London September 2013

I started traveling more often starting in September 2013. I was working on a large project which required me to often be in different places around the globe. Many of my trips started to become multi locations.   I have decided to create a post for each location of my travels. These new posts will be shorter as I spent less time in each location but I will be able to post more often. 

I was asked by my employer to help support training on a large project. The caveat was the training was in India. I naturally accepted this opportunity and worked with a team of other individuals to support training. I was going to be in Chennai India for 3 weeks but I decided to take advantage of long flights and I spent a night in London on the way to Chennai and a night in Munich on my way home.  

Since I have been traveling with United Airlines I wanted to continue trying to get more points so I researched my flights carefully. Lufthansa Airlines is a partner with United and are a member of the Star Alliance meaning I can get points for my flights with them. Lufthansa is one of the few carriers that fly into Chennai India. I was going to fly from Phoenix to Houston on United l then switch to Lufthansa and fly to London directly. We flew into Heathrow airport and landed in London at 7 in the morning. I did some research and decided to stay at the Marriott Heathrow Airport because our flight out of London was going to be early. After collecting our bags and passing through customs we caught a London Black Cab to the hotel. We had 24 hours to see as much as we could. After checking in and dropping bags off we headed directly to the center of London. The easiest way to travel in London is to use the tube. We caught the bus from the hotel to the nearest Tube stop and headed into the city. 

The train ride from Heathrow to the center of London is long, but is much cheaper than taking a Black Cab. The goal was to walk through the center of London from west to east seeing all the sights along the way. We decided to get off the Piccadilly Line at Knightsbridge Station next to Hyde Park. Since we had been traveling all day the first stop was to grab lunch. Being in England there were a few items on the culinary tour. Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash, and Cask Beers were items we looked for in the local restaurants. Lucky for us every corner pub has this staples on their menus. The benefit of having others around is you can share dishes and since I’m not a seafood eater I wanted to try the dishes but not commit to eating the entire plate. Fish and Chips were not my thing, its not that it was bad i just don’t eat fish. My few bites were good but not something I would eat often. Bangers and Mash is a dish of English Sausages, mashed potatoes, and peas. This is a dish is more in my wheel house, I enjoyed it much more than I did the fish and chips. With our meal each one of us ordered a local beer. From what I have been told the English serve their beers warm, but that is a misconception. In the UK many beers are served from a cask and are not pumped through CO2 lines. The bartenders use hand pumps to pour you beer, and even though it is served at room temperature, the temperature they are referring to is the temperature of a basement where the casks are stored. This means the beers are between 50 and 55 Fahrenheit. I was surprised by the beers, I really enjoyed the style and flavor. To this day any chance I can get as cask beer I do

Guard at Buckingham Palace

After lunch we walked along the park towards Buckingham Palace in hopes of watching the changing of the guard. We didn’t plan any of the stops on our mission to sight see and because of this we were not able to do any of the tours. The area around Buckingham Palace is beautiful and full of parks. After taking pictures of the Royal Guards marching back and fourth we continued towards Big Ben and the parliament building. The large clock tower is located right on the River Thames and is surrounded by other government and royal buildings. This clock tower stands majestic on the skyline and is immediately identified from afar. 

We continued along walking up the River Thames and stoped at some pubs along the way continuing our beer adventure we started earlier in the day. We passed by the London Eye but decided to skip the lines and the attraction. By this time it was getting later in the afternoon and the jet lag was kicking in. All of us were becoming extremely tired and decided to head back towards Heathrow Airport and the hotel. The train ride was long and we all fell asleep on the ride, the long flights had caught up with us. After arriving back at the hotel we ate dinner and went to bed. Morning came early and so did our flight. After check out we grabbed a Black Cab and headed to Heathrow to continue our journey, on to India. My time in London was too short but London is such a beautiful city. I could easily imagine myself living here. 

Phone Booth, Double Decker Bus, and Big Ben
the three famous London Landmarks