It's raining, obviously

Because that's what it does here. 

I got into London on an evening train from Birmingham on Friday, so didn't have time to be too touristy. I did however have time to go shopping! The Marble Arch area is pretty great for buying stuff. My suitcase is officially full. There's one store here called Primark which is kind of like Forever 21 but with better rack organization. The clothing is fashionable but really inexpensive, and the store is huge. It was a mad house! There aren't carts of course, but wheeling baskets, and people had collections of them overflowing. Like, one person would have 4 baskets stacked on top of one another. It seemed like families came from all over Europe to this store specifically to shop for their entire wardrobe for the next 6 months. The picture I most wish that I'd captured was from the dressing room entrance. They had us stopped from going in, which I thought was really odd, only to have one of the employees sweeping out mounds of empty hangers that had been left on the changing room floor. Completely insane! I had been to a Primark previously, and it was very busy with a long checkout line, but this place was absolutely nuts. Chaos!

Saturday, despite the rain, I wandered around Covent Garden and walked to the British Museum. After staring at some old stuff I walked around the usual suspects in London Tourism - Trafalgar Square , Parliament, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace... It was a bit of a wet walk and while I did enjoy it, I also suffered for it. My blisters did not bode well for the plant tours that followed!

This was once money

Things like this is why I like museums. I want to pay for things with cute reindeer coins!

Though this also made the exhibit so, you know, sometimes it's touch and go. 

 

Congratulations to whomever decided to put an "I grew hemp" stamp on Washington. You made the British Museum.

Unexpected history

It admittedly looks quite boring, but I was unexpectedly on the site of not only the invention of gas lighting but also steam engines which pushed ahead the start of the industrial revolution! I mean, I work in manufacturing so, you know, it's kind of a big deal. If not for this I'd be a farmer. (Which sometimes actually seems like a good idea)

The scaffolding is all covering the original Soho Foundry, which is a protected site and needs to keep from decaying further. There may eventually be a restoration effort but as it is currently The Company owns it and doesn't want to pay for that. It would greatly interfere with our cost reduction plans.

 

There was an official sign and everything

The Company, being in the weighing business, also has an on-site museum that chronicles the history of weighing systems over the centuries. Unfortunately the weights museum was closed as it's England and manufacturing types often don't work on Fridays, afternoons in particular. Perhaps I'll see it next time. I did get to tour the current manufacturing process for giant and not-so-giant weighing systems though, so we'll call it a consolation prize.

Um...

So this burger happened

London!

It's been ages! I'm super excited, even if there's only one full day off and that day isn't for 3 days. The plan is to stay by the airport for one night (note: Heathrow Renaissance is not a great hotel. It does the trick for one night, but others are supposedly better.) then off to a business unit site in High Wycombe, then to the same in Birmingham, then back to London Friday after which I get one full day to wander around London. Yay for Saturday!