London Again II
I slept for five hours of the six-hour, twenty-minute flight, woke up for breakfast on board and arrived at the Baglioni refreshed at 9 am to find my suite ready for me. I’ve continued my goofy streak by asking Virgin Atlantic baggage claim people to find my lost bag when it was simply circling in a lonely fashion on the carousel. It’s not the bag I usually use since mine tore, and I didn’t recognize it!
I had dinner with a wonderful past client on whose non-profit board I currently serve. We dined at Bibendum which is a trendy, unusual place (quail egg and smoked eel as an appetizer, the “best end of the lamb” as my main course). His partner is from Spain and they split their time among Seville, London, and New York, so we had a great time resolving world affairs.
Earlier I had stopped for Mass at the Brompton Oratory, a splendid 165-year-old church which has clung to some pre-Vatican II ways, including part of the service delivered by the priest at the huge, original altar, with his back to the congregation; communion taken at the railing; a friar leading the Rosary in a small side chapel prior to Mass; and a splendid boys’ choir which marches in, genuflects in one movement, and proceeds up to the organ in the choir loft.
Today was my first of two days of the Shameless Promotion Workshop, for which I accept a maximum of six people, and our participants are from Israel, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. Tonight we dine at L’Etranger, one of my top restaurants in Kensington (and, needless to say, an existential experience, if you get my drift).
We finish with another complete day tomorrow, then I conduct my Seal the Deal Workshop.
Part of the great food service at the Boston Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.
Main door of the Brompton Oratory.
© Alan Weiss 2012. All rights reserved.
