Visitors! The Mahan's Round 2

I am so ridiculously behind in my posts - it's quite frightening! It has been a very busy past couple of weeks with a few sets of visitors and a few new experiences. Its going to take me weeks to catch up, but I will get there eventually!

Actual date of this event: 28-30 March

At the end of March, our super terrific friends, Jill and Ryan, visited us from Aberdeen. We had seen Jill a few times in London over the past year, but it had been a year since we hung out with Ryan in London (we had seen them in Aberdeen in the meantime). The last time Ryan was here was also his first time in London. He was on crutches due to the unfortunate skiing incident, so we were limited. When thinking back to what we did that weekend (here and here), we actually did A LOT! So the second time around was more relaxing. Jill even made the comment that it was fun not doing the touristy stuff. So...

Friday, March 28
Jill and Ryan got to our flat around 11am. While Ryan stayed back to do some work, Jill and I headed out to do something less boring! We went straight to Borough Market for lunch - we chose a Salted Beef sandwich which we should have split because it was huge!

Then we walked over to The Shard to get a drink at The Aqua Shard. Note: All restaurants at The Shard have a dress code. We were told we might get turned down when we got to the top due to us wearing trainers (sneaker-type shoes), but it was fine - probably because it was the daytime and in between meal times. It wasn't a super clear day, but the views from The Shard are really really nice! The bathrooms are super cool, too, with views while washing up.

Jill and I headed back to Wimbledon to meet up with the guys. We headed to The Alexandra for a pint before making our way to Sticks-n-Sushi (the #1 rated sushi place in London on Trip Advisor) for dinner, nomnomnom. After dinner, we headed to Parsons Green for a few Belgian Beers at The White Horse. Since Jill had a very early morning (3am), she and I went back to the flat for an earlier night, while Luke and Ryan went to Covent Garden to meet Luke's friend Greg (who was in London for work) for a later night.

Saturday, March 29
Jill and I were up and out the door for a jog by around 9am. We miss jogging together :-( While we were gone, the boys somehow managed to get out bed, but weren't feeling too hot after their "boys night out". After breakfasting and showering, we were all out the door and in the super sunshine! It was a magnificent day so we determined we needed to be outside. We headed to Primrose Hill to sit on the hill and enjoy a little picnic.

After a bit of snacking and relaxing and chatting, we made our way to Notting Hill to have a few pints at Windsor Castle with Greg, his colleagues, and our friends Sara and Mike.. A highlight of the evening was a Tex-Mex dinner at Crazy Homies! Although not in an ideal location (its a bit isolated), it was decent enough food and the decor was groovy - for real.

After dinner, we went to Baker Street for a few drinks at The Globe before heading home for sleep.

Sunday, March 30
In the morning, Jill and I went to collect some jeans she had purchased on Friday, so we decided to get some crepes for breakfast. Note: Crepe Affaire crepes are much better to on the spot rather than take-away. After breakfast, we chilled until it was time for the Mahan's to head to the airport. There comes a time when everyone must experience the negative side to the tube, and Sunday was their day. Part of the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow was closed which resulted in a pricey taxi ride :-(

We had a terrific time as always and miss these two very very much! I offered our guest bedroom to them if they quit their jobs and move to London, but they did not take. I guess our tiny flat with one shower, a combo washer-dryer, an air mattress and no space for Angus didn't appeal to them :-/ haha! Thanks for visiting, Jill and Ryan!!

RANDOM FACT:
The Shard has three restaurants located on the 31st, 32nd and 33rd floors, whereas The View From The Shard takes you to level 72.