Category Friends
Sunday in Berlin, in three parts
Part 1 Grit decided to go for a run, so I had exactly 90 minutes after breakfast to stroll leisurely from my hotel to the Gendarmenmarkt . . . . . . past the Humboldt University law school . . . . . . across a plaza bordered by some neoclassical buildings the color, and […]
I’m in Berlin!
Meetings in Munich next week are a great excuse for a weekend in Berlin. My early-morning flight out of London was massively delayed so I spent most of the day in the airport instead of Germany, but did get here in time for what mattered most: dinner with Grit, Nikolas, and Quynh-Nhu! The four of […]
Oktoberfest!
As a reward for not quitting our jobs after the nightmare of getting ready for the new European privacy law this spring, our boss promised to “do something fun.” Next thing we knew, a team “workshop” had been scheduled in our Munich office on the third day of Oktoberfest. By virtue of our working for […]
Three Peaks Challenge: Mount Snowdon
We drove through the night from the Lake District in northwestern England to Snowdownia in northern Wales. We were sweaty and sore from the two previous hikes, and I dearly wished to sleep. Alas, it was at best a night of fitful dozing. At 4am we arrived at the base of Mount Snowdon, the last […]
Three Peaks Challenge: Scafell Pike
After a many our drive from Scotland to the Lake District, we reached the base of Scafell Pike, the tallest peak in England, around 6:30pm. We climbed up in the golden light of a lowering sun and made it back down by around 10:30pm as it was finally getting dark. The top was initially shrouded […]
Three Peaks Challenge: Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the tallest peak in Scotland, and all of the UK for that matter. We tackled it first. Left the lodge in Fort William at 5:00am and got to the trailhead about 20 minutes later. We paused long enough for a group photo . . . . . . and then took off […]
Felicitations les bleus!
What to do on the day France competes for the World Cup championship and the match doesn’t start until 5pm? Start with a perfect brunch with friends at the hippest new concept restaurant. It’s called B.O.U.L.O.M. (stands for “boulangerie ou l’on mange”) and, we’ll, here’s how it works: You get there early to wait in […]
Bastille Day!
First priority: breakfast! Second priority: Parade! We left early to find a spot to see the famous military parade that has been a tradition since the 19th century. The planes came first, zooming overhead… … then the silent marching troops… … followed by singing marching troops… … then troops in white hoodies and bakers caps […]
We’re in Paris!
Sun! Bastille Day!! The World Cup!!! It’s basically the perfect weekend to be in Paris. Plus, I have to be here for work this week, so we booked a flat in the lovely Montorgeuil neighbourhood and have been loving every minute.
Look who came to visit!
Amanda got to London over a week ago now and it’s just been so much fun. Naturally I still have to do “real life” (which meant working until midnight most nights this week), but she gets to play while I’m away, and then in the margins we do what we do best: talk and eat […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 