Well, the 'Fam' being Mom, my siister Allyson, Alex (mom's friend that I visited in Finland), and my cousins Kaitlyn and Brynn. Alex, Mom, and Allyson got in on Thursday night. I went and checked out the Ripple (aka the Mumford house) on Eel Pie Island with a few friends. We made dinner and watched a movie and I started some laundry. Then I took the bus out to the airport to meet them (and I think I've finally figured out the fastest way!). I found Alex (since she had landed first) and we had a beer while we waited for the other two to land. They ended landing early and we went to greet them. Mom was crying (aww she missed me). Since they had landed early, the cab was not there yet, so we went and got another beer (Allyson was so excited to buy hers legally!). But then the cab driver called and we had to go find her. We made it back to the island and got some Pizza Bella, and spent the night (and wee hours of the morning) relaxing and talking.
On Friday, we ventured in to London Waterloo and got lunch at a pub in the station to get some fish n' chips and a beer. Then I gave them a little tour of the Southbank, London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster, and Trafalgar Square. Then we were cold and tired and headed back and had another chill night.
Saturday morning, Kaitlyn and Brynn arrived, with their diva-sized suitcases in tow. It took forever to get back from the airport because there was a rugby game in town, and traffic was horrendous! Once they got somewhat settled, we went out to lunch at the York Street Cafe. Alex discovered that the owner was Finnish, and we had a nice conversation with her! Then we went in to London again to do some sight-seeing. We saw some of the same stuff again, as well as Buckingham Palace, Regent's and Oxford Streets. I bought a sweet pair of leather high tops with fur which I loved! Then we went to see the Tower of London. We took some pictures of it and the Tower Bridge. There was also some red carpet fancy event going on (which we think might have been the Twilight premiere? we aren't sure...). We got hungry and found a nice little pub nearby and had fish n' chips and a beer (again). Then I realized that I did not have my shopping bag with my shoes in them. Panicking, I rushed towards the Tower where we were taking pictures, and it was closed off. I asked a guard if they had found anything and he said they had swept the area and not found anything. I wanted to cry. Did I mention that these shoes were real leather and cost me $90?? Yeah. I was really upset. What a stupid, expensive mistake. In the dark, on a Friday night, in a busy area. #facepalm Combined with crowded trains and line closures, it was a stressful and depressing rest of the night.
On Sunday we went to have Sunday roast at a pub called The Fox in Twickenham. It was really good! Then Alex had to leave us. :( It was a beautiful day, so we decided we would try and do the London Eye. After some delay in getting out to the house and getting tickets online, we made it into London. We ended up going up a little after 4, so we got to see the views during sunset. It was GORGEOUS. We all got some really neat photos (I took quite a few...) and we were really glad we went! Then we came back and went to The George, a local pub. We met some interesting British guys, along with a New Zealander and an Irish man. We had a fun time with them (mostly) and they were pretty entertaining (mostly).
Monday we got up early to get to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. We got good spots on the statue-island in front of the castle. We saw them parade in and march around, and heard the band play a few songs. Then we left a little early to avoid the crowds and since we were cold. We stopped in one of the gift shops to warm up and shop a big. Then I took them to explore Camden Markets. Luckily, it was much less crowded than last time I was there. I think we all bought at least one thing, and we even did some haggling! Then we were starting to get tired and we had planned on going for tea. We went to the Kensington Palace Orangery for a "proper" afternoon tea. And it was proper! It was quite fancy (and $20 per person!). But we all got a three-tiered serving platter with finger sandwiches, crumpets, and deserts with a tea of our choice. I had the classic London afternoon tea. That was a fun experience! We tried to go to the Palace afterwards, but it was closed, and we got a little lost trying to find our way out of the gardens! We hopped a train back to Twickenham and stopped at the grocery store to get some food for dinner. We made spaghetti with french bread and salad! And the salad we got came with DIRT. Weird, right? We weren't expecting that. But I was happy to have a regular, home-cooked meal. :)
During the day on Tuesday we ventured to Kingston to shop. I introduced them to Primark (we spent a while in there!) and I got a sweater for three pounds! We strolled through some of the other shops like River Island and TopShop and went to the Bentall's Centre (like a mall). Mom and Kaitlyn bought London Starbucks mugs. We had lunch at a Pret a Manger, and we have decided that there needs to be more of them in America, so we are going to open one in Des Moines. (plans still pending). After stopping at home for a little bit, we headed back in to London to attend an evensong service at Westminster Abbey. It was AWESOME. The church is so beautiful, and the choir sounded amazing. Especially with the acoustics! It was a really neat experience, even if I couldn't take any pictures! We were done in 40 minutes, so we went back to Waterloo and had a beer to wait out rush hour. And we got these cool burlap bags with a union jack and heart on them! When we got back we went out to eat at the George, and Kaitlyn, Brynn, and I hit up one other pub, The Bear, before heading home.
