Friday, March 5, 2010

3.3.10 – Lloyd’s of London

We had a choice for our first stop of the day, which included either going to the Tate Modern or the Globe Theatre. Since we could get a tour of the Globe, I decided to go there and see what it was like on the inside. Overall, it wasn’t that fascinating, but I definitely think it was interesting how it had been recreated in similar if not the same materials that it was originally built with. It is also a fun theatre because being circular; you can see any point on the stage regardless of where one is sitting. Additionally, I think it is fun that they continue to host performances there during the summer months. I am definitely going to try to go back for a show while I am London for the summer.


After the events of the morning, we all regrouped and headed to our lunch location (not too far from St. Paul’s), where we had a rather interesting lunch of soup, sausage, mashed potatoes, and carrots & peas. It seemed very British, however it was very filling as well. After lunch I joined up with a group of girls who were heading to Abbey Road – the crosswalk where the Beatles crossed. It wasn’t necessarily on my list of things to do, but I didn’t have any other plans. Additionally, this group was heading to the company visit (as was I) later in the afternoon, and I wanted to be with them so I would have less of a chance getting lost (although I do have a rather good sense of direction when walking around the city). Since Abbey Road, it literally just a crosswalk, we still had some time to waste before we had to get to our 4:00 company visit. We decided to head over to Oxford St. to walk around for a little.

After about 30 minutes there, we caught the Tube to head over to Lloyd’s of London, our company visit for the afternoon. It is housed in this really neat building, designed by the same architect who designed the Centre de Pompidou in Paris. Then once inside, you can just feel the pressure that people associates with a place of insurance and financial dealings. It was really cool though. Everyone’s workspace was pretty much in the open and different companies had little sectioned tables where their employees would complete their work. After witnessing this, we headed to a conference building, where a nice gentleman told us a little more about the business of Lloyd’s and essentially what they are trying to achieve. I think it is a rather interesting company considering it a non-profit organization that in simple terms provides a locale for broker and underwriter interaction, however they are still known worldly by their brand, which exudes a high standard for the business completed there. I just though the whole organization and workings of Lloyd’s itself was fascinating. Once when we were done in the conference room, we headed back out onto the floor, which was empty by that time, and got to look at some of the historical aspects that are housed within the building.

Once we were finished at Lloyd’s, the group of girls I was with and I headed back to the hotel to change out of our business attire and head out to dinner. We knew it was going to be a low-key evening, so we headed to an area a Tube Stop or so away called Covent Garden. We found a fun little restaurant and bar right on the corner. Once again a British vibe must have come over me because I decided to order a venison pie; it was so good. It came with carrots, cabbage and mashed potatoes, and I ate the whole thing! Then all six of us decided to split a piece of chocolate cake, which definitely did the trick. Once again, I was stuffed. We all then headed back to the hotel and had an early night.

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