I've been to Europe before; including France and the Netherlands, more than 12 years ago. It was a 2-week school trip to 4 countries. I spent two years collecting funds for it via door-to-door sales. One of the few good moments I had in highschool.
I only spent two days in Germany though, and 0 in the UK. I'm planning to visit both whenever I can.
My old job was 10 mins from home. I wasn't happy there though and I only lasted two months.