On Wednesday, I had class, so Mom, Ally, Kaitlyn, and Brynn went to the Tower of London (in the pouring rain), and I stayed home to work on my paper that was due Thursday. I loved being able to do my homework in a house instead of my cramped dorm room or the library. The girls came back cold and soaked, and we opted for Chinese take out that night. Then we all got ready and the young girls (no Mom!) went over to campus to meet some of my friends for a birthday party. We were going to go out clubbing, but decided not to. We ended up going to the SU bar (student union, on campus) for one drink, then to the George to finish the night. We were getting frustrated with everything closing so early here! But it was a fun night!
Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I had class on Thanksgiving for the first time ever! (and it was my long day of classes, to top it off!) So the girls went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour (they were pretty excited). Then, later that night, the school was hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for the American/International students in the area. We were the first to show up, and it was way fancier than I was expecting. We even felt a little underdressed, as people showed up in suits and dresses, and we were in jeans and nice tops. They had free champagne for us before we were seated, and the tables were immaculately set. We socialized a bit and met some of my friends before dinner started. There was free wine (always a plus) and rolls at first, then the first course was served: some sort of squash soup. The main meal included turkey with gravy, stuffing, green beans, and sweet potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised with the food. It was pretty good! Not exactly like home, but it did the job. For desert, we had this almond-caramel "pudding" thing that kinda tasted like cornbread, but it was tasty. We were then served coffee or tea and some mini mince pies (which I had never had). We were a bit upset that there was no pumpkin pie. Then after dinner, they threw us an "American" party at the SU Bar. They had it all decorated in red, white, and blue with stars. It looked more like the Fourth of July! They even had beer pong especially for us, and a DJ. We got to mingle with all of the other international students and some of their guests. It was a really fun night, probably one of my favorites here. And we got to dance and play Flippy Cup, which is one of my favs! After the party, we had to walk home in the rain because the next bus was a long wait. I told them we do that walk all the time, but they aren't used to it! Overall, it was the strangest, most interesting Thanksgivings I have ever had.
On Black Friday we slept in a long time (no shopping for us!). Even Mom! After finally getting moving, we headed to Greenwich for the day. We ate a a pub there called The Lost Hour, and played Uno, just for Grandma K! I had my first 'bangers and mash,' and there was, of course, someone with fish n' chips. After that we walked up the big hill to the Royal Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian, and got some awesome pictures. The Olympic park was pretty much torn down, so we didn't get to see that this time. We wandered back down to the river to see the Royal Navy Academy and the Queen's house, and the Cutty Sark. We went to the Greenwich Market and looked around a bit and finished with a souvenir shop (though one of the better ones in my opinion) and a candy shop, where we found our souvenir tea tins and TWINKIES! So of course we bought some, because who knows? It could be my last. When we got back to Twick-city, we went to 'spoons (a pub called Weatherspoons) and had our last supper together. I think we all got fish n' chips (except Ally, she doesn't like fish). We met up with a few of my friends and chatted for a while, then decided to go home so the Carpenter girls could pack and get ready to leave in the morning.
Saturday morning we sent the Carpenters on their way (after some creative packing and praying that everything would fit under weight limit). I got a text from Kaitlyn after they made it through security, "There is a God! After some rearranging and flirting with the airline and security men, we are in!" Oh, funny girls! After we had grabbed some lunch at Cafe Zizou in town, Mom and I spent the afternoon running errands and finding another piece of luggage so I could send some of my stuff home with them (I'm worried I won't be able to fit it all!). It was a rainy, cold day, and Allyson had stayed home to do homework (though when we came back, she was watching Harry Potter/napping). Mom and I had stopped at my room and packed up a few of my things that I won't need my last 18 days here. Only 18 left!!! It's gone so fast! Then Ally was too tired to go out, so Mom and I went to an Italian pizza place in Teddington (recommended by my Italian friend) called Canta Napoli. We got a half-meter pizza and some vino, and it was quite good! (though the leftovers weren't nearly as good). We came home and watched the UK version of the Hallmark Channel, which was playing Christmas movies.
On Sunday, we slept in again and chilled out in the Mumford house, getting everything ready to leave and making beef stew for dinner for a few of my friends. We had to clean up the house and get everything organized. We watched the "Hallmark Channel" again and listened to Mumford & Sons. :) Then my friends came over for dinner (yum!) and they brought some wine and "British Christmas Cake," which we decided was fruitcake. Needless to say, we threw the rest out. I went back to school with my friends to take back my suitcase of laundry and came back for one last night at the Ripple.
Today (Monday) I went with Mom and Ally in the cab to Heathrow and helped them get all their luggage checked and secured and followed them up to security before saying goodbye. But I will see them in three weeks! I found my way back to the bus station to head back, went to the grocery store, and came back to campus to unpack and reorganize. Then I went to a coffeeshop in Twick-city to do some homework with friends. I am determined to get all (or most) of my papers done early so I can enjoy my last week in London! I am already missing the couches, kitchen, big bed, open space, windows, and peace at the Mumford house. It's hard to go back to my dorm room after that! But only three more weeks I guess... Bittersweet!
Sorry for the long post, but there you have it! My week with my family and Thanksgiving in England! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment