In June 2007 I did another ‘road show’ about carbon markets for CLSA, this time in Edinburgh, London and Milan. Some highlights:

The Bonham Hotel

In Edinburgh, I stayed at the Bonham Hotel, one of those elegant, old world hotels in the ‘New Town’ section of the city – so called because it only dates back to the late 1700’s, instead of the original area of the city near the castle.

Roger’s ’85 ‘mews’ home today

Such stately buildings always had stables behind them called ‘mews,’ and in 1985 I had lived in a beautifully refurbished mews in New Town when I spent the summer as a visiting faculty member at the University of Edinburgh. On this trip, I took off walking to find my old home, assured that my photographic memory would make its location obvious. Several hours later, after wandering the mazes and backstreets of New Town, I returned to the hotel to do a Google search — and was finally able to locate it for a visit. It certainly triggered a lot of very pleasant memories.

The Tate Modern

In London, I had lunch with Prof. Zhang Le-Yin of University College London — a development economist colleague I’ve worked with over the years on projects addressing urbanization in China for UNDP; oil economy restructuring in Iran for UNFCCC; and sustainable cities in Hong Kong for UNDESA. It was really great to see her after several years, and I’m sure our work paths will cross again.

The Turbine Hall

And speaking of cities and urbanization, I also caught an exhibit on ‘Global Cities’ at the Tate Modern during my London visit. This museum is located in the old Bankside power plant on the south side of the Thames (at the foot of the new Millennium Bridge). It’s not Battersea Station – the one I remembered from boyhood train trips to Victoria Station, & the iconic picture on the cover of the Pink Floyd ‘Animals’ album — but the same architect designed both of them. The exhibit was located in the former Turbine Hall, and I have to admit that I found the old cranes still in place there a bit more interesting than some of the modern art within the museum itself.

And, of course, Milan! Lots & lots of tanned, beautiful people in their fashionable white and beige outfits in the hot summer sun, while I had just arrived from rainy & cool Britain, a whiter shade of pale in my black suit. (Do you think they knew I wasn’t native??) I did have a chance to wander around in the marvelous Gothic Duomo (cathedral), as well as the sun-filled Piazza del Duomo; and in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, linking the Piazza to La Scala. It seems, however, that there wasn’t quite enough time to go inside the famous opera house itself. (Perhaps they were worried that I’d start singing??)