Back to Back to Back to Back

So I am way behind on my blogging, but October was a busy month.  I literally flew back to back trips, more or less the entire first part of the month in order to have a week off towards the end of the month to go on what I have dubbed, "the Man-Cation" with my friend Bruce.  He had a business trip to the UK set up for late October and we decided it would be fun if I tagged along at the end of it and we did a little scotch tasting and sightseeing in Scotland.

After the last minute Frankfurt trip that I picked up, I had a scheduled trip to Tokyo.  Aside from the earthquake we had while I was at the 100 Yen store at the mall, the layover was kind of dull, primarily because it rained, or more appropriately, POURED, the entire time I was there.  I did get to fly with my friend Julie.  She and I were in the same training class back in 1998..... 98-10.  We've changed a little since then.  I'll do a now and then photo to give you an example.... we are on either end of the first picture in case you could not tell.  I actually still have that shirt, by the way...

And here we are today!

So after  having a few days off from my Japan trip, I was scheduled to do my last trip before heading to Scotland to catch up with Bruce in Glasgow.  I was scheduled to go to Honolulu, but as luck would have it, I was able to trade onto a London trip so I would be arriving the same day that Bruce arrived from the states.  We planned to meet up that late afternoon and and hang out and have dinner.  I would then work back the next day and turn right around at the end of the weekend and meet up with him in the north.  He would go to Manchester before meeting me in Glasgow.

We arranged to meet at Harrod's.  I volunteer with the Lewisville Lake Symphony (I don't play any instruments, I work the Box Office with Ladyfriend), and they are having their annual Gala and Silent Auction fundraiser, so I decided this year to do a basket of gift items for people to bid on.  Originally, I was going to do a Hawaiian Coffee Basket, but since I traded to London, I decided to do a Harrod's Tea Basket.  Bruce met me at Harrod's and I got a tin of teas, some shortbread cookies, a mug, some chocolates and some mints.... all with the Harrod's logo on it.

After making my purchase, we proceeded to the Tattersill, an English pub around the corner from the department store.  We were in need of liquid libations (beer).

I'll pause for a moment to say that Bruce and I have a strange relationship, and aside from the fact that we have known each other since high school, the only things we really have in common is our love of the adult beverage and being Presbyterian.  Whereas he is a libertarian conservative, I am a rabid socialist.  We pretty much disagree on everything except religion and alcohol.  In fact, it wasn't until we started drinking that we actually became friends.  Hey, whatever works....


Anyway, so back to the pub... we made our way to the Tattersill for some beers and a traditional pub dinner. We kind of peaked right off the bat and ordered Stella Artois, a real premium beer, and then sort of downgraded to Kronenberg 1664 and Fosters, before realizing the error of our ways and going back to Stella.  Dinner consisted of a beef post roast type dish in a delicious brown gravy.... real comfort food.

At this point, we were feeling no pain, which is good for Bruce because he has some issues with his left foot (more on that later).  We somehow got the idea that we should head back to his hotel and call our friend Jonathan (I believe it is called Drinking and Dialing).  Plus, given his elevated lofty Diamond status, he got a free bottle of wine when he checked in and being the good friend that I am, I offered to help him drink it.

We took the tube to Euston Station.  Whereas our layover hotel is in a fashionable part of town (although I cannot divulge the location for security reasons), Bruce opted to stay at the Hilton Euston, which was kind of surrounded by strip joints.  His room was about the size of a small prison cell, but it was still ok by European standards.

The wine wasn't all that great (but it was free).  After sharing the status of our evening with our mutual Facebook friends (I vaguely remember chatting with our friend Katherine) and calling our friend Jonathan (who knows what he was thinking when we talked with him), we got the idea that we should wash the bad wine taste out of our mouths with a couple of gin and tonics, so down to the hotel bar we went for one last night cap before bidding our farewells.

Miraculously, I made it back to the tube station, and managed to change lines to Picadilly, but then I fell asleep on the tube and when I woke up I was three stops past my station, so I had to back track. Oh well, it happens!  Even though it felt like we were out all night, I was still back at the hotel, showered and in bed by 11pm.  It get's dark so early it felt like it was later than it was I guess.

I had a little "headache" when I woke up the next morning, but after chugging some water and eating a greasy croissant, I was as good as new and my usually stunning self on the way home.