London, UK

My trip to the UK was a very important business trip, so the bulk of my time was spent working and stressing over a number of things this week. However, I must say that the trip did have a number of high points.

First, the flight. When I was getting ready for this trip I happened to skim through my company’s travel policies and procedures, and it just so happens that any international flights spanning the Atlantic or Pacific get booked in Business Class, and I made sure everyone knew that portion. Yes, being on a plane for 8-11 hours a stretch is very tedious and extremely tiring…but I’m amazed at the amount you can offset with the proper service. More space than any First Class cabin I’ve previously been in, a 5 course meal, drinks, Bose noise cancelling headsets, seats that lie nearly flat, and an in seat entertainment systems with a number of movies and TV shows at your fingertips…the flight really wasn’t that bad. It’s the only way to make a trip that long…I can’t imagine how the people in coach made it in one piece.

When I finally did make it to London, I was amazed. Few cities have ever made such an immediate impact as this one. Everyone was so polite and courteous, all the amazing history the city holds…the only word to describe it is ‘elegant’. Granted I really only had one night to explore the city, and even then I didn’t have much time…but it made a solid impact on me. This is a city I will come back to, as I fell in love the first night. Hopefully next time I can bring Gayle…and some cash. With the British Pound over 2 to 1 to the US Dollar, it’s expensive. Our car service, which ranged from 1-3 hours per trip was between $250 and $350 each trip. The Hilton in the “ok” part of town was almost $600 a night, and I can’t even imagine how expensive the shopping would be if I went. I pulled 50GBP(100USD) out of an ATM one day at lunch and it was gone with a taxi ride and round of pints at the airport.

And the food! If someone ever tells you English food leaves something to be desired, I want to you punch them squarely in the mouth. It was amazing! Now granted, we were entertaining clients, so we dropped some coin at times. We ate at an amazing Indian restaurant which held so many flavors I never thought my mouth would recover...but when the tab reached well over $1000 US for four people it will probably be a once in a lifetime experience. The second night we found Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen, which not only had an amazing sampling of dishes but was founded to help troubled young people get a second chance at life by teaching them a trade. (Insert URL). At $120 per person, it really wasn’t that bad considering what the money was supporting. And on the third night we found the most amazing Argentinean steakhouse which was completely packed at 11pm…and ended up being the cheapest dinner of the week! But even the meals we didn’t pay through the nose for- Beef and Mushroom pies at the pub, Fish and Chips, Lamb Kebobs…all of them fantastic! Second to none…all of them!

The best news from this trip however came from the client reaction…he absolutely loved us, and is ready to give us almost all of the European business on a silver platter. We are already planning another trip to the UK in February…but that’s only the beginning. Germany, Holland, and France are already in the works as well…it’s going to be an excellent adventure, I know it. If you haven’t already, you might want to subscribe to the blog. There’s going to be some excellent reading in the future :)