From 10th to 13th of March I’ve been to the UK. It’s been a while since I planned this trip and successfully I was able to arrange some spare time besides my professional duties. The beginning was grim since my plane was delayed for four hours due to heavy gusts of wind hindering the landing. 
Finally I was on the tube, the Picadilly line, going to Leicester Square. I decided to change for the Northern line, which took me to Camden Market. I had read about Camden as paradise for alternative and goth shopping and all the rumours proved to be true. 
One stall crowded to the next, all attracting people with fancy advertisement, flamboyant colours and huge icons announcing their goods. I was completely enthralled but soon had to take flight from the pouring rain which had started to soak everything not protected by planes and umbrellas. 
At last I stayed all the afternoon, doing shopping and taking photos and looking around, poking my nose into every little corner and side-off lane. I especially loved the brick buildings and the small bridge crossing the little river. Also the hundreds of food selling stores beside the shops. You can get everything there. Japanese gothic Lolita designer goods, punk stockings, piercings and tattoos, goa clothing and alternative linen dresses und bags. I bought a nice Lolita skirt, still not sure if this style fits me, a coquettish shirt and some accessories. 
By then I was quite exhausted, because I still had to carry my backpack around all the time. So I decided to take my train to Colchester, Essex. Of course I got caught in the peak time and was totally bushed, when at last I arrived at the station. Of course the train was late too and it was raining when I arrived at Colchester. I searched a while for the right street and at last I found the Red Lion Hotel. 
I was so happy when I detected that I had an electric kettle and a bathtub :) I contently tried on my stuff once more, being so proud about my little findings and then I slumped into bed.
The next morning I “enjoyed” a fatty English breakfast and then took a walk around the streets of Colchester. By midday I took the bus to the university grounds outside the city. I was badly disappointed by the university building. I had expected an old building, as Colchester is the oldest town of England (of which I recognized nothing at all except a few old clay buildings with wooden trusses), but an ugly building greeted me for which I didn’t even find an entrance. Luckily I soon espied a woman taping direction signs for my workshop to the walls. I had a lot of time left, so I strolled through the little park near the university, trying to forget the cold. I roused a few ducks and found some really old trees. 
Everywhere in England you see daffodils, dotting the landscape in a bright yellow. Back at the UK data centre I met some of the people from the data archive I was visiting and found them all surprisingly friendly and warmly. I also made the acquaintance of another researcher visiting from abroad, which relieved me. 
The workshop was of moderate use for me, but in the aftermath me and the other girl met with the head of the archive at her home and we had a really informative, nice, interesting and encouraging talk about qualitative data archiving all the while eating Indian food and drinking wine ;)
But let’s turn to the afternoon, which still had a few hours left to spend on my own. I went back to the city by bus and stopped near an old castle which stood in the centre of an English garden. I strolled through the tree and daffodil lined paths, met a lot of chipmunks (their size really impressed me as well as their confidingness). 
I really could watch them dig out some nuts from only a few metres away. The sun began to set, leaving me with a 
wonderful evening atmosphere, because for once the rain had stopped and the sun came through the clouds. Quickly I walked to the medieval church nearby. It seems that they pop up every once in a while in the middle of the city next to newly build shopping malls and buildings. And mostly they are surrounded by a cemetery.
The next day I spent with another member of the archive, who showed me around and explained to me all the practical details about data archiving. I was finished around four and since I had nothing more to do in Colchester, I decided to go back to London. 
I booked a hotel in Kensington and soon was on my way. In London I stopped once more in Camden to get me a corset, which had already attracted my attention on my last stay (and new Martens I confess), then I went back to the hotel. I’ve been to London once with David and we also used to stay in this sort of hotel, with the rooms in the basement, exactly the right size to hold a double bed and the TV. The bathroom door was disguised as a cupboard and it was well heated.
