London, Shanghai and Hong Kong 2014

Left Sydney in the last week of November 2014 for London.

Australia’s contribution to fashion is the Ugg boot. Strangely, among all the boutiques in Knightsbridge, this was the only shop where people were queuing.

My hotel room was upgraded to a Superior Room. The photograph below shows both walls. The cupboard on the right hand side is so small that my jacket doesn’t fit entirely within (actually the coat hanger doesn’t fit either).

A hat shop in Convent Garden. Need to get a deerstalker some day.

Sweet shop.

Also in Covent Garden.

Foyle’s is my favourite London bookshop. The new renovation is superb.

I met this guy inside Foyles. Unfortunately, you can’t tell the size from this photo but it was huge.

Cafe Nero in South Kensington.

Gangster having breakfast.

Inside the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Went to mass at the Brompton Oratory (where everything but the sermon was in Latin).

Gave a talk at Bristol University. I had thought Bristol would be a hick town with one general store and petrol station but it is a beautiful city.

This is the Bristol Museum. They made these planes there in the early days of aviation.

Then it was to Hong Kong, their airport has a similar plane on display.

This is the approach to Pudong Airport, Shanghai.

Shanghai at night.

The banquet at the International Conference on Field Programmable Technology was a cruise.

Near Fudan University (Pudong Zhangjiang campus).

We went to the Shanghai antiques market on Dongtai road.

This Oba-mao t-shirt was popular.

Lunch at a noodle bar.

Stayed near the Shanghai Railway Station.

We made a day trip to Hangzhou.

Biggest carp I’ve ever seen.

West Lake, Hangzhou.

Visitors posing for a photo.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (“Umbrella movement”).

A colleague brought the geekiest bottle of wine you’ve ever seen to dinner.

A packed train.

Newly renovated Page One bookstore in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Government housing museum.

Consumerism gone wild. I thought all these people with rolling luggage were on their way to the airport but actually it is to carry their shopping.

Of course, we had many wonderful meals.

Mock shark’s fin.

Pigeon.

Chinese lamb casserole.

Peking duck.

Chiu Chow oyster pancake.

Chiu Chow pepper and pig intestine soup.

Vegetarian duck.

Beef soup.

Shredded duck with pocket bread.

Sweet and sour pork.

Mango pudding.

The two pandas and green “bamboo” in the foreground were a fancy desert.

Shrimp dumplings.

Storm near Sydney.

Sydney skyline.