London-Cambridge

Dear Friends:

It seems like I was just here ; )  It was, in fact, only seven weeks ago that I was in London and Cambridge, UK.  I returned for a very short trip.  I traveled to England to deliver a presentation at our company's HQ, and to meet with my new boss.

Even though it was a quick trip, I managed to find a couple of hours to myself upon arrival.  Most of the flights from North America arrive very early in the morning in London.  This gives me a little time before most of the folks are at work and ready to start meetings.

This trip, I was still riding the spiritual high from the Little Philmont experience in Utah (see last blog).  I had flown home from Utah on a Sunday afternoon, and then left for London early the next day.  Because I was still feeling that way, I decided to spend my time at one of London's two most-famous cathedrals.  This was St. Paul's Cathedral:

Not my picture - but I wanted to show what the dome looked like

This building is very, very different from the more-traditional gothic cathedrals that you find in the UK.  As the Church of England distanced itself from the Roman Catholic church, the architectural style was also very different.  St. Paul's is definitely a return to the more Roman-style cathedral, like you find at Vatican City.  I believe it was highly controversial, when it was built (late 17th century).  The architect was the famous Christopher Wren, so his notoriety probably helped keep things under control.  The site of the cathedral actually dates all the way back to 604.

They wouldn't allow pictures to be taken inside.  I grabbed a few from the St. Paul's website - just to show you what the interior looked like.  As you might expect, it's just gorgeous:

Even though I was exhausted from the flight, I couldn't leave St. Paul's without climbing a very long staircase to the dome above the main floor.  With my suitcase in hand, I managed to navigate the 528 steps to a beautiful view of the cathedral below.

Nearby, I found Paternoster Square.  This was the location for most of the big publishing companies in London for hundreds of years - until extensive bombing damage during WWII.  The most striking feature of the square is the Paternoster Square Column, rising about 75ft into the air.  It was gorgeous, even on an overcast day:

After spending time around St. Paul's, I headed directly to Cambridge.  Instead of the usual hotels, I tried something a little different on this trip.  I booked a stay at a series of corporate apartments.  They are located right next to the train station, so getting to them was easy.  The place was beautiful:

It was a relaxing stay.  The only downside, is that there weren't too many places to eat nearby.  However, that gave me the chance to take some late-night strolls to/from dinner each night.  I walked about a mile each direction, so it helped keep me awake ; )

At our company HQ, we're in the middle of construction for several new buildings.  In the seven weeks since I was here, the construction has leapt forward, and the building skeleton has emerged.  I had no idea how big these buildings were going to be...it will be nice to handle the expansion that we've experienced in employees, and will continue to experience over the next couple of years:

I finished my work, and soon left Cambridge after only being there about 48 hours.  I made my way back to London, to stay closer the the airport for an early-morning flight the next day.  I still love the British railway system.  It's pretty convenient and easy to navigate.  I still love seeing these massive train stations in the big cities:

I also love the British fascination with sandwiches ; )  At each of the train stations, you can find plenty of vendors selling wonderful, fresh sandwiches.  The bread is far superior to most of what you find in the U.S.  I love it!

I returned to the U.S. without event.   Sleeping on planes is getting harder and harder to do in economy class.  However, I hit a special "milestone" on the flight home.  I managed to fly 2 million miles, cumulatively, on United Airlines.  While it's fun to recognize...it also represents a LOT of time spent on airplanes, around the world.  More importantly, it also represents a LOT of time away from family.  A good chunk of those miles were accumulated when I didn't really have anyone to come home to, but it sure is hard to leave these days ; )