A quick trip to the UK; time to decompress?

 

For Margo and me, it continues to be all about the journey. When it was confirmed that I would have the opportunity to provide a presentation at the first European in-person HPE NonStop event in Edinburgh little time passed before tickets were booked and hotel rooms reserved. When you factor into this journey the opportunity to visit both London and Edinburgh this journey became even more enticing. While we have been to Edinburgh on previous trips to the UK, it was in 1999 that the trip took on an extra special meaning as it was the first business trip for the newly wed, Mr. and Mrs. Buckle.

Well perhaps not with that naming convention as we were still very much Margo and Richard to all of our business colleagues and yet, coming as it did so soon after our honeymoon in London only a month or two prior, we were still experiencing those early days where everything was new. Making this trip extra special was that the venue for this European event would be at the very same hotel we stayed at back in 1999. For one week we would be reminded of all those times and while the hotel had been reconfigured at least twice, the location was the same and, in all honesty, that’s still what counted for us.  

We flew into London to spend one night in the general area of Shoreditch. Well actually our hotel was on the border of Hoxton and Shoreditch in London’s east end. However, turning back the clock to when we checked in for the flight at Denver, I realized I was wearing my sunglasses and not my regular glasses. Don’t ask me how I could forget to lift my glasses from the console of our car which I just parked, but it happened. With no time to return to the car I kept the “sunnies” and augmented them with reading glasses. The ones the drugstores sell for a couple of dollars, except at the airport, we paid almost thirty dollars. Not a good start to the trip.

The good news is that the flight took us to London without a hitch; glasses or no glasses. Like almost everyone we know, getting to the hotel to unpack and shower is always the priority. And let’s not discuss the M4 / A4 into London; what on earth is going on with traffic in London? I know politicians are doing their best to cater to cyclists and to shut down lanes to favor all cyclists but it seems as the getting across London is to be avoided at all costs.

Shouldn’t we have taken the train? Or two? As it so happened, we had tickets on the train from London to Edinburgh / Waverley so our decision to cab it across town was done to give us some time away from planes and trains but adding the automobile proved disappointing. Then again, we did get to see a lot of London. As for the train journey the following day, choosing the easterly route that included many miles paralleling the North Sea as we approached Edinburgh meant we were able to see a lot more of the countryside, which meant passing many old cottages, farmhouses and country manors.    

Storytelling is my occupation. Imagine my surprise then to walk along the overhead gantry leading out of Waverley station and see many quotes by Sir Walter Scott. Perhaps the best quote of all was the one featured in the photo above. Your regular and determined storyteller … boring? Ouch, Sir Walter, that hurts and I wonder what led him to make that observation. And to think, for many years, that simple graphic of connected cog wheels was also the logo of the company I worked for after leaving Tandem Computers. Somehow, seeing them being used to illustrate boring machines, like myself, was not something that offended me but rather made me smile. To find myself in a situation where the story counted for everything today obviously implies that I have succeeded in passing from doing, to teaching to simply talking; could be a lot worse, I guess.

Edinburgh is an ancient city and the site of intrigue and calamity. Witches were being burnt in their hundreds just as plots to overthrow the government of the day were being hatched with regular monotony. On this quick trip to the UK there wasn’t as much time set aside for sightseeing as on previous occasions but with the location of our hotel, we could see Edinburgh’s famous castle. On the other hand we did take a visit to the docks out by Leith where we saw the pride of Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Yacht Britannica, open to visitors. Perhaps next time we will complete the tour as having bought tickets, the length of the line meant time was not on our side so we gave away our tour tickets.

Tucked away just a stone-throw from the wharf was a quaint Scottish pub where Margo and I joined with colleagues for a traditional Scottish lunch. Fish and chips, buckets of mussels, scallops served on shells and yes, a vegetarian haggis proved that little has changed over the eons that this pub had operated. As for the shelf with bottles of Scotch, it seemed endless as there were still plenty more bottles behind me when I took the photo.

