At work, several of our customers are preparing to move to the most recent release of our system. That means that they are finally testing the reporting and data access aspects of the system. By extension, that means I'm the guy on call.
I spent the second week of January in Florida assisting one of our customers there and then flew the next week back to visit my friends in Dublin. The initial plan was to spend one week in Ireland but I knew there was a possibility of needing to stay a second week.
I thought of several reasons to not bring the camera. I wanted to pack lightly so that I could carry my bags onboard and avoid the trouble with my first trip where I didn't get my checked bag until about a day before I left. The most likely scenario included only one week. Given that it is winter in the northern hemisphere, I knew that the sun would be down well before I left the office.
Fortunately, I ignored my reason and threw the camera into the laptop case. That doesn't work very elegantly, to be sure, but I'm very glad with the decision in the end.
Of course our work was not completed after the first week. They were pleased with our progress, but insisted that I stay another week. I had reservations, knowing that DD had to shovel herself out of each storm. I also knew I'd be back regardless and that we may as well get the job done now. So, I talked it over with DD and opted to stay.
My ever gracious hosts insisted that I should visit the European city of my choosing over the weekend. One of my colleagues planned to spend the weekend in London with his girlfriend and a few of her colleagues and they invited me to join. I had considered renting a car and driving the Irish countryside but given my lack of driving-on-the-left-side-of-the-road skills and the offer, I opted for London.
I flew in to Gatwick and caught the train in to Victoria station and then took the tube to my hotel. My colleague didn't arrive until afternoon on Saturday so I set out to see some of the sights around the city before he arrived. I even had a shepherd's pie for lunch.
I stayed at Trafalgar square which was a good central place to start my explorations. Taking multiple frames of each scene for HDR photos proved tough without a tripod. This forced me to be a little creative in finding stable objects to fill the tripod's job--like walls, fences, and other such things.
This shot captures the feel of the square--thousands of tourists, characteristically overcast sky, beautiful architecture.
Westminster Abbey was not open for the regular tours as it was International Prayer Day. Off of the catacombs in the back, however, there were some worthwhile sights.
The Tower of London was the city's original safe quarters for royalty built in approximately 1100 AD if memory serves correctly. Over the years it was used for a wide variety of things, some more treacherous than others (beheading of queens, for example.)
The entry tower (added to the fortress many years later) at sunset.
On the way back to my hotel Saturday night I snapped this shot because I was astounded by the amount of light that the city produces. I also liked the moving clouds and the warm light which contrasted with the cool, damp weather.
Another shot of the tower that gives a little more context. The grassy area was a moat at one time.
The Tower Bridge from Tower of London.
The Tower Bridge shortly after sundown before a rather tasty Chinese dinner in Covent Garden (near the theatre district).