A Trip Across the Pond

I had to go to London for a quick program and since it meant I would be gone for Mother's Day, I invited LuLu to join me.   We met up in Atlanta as I had been in California for another program (busy season for meetings) and took the overnight trip across the pond. Because I had been so busy the last couple of months, we took it easy on Saturday as I did have check out the restaurant we where we were hosting dinner on Monday night.

This is what your luggage cart looks like when
you have to take supplies from a US meeting to
a meeting in London and don't have time to ship!

Sunday morning we were able to go to mass at  Our Most Holy Redeemer & St. Thomas More before Sunday Roast at Lots Road and then work began.

Thought I would share a few photos from my client's dinner at Mosimann's - a private supper club in Belgravia.  When I say the food and service were amazing, I mean A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  We had quite a few dietary restrictions and for the first time in my 30+ years in the business, a restaurant had a completely separate menu for each of the 6 different dietary restrictions.  Normally, a restaurant will replace the entrée to meet the dietary but not at Mosimann's...they created a separate dish for each of the four courses!  My colleague, Divna, totally nailed it with the selection of this venue.

Fanciest Eaton Mess I have ever seen and
some of the best I have ever tasted

Petit Fours with after dinner coffee

The meeting ended on Tuesday afternoon and we didn't waste anytime as we went to see Hamilton that night in the West End.  My niece, Andrea, played Peggy in the 7th/8th grade musical revue a couple weeks ago so we were inspired to see the full production while in London.

The next morning we moved to a hotel a little more conveniently located as the meeting hotel was out in Chelsea which was a bit of trek.  We spent the next few days wandering around London, getting a refresher of London on the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus and took a day trip tour to the White Cliffs of Dover with a stop off in Canterbury.

Okay so only my fellow former hotel workers will probably appreciate this...the hotel had a giant "Roomba" to take care of the public spaces.  His name was Jimmy.  Definitely a nice touch as it was quiet unlike the ones used by housekeepers.

Wanted to take LuLu to see the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Cathedral so we booked a day trip on Get Your Guide and headed south for the day.  It was a chilly and rainy day but it was still fun and we got lucky as it was a good group of 16 folks  from different parts of the US and UK.

En route from Canterbury to Dover, we stopped in Deal, a little seaside town. LuLu and I popped in a fish ‘n chips shop for a very tasty meal.

We made it to the White Cliffs of Dover but we didn't see any bluebirds...only magpies.  Even though it was a rainy day, the cliffs were beautiful.  So glad we were able to get down here as when I visited while in college, I don't believe I truly appreciated their beauty and importance.

Dover Castle

Next time you think about how expensive gas is in the US, think about this. In London, they pay 1.51 GBP per liter. It takes 3.8 liters to make a gallon so 5.74 GBP. Based upon the conversion of 1 GBP = $1.27, it would cost $7.29 for a gallon of gas.

On previous visits, I've never visited Kensington Palace so this time, we put it on our list of things to see.  Being a big fan of Princess Diana, I found myself thinking about her and wondering if she ever roamed the spaces open to visitors.

It was a quick trip but nice to take a few days of PTO where I didn't answer a single email.  We had a nice flight home and are starting to think about our next adventure this summer!