The Swan

My trip to England started last Sunday night, July 6th. Traveling for business is not half as glamorous as those who have never done might think. However, having said that, my trip to the UK started with just about the best travel perk a company could provide – a seat in Business Class on an international flight. It was wonderful. My direct flight from DFW to London Heathrow started with drinks - orange juice, water or champagne before the flight departed. After take-off starters, warm mixed nuts or cheese and tomatoes were served followed by a shrimp and salmon appetizer complemented by warm bread. The main course was your choice of steak, chicken, tilapia or pasta. The final, and my favorite, part of the meal was desert – vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. Yum!

However, the best part of my flight was the fully reclining seat. That’s right, it made a bed. After dinner, about two hours into the nine hour flight, I went sound to sleep and woke up just in time for breakfast – an egg and cheese omelet with fruit, a croissant and orange juice. Less than an hour after breakfast we landed in London. I am not sure there could be a more perfect flight! American Airlines also had lots of entertainment in the form of very current movies, TV shows and music - however I obviously slept instead.

After landing at Heathrow, and getting through customs and baggage claim, we caught a taxi to Bedford, England. Bedford is about an hour from the city and is fairly close to our work site. The town of Bedford dates back to the middle ages. It officially became a town in 886. Our hotel is called The Bedford Swan Hotel. The site of the hotel dates back to 1507. At that time an old Coaching Inn stood on the site where The Swan now stands. The current Swan Hotel was constructed in 1792 and named the Swan Inn. The hotel staircase, which was brought from Houghton House, also called “House Beautiful” in neighboring Ampthill, England, dates back to 1621.

The Bedford Swan Hotel

The Main Hall

The Swan has lots of class and a truly English feel. The rooms are a decent size and most importantly they have working hair dryers in each room!! So far the trip has been nice. We are working fairly long hours but I have seen quite a bit of Bedford and we will be spending the weekend in London.

Cheers!