I have had a busy couple of weeks.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Last week I started the work week in Belfast. I went on the Sunday morning (after a big day at Royal Ascot and an even bigger night out in Putney) to do some sightseeing and stayed for the Monday and Tuesday for work meetings. It was an interesting time to be there, with the worst violence in 10 years erupting during my stay. See my post on Belfast here.
I came home on Tuesday night and had a few nights at home. On Thursday night I packed my things again, and on Friday headed off to work. After work I joined some friends at the London Zoo for a late night opening, and headed down to Gatwick Airport for another trip away. I was going to Ibiza, for a very short time, and it went a little something like this:
SPAIN
Friday
21:30 - Arrive at Gatwick and check in. Find out there's nothing to do at Gatwick at this time of the night, and nowhere to buy food, as everything is already closed!
22:30 - Flight takes off from London Gatwick
Saturday
01:30 - Flight lands on the Spanish island of Ibiza. I am all ready to catch a taxi to the other side of the island and withdraw plenty of Euros to cover it. Then I realise there is a bus that can get me there for about €4.
02:30 - I figure out what bus stop to get off at and find my way to the hotel, which is in the middle of nowhere, both thanks to Google Maps the GPS on my Blackberry.
03:00 - I am way too tired (and alone) to see the Ibiza night-life, and anyway I'm in the middle of nowhere, so I go to sleep.
11:00 - I wake up in Ibiza, refreshed. I wander around the San Antonio and realise I'm not far from some nice beaches, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. I walk all the way to the San Antonio city centre and eat breakfast on a rocky beach in a small hidden-away cove. I enjoy wandering around San Antonio. The place has clear blue water, and is buzzing with life. I'm a little put off by the vast majority of Brits, some very trashy, and the full English breakfasts advertised at every restaurant and bar.
21:00 - I'm waiting for my friends to arrive from London. I have dinner at a beach-side bar enjoying the sunset. I have some beers from some bars on the way back to the hotel.
Sunday
00:30 - My friends finally arrive at the hotel, having just flown in from London. We don't waste any time. We head out to various bars and club. Our first drink is, sensibly, a vodka and Red Bull. Each one is made in a pint glass, with about a triple shot of vodka and a full can of Red Bull. It costs €5.
06:00 - We've been to a few places and even played 2 rounds of drunk bumper cars. , We haven't made it to any of the megaclubs. We stumble out of a Scottish pub. It is broad daylight, we are drunk, and one of my friends can't stand. I decide to try to flag down a taxi.
06:20 - I haven't succeeded in getting a taxi. I realise there is a taxi rank, so we go and (attempt to) stand in the long queue.
06:21 - We are rescued by a "taxi driver" who offers to take us home for €25. He's not a real taxi driver. I look at my friend who is barely standing. I negotiate the price down to €20 and he takes us to the hotel.
11:30 - I wake up, shower, pack and check out of the hotel.
12:00 - I knock on my friends door and sleep on their couch for another 3 hours.
15:00 - One of my friends and I head down to a beach-side bar, eat lunch, and go to the beach.
18:00 - We return to the hotel to get our other friend, go swimming in the pool and get ready for dinner.
21:00 - We eat dinner at the same beachside bar I went to yesterday, enjoying the sunset.
22:00 - We have a few final drinks at some of the pubs and bars, as I'm about to head back to the airport, after about 48 hours in Ibiza. My friends are staying on for a few more days.
Monday
12:30 - I'm back at the hotel, and luckily the reception guy manages to get me a taxi despite it being a busy night with everyone heading out.
01:15 - I'm at the airport with plenty of time to get my 2:30 flight. I'm too afraid to have a nap in case I miss my flight!
02:30 - My flight departs Ibiza and I am asleep before take-off
03:30 - My flight lands at Gatwick. The next train back to the city is at 4:30. But that will get me to work too early to get into the office. So I decide to catch the 5am service. I try to find somewhere to have a nap in the arrivals terminal. All the seats are taken. People are sleeping on the floor but I don't feel like it. I eventually find some seats in the train station, but all the one without armrests are taken. I uncomfortably doze on 3 seats, sleeping around and atop of the armrests.
05:00 - I catch my train back to London. It is already really sunny and warm so I find it hard to sleep.
05:45 - I arrive in the city. I can't get into my work building. I go to McDonald's for breakfast.
06:15 - I manage to get into work, have a shower, and go to have a nap at my desk.
08:00 - One of my colleagues catches me sleeping at my desk. I decide to wake up and proceed with my work day.
By the time I finished finished on Monday night, at about 7pm due to a long meeting, I was feeling absolutely ruined. It was a hot day in London and all I wanted to do was get home. I walked to Cannon Street station but the trains weren't running. I want to the steaming hot Bank underground station, and caught a DLR home. By the time I got home, I just wanted to sleep. But I had to unpack from Ibiza and pack for Oslo. I was heading to Norway the next day for work!
NORWAY
I had Tuesday morning in the office, and at lunch time headed to Paddington station for the Heathrow Express. Storms were brewing in London at this time, and by the time I got to Paddington, there were no trains running, because lightning hit some power lines or signal boxes. I caught a few tubes and ended up at Heathrow, luckily in good time. I waited and waited for my flight to board, which ended up being delayed. I eventually made it to Oslo. Landing at Oslo airport was amazing, watching the fjords on the approach in the "late afternoon" (9:30pm) sunshine! The Flytoget express train from the airport to the city wasn't running, so I had to combine a train and replacement bus, and then walk, to get to my destination. What a journey it had been that day!
I got to my hotel at 11pm and it was still quite bright. I had some dinner and went to bed. I was nursing a cold I think I managed to get partly thanks to my lack of sleep on Sunday night.
On Wednesday I spent the day with a client and then walked around Oslo. It was a warm, sunny day, perfect for a sightseeing stroll around the city. Oslo is a picturesque capital. It is spacious and in true Scandinavian style, with neat buildings, plenty of parkland and views across the Oslo fjord.
The next morning I got up at 4:50am, in time to get the 5:45 replacement bus to the train station to get me to the airport. By 9:30 I was back at London Heathrow and at 10:30 back in my office.
CONCLUSION
It has been a tiring couple of weeks but overall I love my life. Most of the last 5 years have been spent living in London, travelling Europe and the rest of the world, whether it be for business or pleasure. It is a great opportunity and I am thankful that my life has allowed me to do that.
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