Cambridge, UK

Dear Friends:

Last week, I visited the United Kingdom - this was the second trip with the company that I now work for.  I spent the majority of the time in Cambridge, with just a tiny bit spent in London.

At the beginning of the trip, I enjoyed a delightful meal at the Austin Airport, courtesy of Salt Lick BBQ.  I knew that I wouldn't have any kind of BBQ in the UK, so this was a great way to start.  Besides, the fact that Salt Lick is utterly delicious:

I arrived safely in London, and made my way to Paddington Station, which is a favorite of mine.  I couldn't find the traditional statue of Paddington Bear (I know know that it's been moved to Heathrow Airport).  However, with the recent release of the Paddington movie, they've created a new statue to reflect the character:

They also opened a huge Paddington Bear store within the station...with every kind of movie merchandise you can think of:

In the UK, sandwich shops are very, very popular.  It's estimated that consumers in the UK buy around 2 billion sandwiches every year, with a value approaching $5.5 billion. As a comparison, the pizza market is valued at $1.5 billion.  Some say it's because sandwiches are considered healthier, and other say that shorter lunch breaks are the reason.  Either way, you can find sandwich shops everywhere.  I ate at one of the more well-known chains, called Eat:

If you look closely at the picture below, you'll see some great options for different sandwiches.

One of the other popular chains is Pret A Manger.  There are plenty of other shops, but you can find these two chains just about everywhere:

I made my way north to Cambridge.  This is the HQ of our company.  The campus is made up of several buildings (I believe 6 in all).  The company is outgrowing the facilities, and have now put some teams in nearby locations.

Inside ARM 1 is the atrium, that also serves as the cafeteria.  I has a delightful atmosphere, and they manage to serve not only lunch, but a traditional English breakfast:

The building that I spent the most time in, is ARM 6 - this is where the rest of my team is located:

There's a building (ARM 3) that's almost entirely conference rooms, as these are in high demand.  It's the same for almost every company, these days:

Cambridge is a small town, with the large colleges that make up Cambridge University located in the center of the city.  The suburbs are relatively quiet - that's where the ARM campus is located.  Right next to the office are giant fields - I didn't see any kind of farming taking place, but they were beautiful to look at:

Each evening, I had a little time to myself, so I loved to walk downtown and see some of the old buildings and architecture.  This is the Corn Exchange.  It's actually a huge theatrical venue, due to the open area inside.  I learned that it started as a literal corn exchange for farmers, back in the mid-19th century:

Just a short walk from the very center of town is one of several huge parks in Cambridge.  I am amazed at the number of parks in the city.  This one is called Parker's Piece.  The weather during this week was gorgeous...not what you expect in the UK.  It always seems to be overcast, but not this week.  Due to the amazing weather, the parks were full of people:

I witnessed a game of cricket taking place in the park.  The white uniforms really stood out.  I still don't completely understand the game...yet:

For dinner, I really enjoy a restaurant chain called Nando's.  I was introduced to this place by my former employees at my last company.  We would hold meetings at several Nando's locations in downtown London.  This particular location was just steps away from my hotel:

They specialize in chicken, particularly with a spice called peri-peri.  Apparently the chain started in South Africa.  Explorers discovered the African Bird’s Eye Chilli spice, but now affectionately call it peri-peri (perry-perry).  I usually get the more mild spice, but it still tastes really good:

I have already posted pictures from Cambridge of the various colleges that make up the University.  I got a chance to peek inside one of the colleges for only a second.  They all have these massive garden courtyards, with buildings surrounding them:

I also found the Cambridge All Saints Church, which was located on - no joke - Jesus Lane:

It's a traditional Gothic style, but was built around 1870, making it part of the Gothic revival:

I make my way into the interior of another college - this time Pembroke College.  Sorry the picture is so dark, but evenings were the only time I had to explore:

One of my lunches was spent with the entire team from my company.  There were about 20 of us.  We were treated to a lunch at Alimentum - a restaurant that has earned one star in the Michelin rating system (a huge deal).  We were able to get a better deal at lunch, as the dinners are always crowded there.  The food was extraordinary, as you would imagine.  Fancy cuisine was the name of the game.

This was asparagus and a hen's egg, shortly before they poured Velouté - one of the five "mother" sauces of French cooking.

Main course was roasted Cod, orzo, trompettes, peas and bacon - yum!.  Dessert was a dark chocolate parfait (not the American kind), with caramel curd and kalamansi (a hybrid of citrus and a kumquat).  It was an extraordinary combination of flavors...that simply worked:

Most of the nights, after walking for about an hour, I would get a single scoop of Movenpick ice cream.  I was introduced to this delicious ice cream by my oldest daughter, while we were in Switzerland.  A nice treat each evening:

On my last night in Cambridge, we ate at a restaurant called Galleria, along the River Cam.  There, boats with guides would take passengers on a leisurely trip through Cambridge.  With the weather so nice, it was busy.  The locals call this "punting", and looks much like the gondolas of Venice:

Some enjoyed a dinner cruise...

The menu was fantastic - enough to make you forget the UK's reputation for horrible food.  The evening was celebrated with dessert.  I ordered the marbled white and dark chocolate "pyramid" - with dark chocolate mousse and a combination of raspberry compote and coullis (like a pureé).  Breathtaking, no?

The next day, I left for Heathrow Airport, to return to the States.  As I always do, I found some fun things to eat in the shops.  First, the company that makes the best gummy bears in the world, have a special "Minions" edition.

Last, but not least, I always find unique flavors of potato chips, or "crisps" as they call them in the UK.  Here, we have Roast Chicken and then Worcester Sauce.  Worth a try...

That's it for now.  I'll be back in the UK in a few weeks.  But I have a couple of other trips between now and then.  Thanks for reading!