It's Been A While... I've been at tea

I've been up to a lot in the past few weeks and 'real' work has gotten in the way of my motivation to write entries. Here's some short stories.

A few weekends ago I went to Sweden and played laser tag. It was awesome. Never thought I'd be putting those things all in one sentence. 

PBR is readily available in alcohol stores in Sweden. I wonder if drinking it comes with the same connotations there.

Sweden could care less if you come into their country from Denmark. I was never once asked to show identification coming into Sweden, or leaving. 

The next day I went to London with my class. It was my first time in a country where English is the first language since mid-January. 

The London Underground isn't as difficult as it was made out to be. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to figuring out a transportation system in a foreign language.

I got to visit Cow PR company in East London. They've done campaigns like creating an ice cream specifically for dogs, a men's fragrance for Burger King and the world's first hat for horses. I would gladly take a job there.

Bloomberg is extremely proud of their fish tanks and the fact that there is no privacy in the whole building. They also have a great selection of food in their cafe that they treat their guests to. I also left with a little better idea of what the company actually does.

BBC doesn't let you take pictures inside their offices. That was a bummer.

Media law is much different in Britain than the US, as we found out from a Schillings law firm representative. 

The London Eye is pretty cool, I guess. 

The whole trip made me want to re-watch the Harry Potter movies. I saw the Millennium Bridge that the Dementors blew up, Platform 9 3/4, and the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

The London Dungeon made me want to go by pure volume of advertising; I didn't.

I realized I don't understand the majority of modern art. Then again, if someone tells me they understand the artistic value of a uniform pile of bricks on the floor or an empty plain picture frame I won't believe them. 

Big Ben is even bigger than I expected, even though I found out the tower isn't part of Big Ben, but Elizabeth Tower. 

British comedians are hilarious, even though sometimes I sat awkwardly silent because I didn't get the British culture reference (Birmingham took the butt end of a lot of jokes). Also, they need to work on their impersonation of Danes speaking English. 

Squirrels in London are the tamest you'll ever see. They'll come to you even if you don't have food. 

The Tower Bridge was cool, but it would have been cooler if the Olympic rings were still on it. The London Bridge, not to be confused with the Tower Bridge, was less exciting. 

Our tour leader, Anders, was a walking fun fact. I learned so much about the origins of Britishness just from following him around.

I stumbled upon the Women of World War II Memorial I had learned about in my WWII class last semester. 

Fish and chips is good, but it's not something that can blow you away. The high tea, on the other hand, I could get used to. 

London was awesome, but I'll take laid back Denmark any day.

And now I have this week to show my family around the place I've made home for nearly 3 months.