Proud of their heritage and today, somewhat divided on where their future might take them, there was no escaping the fact that the Scottish flag flies high. Somehow, I think Mary Queen of Scotts would be taken aback by all the bunting that flies so proudly from every possible location. Scotland the Brave? Who could have guessed it would be played almost continuously everywhere you turned in Edinburgh.  

In time, we headed back to the train for the return trip to London. Once again, we stayed in the same hotel in Hoxton / Shoreditch. Having elected to travel by train once in the UK, we thought it prudent not to try and do the train and plane trips on the same day. A layover in London wasn’t only a temptation we couldn’t resist but it was the perfect opportunity to decompress after the long days at the Edinburgh event. The location and the hotel are possibly not what we would recommend to anyone as there are many better options, but for our purposes, it suited us as it wasn’t too far from Kings Cross Station, the origin and final destination of the trains that took us up and back to Scotland. To sit by the side of a heavily used throughfare and enjoy a glass of red wine? Maybe not priceless but it sure did contribute to the decompression that the times called for!

When we look at the bigger picture, it is the times we travel where we do take a break from our daily routines. For many it is simply an outing to the local Pickle Ball courts. For others it’s a hike up and through our mountains whereas for others it may be a short trip to a museum or gallery. However, throughout the many years we have been married, it is these opportunities to jump a plane to visit places we hold dear to our hearts. Not every city has played host to out honeymoon or delivered on what we thought would prove to be a highlight moment. Considering too that nearly all of our travel is determined by the meetings, events and conferences we need to attend. And yet, decompression always begins when we walk out onto the concourse and head for the first flight of the time away from home.

In the UK, there are many places to dine just as there are many cuisines to tempt us. Before we headed to Edinburgh, we thought a traditional English dinner would be a welcome escape from the normal haunts we usually look for. So yes, it was off to a recommended Indian Restaurant to dine on Chicken Tiki Masala – the most popular meal option that has passed a backed lamb dinner in overall popularity. Cabbing it into Shoreditch proper, we found our way to our recommended Indian Restaurant, the Dishoom. Not truly a chain although it has more than a handful of locations around London and yes, even Edinburgh, the quality of what was presented couldn’t be faulted.

Want to try something a little different to Butter Chicken? Try Ruby Chicken and you won’t be disappointed. And like the many times in the past, we over indulged but we simply couldn’t resist working our way down and across a very long list of dishes. Would we return to this restaurant? Without a doubt, should an occasion arise of us returning to London, book the tickets! That new plane smell will get us every time. But this wasn’t the only opportunity to dine out as on our return to London we headed down to the Thames and to the restaurants along Butlers Wharf. 

For those readers who have taken the time to read posts to this blog, it might not go unnoticed that together Margo and I are beginning our sixteenth year of blogging to this site. I say together as it is a reality that Margo is involved in the creation of every post. It is often a comment or observation that becomes the catalyst for a storyline that otherwise might have been missed. For fifteen years and through 228 posts, more than 90,000 reads have occurred even as we have responded to 150 plus comments. The common theme flowing throughout all of these posts is clearly one associated with travel – business, vacation, bizcation and more. Call them whatever you like, but for Margo and me, it’s proving to be a chronicle of what we have been doing for the better part of our time together.

In the coming weeks we will pick up on an even busier travel schedule about which I will post during the summer. These outings will include a mix of vehicle plane and boats – yes, the usual mix we embrace over the course of any given year. Sometimes the outings are a true adventure whereas at other times it can provide an opportunity to enjoy a new experience. However, perhaps the best way to sum up these travels ignoring for now the opportunities to decompress is that they are ultimately exhausting. Trips that can be quick or otherwise and involve travelling across the country or over the seas ultimately differ little.  As they wind down and we trudge through an airport concourse for the last time, we always look for that quiet spot where one last cocktail can be enjoyed. Forget that last touch of makeup or a quick comb of the hair, homeward bound is, after all, its own reward!