.)
via flickr
The bikes are ubiquitous, and they go everywhere, it seems.
On pipes
For me, one of the most memorable parts of Terry Gilliam's dystopian classic Brazil was the pipes. If you haven't seen the film, go watch it; if you have, you'll remember the way that pipes are everywhere in the built environment. I always thought that was vivid and strange; now, though, I realize that it was one of those pieces of dystopian culture that is an absurd magnification of real life.
Sunday at the American Cemetery, Madingley
This morning, after getting Heather's bike fixed up so it was a little more rideable, we took a short trip to the American Cemetery in Madingley, a cemetery devoted largely to airmen from the Eighth Air Force and sailors who served in the Battle of the Atlantic. I'd read a little about the cemetery, and one of my grandparents had served in the Eighth Air Force, and it seemed like an appropriate destination for a Sunday.
bicycling, via flickr
Being grownups
Today we spent a little time getting Heather settled in-- a friend brought over a bike that she can use while she's here, and we got her signed up at the local gym-- then despite my knowledge of Saturday insanity in town, we bought some lights for the bike and did a little food shopping.
As a result, I cooked my first real meal since I got here: a kind of Asian fusion stir fry tikka masala, with rice. (We had had dinner at an Indian restaurant the night before, so I was kind of thinking about Indian food.)
dinner ingredients, via flickr
Back to Heathrow 2
Thursday Heather flew into Heathrow, so I took the bus from Cambridge to the airport, and picked her up.
christ's pieces, via flickr
Most of the buses in Cambridge leave from the central station on Christ's Pieces, but the airport buses originate and terminate a couple blocks to the south, at Parker's Pieces. Fortunately, everything's reasonably well marked, and it's not too difficult to find the bus you need. (The Cambridge-to-Heathrow bus seems to be the 797, which also helps.)
Back to Heathrow
I'm off to Heathrow this morning. Decided I didn't like England after all. No, my wife is arriving today. Her flight's a couple hours late, though, so I'll