Blue Cat usually stays in the United States when he travels, but he recently had the opportunity to visit the lovely town of Guildford in the United Kingdom. While he was not clear on why he went there (something about a Non Disclosure Agreement), he did say that the trip was very memorable. Here are some of the things that happened.
First was the flight. Blue Cat tried to be well prepared for the 9 hours – staying hydrated and making sure he had something to make him comfortable if he fell asleep.
Blue Cat got to travel to London in Coach (which for him is Overhead Storage class) on a very full airplane. Here’s a view from his seat – as you can see it was quite crowded and he was about as far back in the airplane as you can get. Not too pleasant for a 9 hour direct flight.
However, he did get a full meal and a lot of drinks – the United Airlines staff were very nice and made sure that he (and his scribe) were well taken care of.
And there was even dessert!
After breakfast on the plane he landed in London and went directly to Guildford. He started with a walking tour of the town in order to stay awake – otherwise his internal clock would have been really messed up and he probably would have slept through his meetings the next day. That means he got to see the Guildford Castle (although it was closed that day)…
… and a place called Bonham’s which happens to be the name of Blue Cat’s scribe’s wife’s cousin. (Yes – that was complicated, but Blue Cat is always looking for things named after people he knows.)
There was also a great pub (whose name he can’t remember) that had the best meat pie Blue Cat had every eaten. Here’s what it looked like at the beginning and about 1 minute later…
Then it was off to the hotel – the Mandolay Hotel which was small but fun. Not a big room…
… but it did have a really comfortable bed.
The days were a blur after that – working meetings then visits to the Guildford Cathedral …
… a stop at the local Tesco Superstore (a big grocery store), and a look at the canal that runs through the town.
All in all a very interesting stay.
Blue Cat’s flight back was much better than the flight out – his scribe’s boss was able to get Blue Cat an upgrade and he flew back Business Class. It started with breakfast at the United Club in the London Heathrow airport:
Then on to the plane. Here’s a picture showing all the foot space for when the seat folded flat into a bed…
… and a picture of all the cool stuff that came with the seat.
Blue Cat even made a new friend who tagged along home to meet the rest of the family.
All in all it was a great trip and something very new for Blue Cat and his traveling companions. He hopes to go back soon and see a bit more of the country.
Have you ever been to Guildford? Let Blue Cat know by leaving a comment below.
(C) William P Doyle, Jr. 2020
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