London VIP

My first international business trip!  I went to London and Paris as part of my work on our holding company brand, Walgreens Boots Alliance.  Walgreens merged with Alliance Boots last December to form the new company.  I typically just work on the Walgreens domestic brand strategy, but I have just started working on the global corporate brand so I went to Europe to learn more about the Boots and Alliance Healthcare brands that are a part of the portfolio.  It was a whirlwind trip with a packed agenda.  I learned A TON and overall it was an awesome experience.  Not quite as glamorous as I was anticipating (although for every transfer I did get picked up by hired town cars with chaeffeurs holding my name on a card, which felt VIP like).  For some reason I thought there would be less work and more time for enjoying the sights, but that was not the case.  Apparently when you're on a work trip, there are high expectations that work take place.  I squeezed in some fun, though, don't you worry.  It was exciting being over there, but I was very happy to get home to my loves.

I might have to say that the business class flights were the highlight of my trip.  It was AWESOME!  

On Sunday when I landed instead of going to sleep after having flown overnight, I powered through the jet lag to walk around London a bit - since I knew from my itinerary it would be my only free time of the week.  Good thing I did, it was so fun and I was right that it was the only time I had to do such things.  This was after I discovered my phone didn't have service and that by not knowing my chip credit card PIN I was unable to check into my hotel.  I ended up having to use the hotel WiFi an the app Viber to call my bank and eventually get my PIN to check into the hotel.  Not an auspicious start.

I travelled on my own from Chicago, but was meeting so many people that I was never lonely.  I kind of liked my solo walk around London.

I liked the look of this Sherlock Holmes restaurant.

Statue of the famous two fingers touching, just like Luke used to do when he was a baby.

I would Skype with Matt and the kids almost every night when I got back to the hotel.  Matt did awesome, as usual, being a single Dad.

On Monday before my meetings started I decided to go for a run in Hyde Park, which my hotel was pretty close to.  I only had a small window of time where it was light enough out to run outside, though, so of course I tried to squeeze it in.  I was admiring the beautiful park and the beautiful Londoners when I tripped over a grate and went down hard on a gravelly concrete part.

These are my hands after the accident.  I literally had holes in my hands and had to pick out the gravel bits.  

There was no time for first aid, though. I had to run back, shower (hard to wash your hair with no skin on your palms, I found), try to administer some level of first aid (so as not to bleed on my colleagues during introductions), pack, check out of my hotel, schlep all my stuff with my bum hands, and get myself to my first location asap.  The rest of the week it was so weird that I had band aids flapping around while I was meeting a new set of people every hour and shaking hands, they all must have thought I was so weird.  Band Aids just don't stick very well to palms, and washing hands all the time doesn't help with the stickiness.  I'm a train wreck.

Went to a Boots flagship for a store tour with the manager, Boots are like the Walgreens of the UK.  It is crazy how similar the two brands/stores are.

Monday afternoon I took the Chunnel to Paris for one night, this was the view from my hotel room.  Spent the whole day Tuesday at the Alliance Healthcare offices outside of Paris before taking the train back to London.

Tuesday night my train got in around 8:30pm and I had to join a conference call back in Chicago from 9p-12am, so enjoyed a lovely room service meal while working.  Glad my room had a little sitting area.  

One of the London offices had a little museum next door that I got to take a peek at - love these double decker buses!

Went to an Alphega pharmacy, which is another brand we have that independent pharmacists contract.

This pharmacist served the Queen of England!

Took the train to Nottingham, about 2.5 hours outside of London and where Boots is headquartered.  It was a nice train ride.

My last night there my train arrived back to London at 6:50pm and I hurried myself directly to the theater.  "Ticket for one please!"  I just made it!

It was FANTASTIC!!  

Meanwhile the week I was away there was TONS of progress on the addition.  Matt orchestrated the entire framing to be knocked out in just a few days!  Amazing!  It is really becoming so real.  

Matt and the kids picked me up from the airport and they had this lovely homemade "Welcome Home Mommy!" sign and a homemade cake too!  I sure am one lucky working Mommy!