Welcome back lovely people! I am so glad to be back and tell you all about my mom’s visit to London starting a week ago today…it was a fully packed five days of exploring new sites and making lifetime memories together. I am so blessed to have a family that genuinely cares about what is going on in my life…and even travels across the ocean to come see me for a short amount of time! Although it rained most of the days, the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits! Now I will try to relive some of the moments we shared together…
Last Wednesday, I went to work in the morning, anxiously awaiting mom to arrive. I left work a bit early to meet her at the hotel around 3pm…timing was perfect because I walked in and there she was sitting in the waiting room! It was a heart-warming reunion as we saw eachother…the kind that just touches your heart J We gathered our belongings for the remainder of the day and set out to see London. This was her first visit, so I wanted to try and give an overall view of the city within the time we had. That night, we ate at a little pub near Covent Gardens then walked around for a bit before turning in for the night…jet lag surely can take it out of a person, so we called it a night!
Thursday, it was up and early as we went to go grab our tickets for Sister Act that night then did the Big Bus Tour around London to see the major sites. This was well worth the slim cost of 25 pounds…including a free boat cruise, walking tours, and 48 hours of bliss riding atop a bus, this is a sure deal! We hopped on and off at different sights including St. Paul’s Cathedral. We almost made it to the top…but we had a wonderful view from the second level. The cathedral is beautifully ornate and was so cool to visit inside and simply walk around. After this, we grabbed our first round of Starbucks (must have for the Northcut ladies) then hopped back on the bus and saw Big Ben, London Eye, then stopped at the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels. We had fun walking around and seeing all of the towers and such…the crown jewels was breathtaking, just as I remembered it senior year. It was a fun time just walking around and soaking in some British history.
After this, we headed to Oxford Street for some dinner then went to see Sister Act. This was a wonderfully soulful show! I grew up watching all of the Sister Act movies so it was cool to see it live…mom and I were both enjoying the music throughout the show and all of the nuns-sooo good! We stopped by the flat afterwards then decided to go on to bed to get ready for the next full day.
On Friday, we decided to go see the Changing of the Guards and do our free walking tour with the Big Bus Company and see behind the scenes. This was really neat…we saw where the guards initially come out and then proceeded to walk down the road with them and march along with the band! It started raining once we got to Buckingham Palace, but we didn’t allow the rain to dampen our mood. After this, we rushed back to recharge my camera then decided to go on our boat tour on the Thames River to Greenwich (famous for the Greenwich time zone). This took about an hour to get there then we quickly ran around the town and went to the market then ran up to the hill to see the observatory. This was really cool…standing in two places at once with mom. And even better, jumping two places at once! Afterwards, we returned from Greenwich and went to dinner around Piccadilly then walked around and shopped a little. Successful day!
Saturday it was up early for the Portabello Market where we took the Big Bus once again then walked around to see all of the antiques and great buys around the market. After shopping around for a while, we headed back and rode by Kensington Palace (Princess Diana’s former abode) then went to Covent Gardens to eat right near the market. After a delicious mid-afternoon lunch/dinner, we walked around some more, went to Carnaby Street (my favorite), then ended up grabbing Starbucks for a good two hours to end the night. It was a perfect way to end the night by simply relaxing and talking for a while.
Now Sunday was probably my favorite day out of the whole trip…We woke up early once again and headed for Spitalfields market. After seeing all the things we wanted to see, we headed to Westminster to walk around and see Big Ben up close, Parliament, Westminster Abby, etc. We had some extra time so we decided to walk through Churchill’s war rooms which was really neat! They left everything just as it was when Churchill was Prime Minister and called the shots for WW2. We had a lot of fun seeing all of the rooms and learning more about his life as he was in the heat of war.
After this, we made our way over for High Tea at the Brown’s Hotel. This was simply perfect…complete with neverending tea, food including finger sandwiches, warm biscuits, and yummy pastries and piano in the background—this was mahhvelous. With a piano player in the background, amazing service by top notch waiters, and warm velvet chairs to lounge in, this two hour event was definitely a highlight of my whole London experience…and what better way then to experience it with my mom! After eating all we could possibly eat and drink all the tea that our bodies could handle, we decided to go on over to Harrods so mom could see the monstrosity that it is! After visiting a few floors and finding the perfect ornaments, we decided to head back to the hotel and pack up everything. What a perfect Sunday this was…not one raindrop even fell from the sky!
Although it was sad to say goodbye, it was the perfect amount of time to hold me over until my return in 3 weeks. It is hard to see these fleeting days zoom right past me. But also after having mom here (my little touch of home), it made me realize how ready I am to be back with the ones I love the most. I am charged and ready for my remaining weeks though…so many things left to do in such little time! I am hoping to take a day trip soon so stay posted for new experiences and new adventures!
you and your mama are just too cute! glad you had such a great time! can't wait to see you, shea shea!
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