London, Dancing, Oscar Wilde and a Brilliant day.

So, for the weekend, I took a TGV to Paris and then caught the Eurostar to London.

This included another case of "Train station wayfinding: how not to do it"

The Eurostar boarding area is on that upper level, and the sign above the stairs is trying to tell you NOT to continue forward onto the (downward) stairs but to go around these stairs and take the escalator that cannot be seen.  Unhinged design choice.  I imagine tens of thousands of lost Brits trying to figure out how to go home get caught underground every year.

Once on the train I was thoroughly amused by this anthropomorphized toilet, (and by the idea that someone in possession of a rubber duck might be dissuaded from feeding it to the poor toilet by this sign).

And then hey presto, a couple of hours later I was in St. Pancras, which is delightfully pretty, these days, more on that when I write about the return.

 

As I was arriving to see my foundational partner, Rachel, who lives here in London, being greeted by a giant neon sign that simply declares "I want my time with you." and a statue of lovers embracing was an ideal way to start my weekend. ❤

It was a whirlwind of a time -- I got to listen to a great blues band, go dancing, get dressed up sharply, meet Benjamin, attend an Oscar Wilde play, revisit an excellent modern Levantine restaurant that Rachel and I had discovered back in December and get up to all sorts of lovely activity.

I took basically no pictures, which is a shame.  Here are almost the entirety of them:

A band!

Dressed up

(During intermission I was lusting after this lamp.  I really need to start updating some of my furniture)

Rachel!  Benjamin!  Myself!  First picture is from dancing on Friday and second is the Tube on Saturday after the play (featuring a new tie I found in London, very last minute).

Rachel and I maintain our tradition of ordering cocktails that have gender aesthetic signifiers that are inverse to our presented genders.

It was a truly wonderful time, and I'm so, so thankful that I made plans to come to London and spend the time here.  It was a delight to watch the city awaken as the spring progresses (I even got to catch a bit of the Hackney half marathon, which was neat) and to share such special moments with Rachel.

On Monday, after a weekend that felt both infinite and instantaneous, I would begin the trip back to France.