Mumsy and Popsicle in London!

Over my Mom’s Easter break from school, my parents came to London to visit me and to celebrate their 25^th anniversary. I had a great time with them, especially since this had been the longest I had gone without seeing them. Unfortunately, the beginning of their trip was delayed when they got stuck in Toronto due to Air Canada Labor disputes. Thankfully, they arrived 8 hours later safe and sound.

Instead of meeting my parents at Heathrow as originally planned, I took the train out to our family friends, the Spaeths, whom my mom went to Bucknell with. After spending the day around Surrey, we then went to the airport to pick up my parents who I know were just happy to be on the ground. The next morning, we spend the day around western London, including Windsor Castle.

Outside Windsor Castle

Guess they are going to Hogwarts!

The next 3 days, my parents celebrated their anniversary in Paris. I would have loved to go, except I had two of my finals during that time. Boo no fun. Upon their return, I surprised them by booking two reservations. The second was dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant where you order food by touching the table, which I told them about.  The first was the complete surprise of Ice Bar. They did not know where we were going until we arrived at the door. Both of them were very confused and thinking, “Ummmmm…. OK?”. Once we walked in and they threw on the thermal capes with gloves, my mom realized what it really was and got much more excited about it.

With Mommy at Ice Bar

A few weeks before my parents arrived, I found a Groupon for a 50%-off day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Too good to be true, I bought 3 so we had something to do while my parents visited. Stonehenge was very cold and windy so it was good to know that we did not need much time outside since all it really is are... stones. We had a good time in Bath where we found a pub that served Abbey Ale (I should just cary a sharpie and cross out the 'e's all over the UK haha), walked through the roman baths and also the inside of Bath Abbey. We ended our day back in London with a quick visit to the Harrods pet store and gift shop where we gawked at the dogs dressed up in the salon.

The first half of the next day was mostly spent waiting in line for Madame Tussauds. My mom especially wanted to go after she went to the one in Las Vegas. Even after the 3-hour wait in line, we all still had fun. That evening, I had my first legal margarita with mom and dad at a Mexican restaurant (guess I will have to wait again until October) and then saw the new musical Matilda. Based off Ronald Dahl’s book and movie, we knew what it was about at it was FABULOUS! Best part? We can say we saw the original adult cast (kids are always changing). When it comes to Broadway April 2013, SEE IT! It is now in my top 5 favorites.

Our last full day together was definitely a tiring one. We started early to take a ride on the London Eye. Even though it was a cloudy day, we still got some amazing views of London. Thankfully, there was a bench in the middle for my mom so when her fear of heights kicked in, she was able to sit and get away from the downward views. Afterwards, we walked across Westminster Bridge where we saw your typical Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey like every other tourist.

And she managed to pull through!

Discovered the Panoramic Setting on my camera while on the London Eye!

Next was my dad’s least favorite part, shopping! We went to the absolutely, insanely crowded Portobello Market in Notting Hill and then to Primark on Oxford Street, also insane. We then did a quick trip inside the Tower of London (more my dad’s cup of tea). By this point we were al exhausted, our feet hurt, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it looked like we were limping, the cobble stones inside the tower did not help either. We braced ourselves for the walk across Tower Bridge where our dinner awaited. By the point we sat at the table, it took a long time before we stood up. The best part was watching the lighting of Tower Bridge change as the sun set over the Thames.

It was quite a busy week for us all, but we had a fantastic time together! Even though Rachel was extremely jealous the entire time while she was stuck at Bucknell, we know she will get the chance to have some of the same experiences as me in a few years. And to say the least, her upcoming birthday might as well be British themed. I never realized how much shopping my mother really does until now.