One of the things that appealed to me about living in France was its proximity to other spots in Europe.  So, although I’ve only been in Montpellier for less than a month, I was ready to take a brief weekend trip to London.  I jumped on a plane in sunny Montpellier and, one and a half hours later, I landed in cloudy, overcast London.  Surprisingly, although the weather was dreary with sunset at 3:45pm, London felt much warmer than the cold, crisp windy weather in Montpellier.  I jumped off the plane and, after checking in to my Airbnb accommodation, I quickly jumped onto the tube to the center of London, Oxford Street, to do some quick shopping before the shops closed at 10pm.  Thankfully, there were beautiful winter lights along Oxford Street to light the way…

Winter Lights Lining Oxford Street

As many times as I’ve been to London, I’ve rarely been outside of the city itself.  So I was thrilled to take a trip with friends to see the university town of Cambridge.  Although the weather was really cold on that day and there were lots of people around either attending graduation ceremonies or doing their holiday shopping, we still were able to have a nice time walking around and exploring the beautiful architecture of the city…

Boo has been quite neglected so far in Europe. But I made sure to bring him out to Cambridge with me!

The Gardens of Jesus College in Cambridge

My 3 “Tour Guides” for the Day

Circular Church

Along the River Cam

Me and Boo

Punting Anyone? Unfortunately, it was way too cold to go punting along the river. Brrr….

Olivier Eats on the Road

There are bicycles everywhere in Cambridge, chained to poles, chained to fences, you name it, a bike is attached to it. However, this was the most interesting parking spot for a bike that we found…

King’s College at Dusk

King’s College and Chapel

Sunday was spent first, in the pursuit of good Chinese food.  Verdict:  London has some decent Chinese food but still not like home  (oh U-Lee’s how I miss you…), though I did find a Chinese street vendor who made a delicious Hong Kong egg waffle with peanut butter (yum!).  Then, with a full belly, I got a last minute deal to see Jersey Boys on the West End (full disclosure, if you see it, there’s some strong language used).  It was interesting to hear the story and music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, though I think it’s more the music of my parents’ age than mine.  Les Miz and Wicked are still my fav’s…

Finally, on Monday, I went to see a great band called The Band Perry.  This rock-country fusion family act is actually from the States.  I’ve seen them a few times on TV at award shows, but every time they came to SF, they were usually opening for a band that I didn’t care for.  So, when I saw that they were headlining a show in London, I had to be there.  And they did not disappoint at all.  It was a great night of high energy, non-stop fun as they sang their beautiful harmonies and gave every ounce that they had on that stage.  I highly recommend seeing them live.  What a great show!

The Band Perry at the HMV Forum

High Flying Acts

So long London!  Until next time…

P.S.  More to come on life in Montpellier…