Covering the Vikings in London is a bit different that covering them at Winter Park or Lambeau Field. Star Tribune football writer Mark Craig will share some of the off-the-field excitement of this week's unique road trip.

Access Vikings American Invasion, Day 1

Forty-nine years after The Beatles crossed the Atlantic, the United States has reciprocated by sending Access Vikings The Show to the United Kingdom for the week. Yeah, I know. That exchange rate is B-R-U-T-A-L

Gave some woman in a window at MSP Airport $147.50 on Monday night and she gave me four 20s and directions to the nearest dark beer spigot. Boarded a flight that was so long, Chip Scoggins now sounds like a cross between Houston Nutt and Margaret Thatcher. Wore an Iowa State t-shirt that prompted a wonderful conversation with a friendly elderly British couple. I have no idea what they said, so I did what I do when Sid comes in screaming about quarterbacks: Smiled, nodded and moved to the other side of the room ASAP.

The long line for customs was about to get a lot shorter when a security guard appeared to be looking for young, cute people for his "fast-track" line. In what has to be an upset equal to Browns over the Vikings, this man chose the significant others of Chad Greenway, Kyle Rudolph and Harrison Smith over Chip and me. Unbelievable

Got to the hotel and my credit card wouldn't work. By the time it did work, it was about 3 p.m., otherwise known as three hours late to the nearest pub. See ya.