I relaxed an hour, and then I made my way back to the tube, taking the Central Line to Tower Hill. The famous sights gain charm in the night when they are highlighted by spots and lights in all kinds of colours. I had a look on the Tower, the Tower Bridge. Then I walked in the general direction of the Lloyds building and the other “skyscraper” looking like a cucumber. 
The modern futuristic buildings of this part of London, standing next to old churches impressed me the most, but you couldn’t spare Westminster, therefore I walked back and took the tube to the Abbey.
I walked around the huge building, crossing the Thames, getting back at Big Bens. Then I decided to get home.
In the afternoon I had a phone call to Paul Hodkinson, who does research on the goth scene. I wanted to talk to him and we were able to arrange a meeting for the following day. So in the morning I took the train from Waterloo station to Guildford, university of Surrey. We had an interesting talk about my planned PhD thesis, but only one hour later I was on my way back to London.
I decided to spend my last hours in SOHO, the Chinese quarter. A lot of little shops here too and many Chinese and Japanese restaurants. I chose Ramen for dinner and was disappointed. Even I can cook this better!
It started raining again. Relaxed I walked through Hide Park and then back to the Picadilly Line. Back I went to the Airport. And home. One hour delayed. I was so grateful for my Mum-driven cab from the airport…and now, rainy Austria has won me back…..*harr*
21.9.2009
Jetzt, 23:44 Uhr bin ich gerade vom überaus üppigen, aber super leckeren Galadinner zurück, das wir hier in der Residencia des estudiantes eingenommen haben. Dekatentes Wohnen für Studenten. Der Vortrag ist halbwegs gut über die Bühne gegangen, auch wenn ich noch an meiner Fähigkeit frei zu sprechen feilen muss und auch eine der Fragen nicht so ganz perfekt beantworten konnte. Aber des Lobes wurde von den neuen fremden KollegInnen trotzdem nicht gespart, also wirds schon gepasst haben.
Der Workshop ist in Madrid, was mich grundsätzlich einmal sehr gefreut hat, denn die Stadt kannte ich bis jetzt noch nicht. Nun hab ich schon ein bisschen was mitbekommen. Gestern nachmittag mit Iberia angekommen, habe ich mich gleich nach der etwas aufwändigen Suche des Hotels auf den Weg in die Stadt gemacht. Von der Oper aus habe ich die Calle des Arenals erkundet, dann ist homas eingetroffen, der dank seines Umsteigeflugs früher weggefahren und später angekommen ist. Zusammen haben wir dann den Barrio des austriacas erkundet. 
Ein Viertel, das von den Habsburgern mitgestaltet ist und daher einen ganz netten Charme ausstrahlt mit vielen (erstaunlicherweise recht hohen) Häusern, die vor jedem Fenster einen kleinen Balkon haben. Nach etlichen erfolglosen Versuchen haben wir dann ein Lokal gefunden, wo wir Tapas durchgetestet haben. Dannach gings in einen 
Gourmet-Süßigkeitenladen, wo ich um 26 Euro Süßes erstehen musste :)
Heute nach einem recht trocken angehauchten Tag voller Vorträge, Gespräche und Diskussionen in einer verstaubten Uni, die in ihrer Bauweise an kommunistische Zeiten oder Gefängnisarchitektur erinnert, sind Thomas und ich dann wieder die riesigen Straßen entlang bis nach 
Gran Via spaziert, wo ich dann zum Conferencedinner abgedüst bin, vor dem Thomas sich erfolgreich aber in Schande gedrückt hat ;)
Hab gleich mal wieder für zukünftige Forschungsprojekte eine Ansprechpartnerin aus GB gefunden und über einen jungen Polen erfahren, an welche Leute in Österreich ich mich noch wenden könnte. Außerdem hab ich eine sehr liebe Estin getroffen und mit dem spanischen Co-Organisator Mariano geplaudert. Really nice.
Morgen werde ich die Stadt dann noch ein wenig mehr erkunden. Mal sehen was sie noch zu bieten hat neben Shopping, vielen Menschen auf der Straße, guten Tapas und ewig langen heißen Ubahnkorridoren.
