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London Calling

Todd — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:27:00 +0000

Last summer on the way Gamescom in Germany I had a brief stop-over in London to visit a few game developers. As always, it was a whirlwind trip. I literally stepped off the plane at 6 AM, checked in to the hotel and showered by 9 AM and then was in an office talking business by 10 AM. (There’s no better way to change your internal clock than starting your day on local time.)

Thankfully, though, I had a day off on Saturday to see a few sights. Brian, one of GameSpy Tech‘s account managers, was raised just a few miles outside of town so we hopped into the car to see the English countryside. A few observations:

Sitting on the left side of the car and not driving is truly bizarre.
All towns should have a vibrant center square.
Old buildings and old rocks are cool.
We could all use a life that moves a little slower.
Pubs are awesome an thing. We need those in the States.

Most of our trip outside London itself was in the Cotswolds. As we drove through the rolling hills I remarked to myself, “My, but this is an area of outstanding natural beauty.” Turns out, other people think so, too, and the region is officially recognized as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Our first stop was a small shop on the Oxford Canal, just beside the Great Western Arms, where we watched a few boats cruise along. After that we headed to Chipping Norton, a small market town, and our second visit to a “Hooky” (Hook Norton) pub, The Fox Hotel. Bellies full of beer, it was then off to see the Rollright Stones.

Everyone knows Stonehenge, the giant megalithic monument of standing stones. I’d wager that most everyone does NOT know about The Rollright Stones. The monument has three main groupings: The King’s Men, The Whispering Knights and the King Stone. Construction estimates range from 5000 BC for The Whispering Knights to the relatively “new” King Stone from 1500 BC. While certainly no Stonehenge, I was pretty amazed to be standing next to stones erected more than 7000 years before. (Brian, of course, was properly reflective and somber while we were visiting.)

The next destination was Warwick Castle, by a the River Avon. It is a formidable structure. Originally built by William the Conqueror in 1086 and used as a military structure until the mid 1700′s. It was used by nobility into the 1900′s and is now… a theme park. Think While I enjoyed wandering the castle grounds I was bitterly disappointed to be effectively at Medieval Times (albeit on a grand scale.) I drowned my sorrows in a pint (or two) of Tilted Pig at the Tilted Wig.

Cheers!

Look, kids! Big Ben! Parliament!

Todd — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 05:13:58 +0000

I admit it, I had that line from European Vacation stuck in my head the entire time I was in London. When I ran around Parliament Square the previous day I actually giggled out loud at the thought.

So, after the Tower of London I raced to Westminster to catch Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey in the dwindling light of the day.

The architecture in this section of town is nothing short of breathtaking. The Palace of Westminster and the Abbey are certainly the most stunning Gothic buildings I’ve ever seen. (I suppose my only previous exposure was the Suzzallo Library at the UW, so maybe the bar was set fairly low.) The detail was amazing… which is, I suppose, the whole point.

Westminster Abbey had, unfortunately, already closed for the day so I wasn’t able to go inside and see any of the crazy, soaring cathedral ceilings. I’d love to see the inside of the Lady Chapel.

I ended the day, and my time in London, with a quick circle around Trafalgar Square and then reluctantly trudged down Piccadilly back the hotel. Things were looking up once I got there, though… I was headed back home to Marla and the kids!

The Tower of London

Todd — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:49:28 +0000

On my day off while in London I paid a visit to the Tower of London. We walked from the Underground along the Thames and then across the Tower Bridge, stopping by London Bridge to snap a photo. (Note: it doesn’t appear to be in any danger of falling down.)

The White Tower at the center was originall built by William the Conqueror in 1078. It was pretty cool to see this ancient stone fortress with walls 15 feet thick immediately adjacent to the crazy-modern Swiss RE building at 30 St Mary Axe.

We took an excellent guided tour, courtesy of one of the Tower’s famous Yeomen Warders (aka Beefeaters.) He took us through the Tower giving us the low-down on the various wonders of the tower as well as its (very) dark side. Lots of famous folks lost their heads here (Thomas More, Guy Fawkes, Anne Boleyn, and more!) or spent some fun times in the torture chamber below the Tower.

