Is this a travel experience to share? A visit to a Company office would not normally qualify but Google is different and my attitude to the visit (intrigue, curiosity and a little excitement) was much closer to that of a travel experience than a boring office visit. I think it qualifies and so here we go...

Google had kindly organised a tour of Googleplex (they don't call it that) for David Soskin and I. There are a couple of rules though. No pictures inside the offices and no talk of any secret stuff you see (I think and hope that sums it up). Anyhow the result is that I only have pictures from outdoors in the Campus (feels more appropriate than the word office). It was fun and here are the highlights:
- 25 offices spread around a modern, slickly designed but unpretentious and low key office complex that feels more like a (rather groovy) university campus
- A platform with 2 swimming pools - you know the teeny ones with a current to swim against (a full time life guard is apparently law).
- A volleyball pitch (no sign of any action)
- Colourful bicyles and motorised scooter things to get around the burgeoning Googleplex
- A giant T Rex replica surrounded by pink flamingo's.
- Inside: Groovy screen with a map of the world with bubbles rising for every query made with different colours for each query (stunning), A replica of SpaceShip One dangling from the ceiling, Yurts for makeshift meeting/ development rooms and food stations at every turn.
- Lunch was unfeasibly good. Whatever you could think of: Curry, Oriental Scallop dishes, Pasta, salads...the best institutionalised food I have seen. Apparently there is a phenomenon called Google 15 (the 15 pounds you put on when you join Google).

Everyone was very friendly and many thaks to Sylvia Wang for the tour.

In case you are tempted to visit then I should mention that Google does not have public tours on a daily basis right now. In fact security is quite tight and we almost got in trouble and booted out for pottering about after our tour. Don't just turn up and expect to snoop around as you will be disappointed. The best thing to do is to Google for any public tours. Anyhow, hope these photos give you a flavour of Google Campuss and the Googleplex.

(Did I mention that I am a huge fan of Google?)