London Family Week in Review- Part 2

The weekend called for some serious sightseeing (being that I had to work during the week and wouldn't be able to play "tour guide" then). And can I just say, my hat goes off to those tour guides that are really good at their jobs! I was soon to find out that you really need to know your stuff, almost having an internal map, to be a guide. Plus, I have a confession. There was more than a couple occasions when I led my family to a totally different destination then was intended. Hopefully, I played it cool and like my dad always says, "getting lost helps you get to know the area better!" Thanks for that tip dad!

Saturday morning: off to Portabello Road. A huge street fair/market selling everything from antiques, to fresh produce and flowers, to leather handbags to cheap flea-market type items. At first, I wondered if this was the right choice for technically our first London sight (being that it was so crowded and it was starting to rain.) But lo and behold. I was saved. We found the food! Fresh doughnuts, breads and pastries. Paella simmering in huge frying pans. Real German Bratwursts. Fruit and vegetable stands everywhere. And so, we ate our way through the rest of the market before heading to the next memorable sight: the Whispering Gallery of St. Paul's Cathedral.
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There she sat, playing "keeper of the backpacks." Dad, Nicole, John and I had decided to climb to the top of St. Paul's to view the city from above the city's rooftops. Back in the Whispering Gallery, mom patiently waited. Then she heard them. Voices. Whispers. But where were they coming from? Down below in the Cathedral? No. From behind the wall? No. And then looking around the gallery, she realized that the whispers were travelling AROUND the dome of the gallery. It was the coolest thing. If someone was standing on the other side of gallery, and he/she whispered softly against the completely cylindrical wall, you could hear their voices clear as day. Maybe you had to be there, but trust me, it was the coolest thing. When we returned from our climb, mom explained her discovery. It didn't take Dad long before he tried it out. "Free beer in the lobby," he whispered. Yes, that's dad for you. Talking about beer at church. Oh, how we love his corny sense of humor.

The rest of the night was spent, yes, eating and drinking. We found a pub, "The Mulberry Bush" off the beaten path and mom and John enjoyed another good english meal: Steak and Ale Pie. For the remainder of the week, mom couldn't stop talking about how impressed she was by the food in England. Especially the fish and chips and pie! Food. Gotta love it!

London- Family Week in Review.

Although London-Family Week was technically last week, I was WAY to busy enjoying my family to post anything before now. Hence, I dub this week, "London-Family Week in Review." Where do I even start? From the beginning...

Mom, dad,Nicole and John arrived on a friday morning. I was "working" when they arrived at Heathrow (ok, really I was watching the clock most of the day). Because I wasn't able to greet them, thanks to dad's supreme path-finding skills, and good ol' "Dot 2 Dot" bus shuttle (side note: dad loved the name DOT 2 DOT...if our boat didn't have a name, I bet Dot2Dot would be in the running) they made it to the Best Western no problem. My bus ride home from work was one of the longest yet, but well worth it when I arrived at the hotel and was welcomed by my FAMILY! It took me a while to accept this: yes, MY FAMILY was visiting ME in LONDON. cRaZy. Anyway, everyone was hungry so off to the pub we went. (side note #2: I think I ate at more great pubs last week than I had the entire 6 weeks prior...it was GREAT!)

Now, before I continue, there is one thing you need to know about my family. We love to eat! It's probably the Italian in us ;) So, just keep this in mind: IT'S ALLLLL ABOUT THE FOOD with this family.

At the pub, I ordered a pitcher of PIMM's (an extremely popular summer drink across of London-made with lemonade, pieces of fruit, mint leaves and Pimm's liquor...mmm mmm.) And then we ordered dinner. I had the Italian chicken (chicken, mozzarella cheese, bacon and marinara sauce). Dad had the battered fish and chips. Mom- fish and chips. Nicole- fish and chips. John- fish (with the skin on) and chips! I'm not sure if it showed, but I was totally smiling inside! Just like myself, when my family thinks of English food, they think of fish and chips. And I would have been right there with them, but I had fish and chips for lunch that day. In the end, everyone gave the Pimm's and the fish and chips two thumbs up! What fun! Like I said, it's all about the food.

The Big Easy, Flowers for a Fiver, and Chilled Leek Soup

Happy late 4th of July. And yes, people in London celebrated Independence Day. OK, maybe it was just the Americans in Britain that celebrated (myself included!) The afternoon of the 4th was a lazy one, and it wasn't until 8 o'clock that we were all ready to go out to a restuarant/bar called The Big Easy. Being a New Orlean's themed restuarant, American flags and those tacky extra-large christmas lights brought light into the dark bar. It all felt very rebellious. Almost like we were in a Speak Easy...drinking red, white and blue margharitas, listening to American music. Regardless, we enjoyed ourselves, celebrating our independence as fun-loving exchange students!

Sunday morning I headed to the Columbia Road Flower Market. Imagine the vendors of NYC calling out from behind their stand...NEWSPAPERS, GET YOUR NEWSPAPERS. Now, replace that with British accents (yet thick city accents) calling out...FLOWERS, 3 BUNCHES FOR A FIVVVVER. EVERYTHIGN A FIVVVER. 20 ROSES FOR A FIVVVER (a fiver being £5). Beautiful flowers. Beautiful accents.

Finally, sunday afternoon found me sitting in a pub watching Wimbledon with some friends I've met through playing ultimate frisbee (both British-born and Americans). Good fun watching a championship taking place less than 30 miles away. But what a surprise it was when lunch came out- CHILLED leek and potato soup. Apparantly when the menu said CHILLED, it really meant cold soup with ice cubes floating in it(I initially thought that just the leeks would be chilled...silly tourist!)Personally preference--I like my soup hot!! The bread was good though. Good crusty bread!

cheers!

My Night

My plan for tonight was to 1) find a library 2)grab quick dinner 3) go for a run around 9.

What did I actually do?
1) Found a library but it was closed.
2) Took the bus downtown and sat next to a lady who told me I smiled too much and that there was nothing to smile about.
3) Bought pizza- buy one get one free...sounds like i'm set for dinner tomorrow.
4) Sat next to a guy from Australia who just came from Amsterdam. Started to talk...he was also a physio...PT.
5) found a internet cafe.
6) listened to a radio station from LBI, NJ. Love the internet!
7) Skyped, chatted and laughed with good friends and mom!