After 5,5 months in London, it became clear last week that this week will be our final. Sad to leave the fun people I’ve met here, but glad to be going home. It’s been quite a trip: lots of fun, sight seeing and musicals, but also lots of snow, several delayed or cancelled flights and long working weeks. But in the end, the client is very happy with our performance and the job we’ve done, and that’s what counts.

To get the most out of my last weekend I’ve planned lots of things to do and see. So I was pretty sad when it turned out to be raining all weekend (how appropriate…), but luckily that didn’t spoil all the fun. I started with the changing of the horse guards on Saturday morning. Unfortunately that wasn’t exciting as I hoped it would be, but it’s great to see all the tradition and customs the English have. After that, I did some shopping and went to Leicester Square where I met Hieke. I know Hieke from my time at university (many years ago ), and she’s currently in London doing research for her PhD thesis.

At my favourite shop in London (the TKTS discount ticket booth ) we bought 2 tickets for Blood Brothers. No problem at all I’d seen this musical already last November; I was really excited to see it again! After that we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral to experience the beauty of this cathedral and the crypt, one of Sir Christopher Wren’s master pieces. Actually I like St. Paul’s cathedral better than Westminster Abbey, the latter is more like a huge burial ground while the first is a beautiful organized, structured cathedral without statues and coffins everywhere .

At 5 PM the evensong started at St. Paul’s, so we stayed to listen to the wonderful singing of the cathedral’s choir. After some dinner we took the tube to the Phoenix Theatre at Charring Cross Road where, for the second time, I cried out loud at the finale of Blood Brothers. Such an amazing story, with the first party being hilarious most of the time (when everybody is still young and reckless) and the second part being more serious when life as a grown up can be tough. Highly recommend everybody to see this musical! Thinking about writing a blog post about all the musicals and shows I’ve seen here, just as a recap of the cultural blast of the previous months.

This week we’re wrapping up our work, getting rid of the last to-do’s on our list. Friday morning I’m flying back home, with lots of good memories of these months in London. After a (hopefully) quiet weekend I’ll be back in business next week Monday, starting a new assignment in The Hague.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!