Going Up North For The First Time

Hello!

This time last week I was seeing Derby and Manchester in its full glory, the sun was out and the sky was blue. So why did I go up to the north of England for a few days? I went on my first business trip (ooh executive). I'm making it sound more impressive than it actually was. I'm a student ambassador at university and I was sent to Derby to continue doing UCAS fairs to prospective undergraduate students. Did I enjoy it? Hell to the yes! This is definitely the best job I've ever had.

Tuesday was a busy day for me. I worked at the ExCel London then went straight to get the train up to Derby in the late afternoon. By the time I got there it was late and pretty dark, as you'd expect at 8:30pm. I settled in my hotel room and charged my phone (who's life was hanging by a thread), then decided to look around the local area to get dinner. I ended up going to a restaurant in the nearby casino for a healthier dinner. I had the most beautiful tomato chicken pasta with garlic bread. It was truly amazing, I'm still thinking of it now. It was reasonably priced as well.


(A morning stroll by the river)

Straying from food, I stayed in the Premier Inn, Riverlights. As the name suggests, I was right by the river which was a nice view. It was (or should I say is, it couldn't have changed already) a really nice hotel. The room was very spacious and the view from the third floor was nothing short of impressive. The only thing that let me down was the fact they didn't do dinner or room service. What hotel doesn't at least do room service?! I was very disappointed learning I had no choice but to go out for dinner. They did serve breakfast though. Buttermilk pancakes, cinnamon and raisin bagels, mini blueberry muffins, full English breakfasts, everything. Of course I had the bagel and a pancake both days I was there. I had a muffin on the first day but it doesn't make a great breakfast to me. On the second day I had a fried egg in addition to the carbs, protein in the morning is ideal. The pancakes were beautiful, I had never tried buttermilk before. The bagels were so nice I brought a pack from Sainsbury's when I got back to London. They are delightful. You probably think I'm really greedy as I have mainly spoken about food, and honestly you'd be right. I love food! It's a big part of my life. I eat more than my body suggests, I'm lucky.


(My view from the hotel)

I didn't do much on Wednesday. I worked then went to my hotel room to get changed. I was so tired and made the mistake of lying on the bed. All I need to say is I only left my hotel room to get dinner and take a few pictures of the scenery. I had a great nights sleep. On to Thursday, my last day at work and in Derby. I wanted to make the most of it so I took more pictures in the morning and went to the shopping centre to see how different it is to London. My conclusion, not different at all. I saw all of the same shops, except there is a Gap outlet.


(A glance at the city centre)

I went back to London on Thursday evening then went up to Manchester on Friday morning. Understandably, I was extremely tired. All I wanted to do was sleep when I got home. The train from Derby took nearly three hours. The train to Manchester was surprisingly quick, it only took two hours! I only spent a few hours in Manchester before returning to London, so I can't really judge it. I can say it seems like a cool city to live in. There were loads of high end shops and big chains you see in most cities.

Derby feels a lot like London, more so than Manchester. It's not that different, has a busy city feel, regular buses and a lot of people. It has a lot more open space though. Honest to God, I loved it there! If it weren't so far from London (my friends and family are here) I'd move there. If you ever get the opportunity to travel for work, take it!

People say never judge a book by the cover, but you can definitely judge a place by the food. It's only as good as its worst restaurant and the worse restaurant in Derby was goood.

TTFN
Shanice x

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