We skipped the Crown Jewels but did see the Tower Ravens and toured a huge collection of armor and weapons. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many guns in my life!

With the sun heading down and my time in London drawing to a close, it was time to jump back on the Undergroud and head to Parliament…

The Queen’s Life Guard

Todd — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 23:36:16 +0000

I stayed right across from Buckingham Palace so I felt compelled to watch a changing of the guard at least once during my stay. It was an absolute zoo outside the Palace itself (which turns out to be kind of a dump) so I decided to skip the big ceremony and instead watched the smaller Horse Guard ceremony.

Since Queen Elizabeth was in the States visiting Dubya I saw the “Short Guard” rather than the “Long Guard.” Even without the trumpets and standards of the Long Guard, I was pretty impressed with the skill and precision of the event. It was flawless in every way. As it should be, I guess, since they’ve been performing it in one form or another since the Guard was formed in 1660.

Look, kids! Big Ben! Parliament!

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Todd — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 22:55:56 +0000

On our lunch break during the second day of DevStation we took a short trip away from the convention center toward Fleet Street and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Lunch was at a teeny, tiny place called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It is well and truly “olde” with the current incarnation dating back to 1667 after the Great Fire of London. Other pubs occupied the site as far back as 1538. I especially loved the plaque on the outside listing all of the kings and queens that have ruled during the pub’s lifetime.

Many of famous folks throughout history have paid Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese visits. Samuel Johnson, Voltaire, Charles Dickens and Aurthur Conan Doyle were frequent patrons. I was happy to add my name to the list. (I sat in Johnson’s seat. Peter sat in Dickens’ favorite spot.)

Lunch was thoroughly English fare: steak and kidney pie, a pint of stout and sickly sweet treacle. I’m not sure what it is about the English and guts/blood but I had a fair bit during my trip. Haggis in Edinburgh (thanks, Peter!), black pudding, kidney… yum!

After a filling lunch we made a quick tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral and then took wandered back to the convention center along the Thames. (I can’t say that I visited them but I at least saw both the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.) St. Paul’s was amazing. I could have spent hours wandering through the Whispering Gallery and the Crypts. Instead I read about them after the fact :(

London Eye

Todd — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:25:34 +0000

My first full day in London was fairly uneventful. I spent most of the time here prepping for my presentation at Sony’s DevStation 2007.

The DevStation was held at the Southbank Center (excuse me, Centre), which is right near the London Eye. On my way back to the hotel at the end of Day 1 I took a stroll by the Eye to do an hour’s worth of site seeing.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Todd — Tue, 15 May 2007 05:15:04 +0000

I reached a new high on a recent business trip. Or a new low. I’m not sure which.

While waiting in the airport during a layover on a flight bound for London I booked travel to Scotland to visit a prominent game developer. I then proceeded to jump on the plane without knowing whether or not my new ticket would be approved and issued before I arrived in England many hours later.

I ended up missing the flight to Scotland thanks to an impossibly long customs and immigration line at Heathrow. I waited around for an hour and a half for the next flight to Edinburgh, which just so happens to be precisely enough time for a morning pint from the airport pub.

We met with the developer for a few hours, discussing our plans together for several upcoming titles. Following the meeting we had two hours to kill before heading back to London.

Let me tell you, two hours in Edinburgh is just enough to whet the palate.

We started by wandering up the Royal Mile in Old Town to Edinburgh Castle. I wish we’d had time to wander through the castle, which stands on an extinct volcano and dates back to the 16th century.

After speed-touring Old Town we crossed the North & South Bridge to New Town and wandered Princes Street.

It is the main shopping district in Edinburgh and has a spectacular view of Old Town across the Princes Street Garden. I skipped the shopping and took some photos of the Sir Walter Scott Monument before reluctantly hailing a cab and leaving beautiful Edinburgh behind.