Wednesday 26th February 2025

I am here, apparently, for work.

So I had better do some.

or get some in.

Having bagged a parking space, I'm not going to lose it by driving to work. Oh no, I'll get a taxi.

And I might have breakfast first.

Freshly showered and dressed, I went down asked reception to book said cab, then go to the breakfast room, where a plague of business-suited corporate locusts were clearing the buffet bar.

I had a buttered roll, a coffee, watched the suits, and went to reception at quarter past seven where the taxi was waiting.

Mohammed, lovely Danish name, took me via new and interesting ways through the city, out past the hospital to head office, where the sun had broken through.

We have a conference room on the ground floor, close by are at least four different coffee machines, so we shall not die of thirst.

Rune had arrived, and had printed agendas.

Ready to rock.

We pause for lunch, do an hour after eating, and we are done for the day. So I ask a different reception to book me a cab, and after packing up I go to stand in the sunshine to wait for the cab to arrive.

The driver, another Mohammed, took me back to the hotel pretty much the same way, depositing me at the rotating glass doors, so I went up to change, then ponder what to do.

Art!

I'll go and look at some modern art.

I go back down to street level, walk down to the main road, past the swimming baths, then up past the street food place, the bus station and the music school to ARoS. The art museum.

At the top is a perspex coloured walkway offering panoramic views across the city, the Rainbow Panorama, so I go there first.

And I have to admit my vertigo was kicking in, so I walk down the middle of the walkway, taking shots.

And best was that there were few folks around.

I made my way down to the ground floor, via the spiral staircase that offered sweeping ergonomic views at every step.

On the 6th there was "Boy", and Gilbert and George and a Warhol.

I reached the ground floor and realised I was thirsty, and there was an Irish pub within a five minute walk!

A pint of Budvar was soon joined by a pint of Guinness, and the world seemed a much better place.

Outside, dusk fell, and so thoughts turned to dinner, and the small pizza place down the street.

One woman manning the oven, and one waitress kept the small place going, and very fine it was too. The pizzas being Neapolitan style with thin bases and light toppings.

I had a coke to go with them.

I walked back to the hotel in thick, recently descended fog, and once inside I went to the VIP room for free wine and then to my room to listen to the football.

A fine evening, topped by Ipswich losing to ten man Man Utd.

From my 4th floor room, I could barely see the ground thanks to the fog.