Cheers from London and Howdy from Dallas

Well hello there my dear blog followers!  It has been a while and when I read my last entry I realized that again I had fallen into the black hole of work never to be seen or heard from again.  Oh ok, yes a little melodramatic, I admit but I am happy to say, I AM BACK!  Not so much with a vengeance but rather a renewed energy to blog again. 

Over the past two weeks, I have been traveling - my new homes - airports, taxis, tubes and trains. Oh and not to mention the hotel room that I only see when I pass out from exhaustion.  I have had a few firsts though - London was a first for me last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Whoever said Londoners were a bit of cold fishes never met the people I came across.  Everyone - from the taxi drivers to the hotel concierge to the people I bumped into on the Heathrow Express or Tube (their word for the Subway - to Brits "subway" is a walk way underground to avoid the traffic or rain up above) - was extremely friendly, welcoming and more over NICE!  Plus I got to meet my colleagues from Europe who do the same thing I do - and they showed me a good time beyond compare!  I laughed until I almost pissed my pants!

Oh, and let's not forget the food.  I ate until my stomach hurt and drank til I had permanent red wine stains on my lips.  I had it all - from fish & chips, to Spanish tapas to Indian food - YUM! 

On the only day I didn't work - Saturday - I walked for 5 to 6 hours all around London.  I went to the Tower of London first.  For those of you who don't know - I am a Tudors fanatic.  I have watched every episode of the Showtime series "The Tudors" and have read every Phillipa Gregory novel about the women of that time: Mary and Anne Boleyn, Mary Queen of Scots, etc. 

So the very fact that I was taking a tour and sitting in the Chapel where the Anne Boleyn's body was found completely made the tour worth it for me.  Yes, I can be morbid but I love all the history surrounding King Henry the VIII and his many wives and penchant for beheadings. 

After the Tower of London, I went to visit the Kensington and Buckinham Palaces which were both closed to the public unfortunately but at least I was able to see them from the outside,  walk through Kensington Gardens, the Diana Memorial and enjoy fresh air. 

I then went to Herrod's  - can we say overwhelming????

Herrod's is as tall as it is wide and....they actually have an opera singer singing Ave Maria as customers ride up and down the elevators.  I mean, really??? Opera as you are shoppping???? And since I am all about food, my favorite part of Herrod's was the food court/gourmet grocery shopping/anything foodwise that you need.  They had a sushi bar and a dim sum bar plus meat factory.  Yes, I was in heaven but was too overwhelmed to be able to pick a thing.

So that was my day in London after my event and I loved every minute of it.  I was sad to leave as I knew I was going to miss London, the Brits and my colleagues.  But then I was heading to another adventure in Dallas and yes, another event.

I am now in Dallas for Day 1 of the Forum.  I haven't been to Southfork (yes, I was an avid "Dallas" fan from the 1970s and remember "Who Shot JR"). 

But I have managed to have fun, not get sick and yes, believe it or not, exercise.   Tomorrow I fly home on the redeye - oh, so can't wait!   Before then, I may, just may go country line dancing - oh, my college roommate would be so proud if I did.