Most hectic week thus far

Well, unfortunately, just when I think I'll have time to do interesting things and put them on my blog, my work schedule goes crazy. To summarize....
Monday - train from London to Hursley
Wednesday - train from Hursley to Gloucester
Thursday - train from Gloucester to London, flight from London to Dusseldorf, Germany

Oh and did I mention I was working in the meantime?

Here is a overview of the towns I was in:

Hursley: I guess I didn't really see the town but the countryside is real nice. This is where the IBM site is. I actually stayed in a town about 10 minutes away named Winchester. It is a cute quaint town. Monday night we went to a Chinese restaurant named Mr. So's. Our waiter was such a character! When I told him I was from Texas, the Asian waiter (I think he was Maylasian) busted out in his best John Wayne, "Howdy Partner". He proceeded to brag about his knowledge of various cultures and went into a fun interaction with my Indian collegue regarding Bollywood movies. While the waiter was amusing, the food was so-so. Apparently, most IBMers who visit the Hursley site go to this restuarant.

Gloucester: There is a town right next to Gloucester (sounds like foster) named Cheltenham. These towns are rivals. Apparently, Gloucester is suppose to be the ruffian place and Cheltenham is the posh city. One of the customers and I went to dinner that night and it turns out he's a pretty interesting guy. He's hooking me up with a list of greasy diners in London to get a good greasy breakfast on the weekends...yum :). He's actually a Canadian whose been living in the UK for 2 years. My cab ride home started to get a bit scary as I thought I had a hotel in town and we started to drive on these small, winding streets in the countryside. The taxi driver even mentioned that he is not trying to take the long way without my asking him...which of course immediately put me on edge. I thought for sure I'm dying tonight...obviously that is not true. The hotel ended up being a ski resort and the bed the worst I've slept on in Europe...there goes staying at a hotel on the non-approved IBM list!

I'll save my comments on Germany for when I've seen it all.