As it was my parents second time visiting us in London (first was last August), they didn't have much they wanted to do during their visit, so I didn't make many plans. I was expecting a relaxing week... during which I would get caught up on blogs (that didn't happen one bit). I also expected a tube strike to occur throughout most of the week. Fortunately, the tube strike was canceled just a few days prior! A week of relaxation didn't last for long though...
Thursday, May 1
Mom and dad arrived bright and early around 8:00am. I met them at the airport, and brought them back home. Dad went for his usual jog and mom took a nap. In the afternoon, we all went to the grocery store and ran some errands, just to get them up and moving so they could fall asleep that evening. Luke had a pub night for work so he didn't get home until later. The three of us watched Frozen since I had never seen it (meanwhile mom watches it like everyday <sigh>). We had curry for dinner then went to bed some early since we had an early morning the next day.
Friday, May 2 to Monday, May 5
All four of us made our way to Krakow, Poland for a long weekend. Read about it here.
Tuesday, May 6
After a long weekend, we had a relaxing morning, but when lunch rolled around, mom and dad wanted fish & chips. I proposed taking the bus to Kingston, so we could eat on the water as it was a nice day. Unfortunately, all of the pubs and restaurants were out of fish due to the bank holiday the day before. I literally don't understand how that happens. But anyway, we resorted to normal food which was still good. We hit up the pub before going back home where I made Shrimp Etouffee for dinner.
Wednesday, May 7
Since we struck out on fish & chips on Tuesday, we decided to go to an actual chippie assuming they would for sure have fish in stock. We went to Camden to try Poppie's which I had been wanting to try for a long long time. It was good, but definitely not as good as Stonehaven's (Scotland) fish and chips. Afterward, we took a walk around Camden Lock & Stables Market. As we were on the way home, dad wanted to make another pub stop, so we got off at Charing Cross for The Sherlock Holmes. After enough drinks, we headed home where I made us some Chicken & Chorizo Chilli for dinner.
Thursday, May 8
It was a pretty crappy day! It rained a good bit in the morning, but we still went out anyway. Mom really enjoyed Borough Market last time, so we headed there for lunch. She got fish & chips, again, while dad got Raclette on potatoes, and I got a Duck Confit sandwich. After a brownie and cookie, we walked along the river in light rain until we got to Tower Bridge. Oddly, we saw a cruise ship docked right next to the HMS Belfast. London is pretty far away from the coast for a ship to dock! Anyway, we crossed the bridge, and stopped at The Minories for a drink. We had a deadline for the evening as we had plans to go see Cats. Cats.Was.Weird. Great dancing for sure, but I wasn't so much of a fan of the actual show.
Friday, May 9
It was finally time for us to fulfill dad's initial request: Golabki! Last time he visited, we went to a little Polish cafe at Ravenscourt Park, and it had the closest golabki to his mom's (my grandma) that he has had. Even during our time in Krakow, he still preferred this cafe's golabki, but not more than grandma's :-) The three of us ventured back to Lowiczanka for lunch. We checked out a few Polish markets - I was on the hunt for the polish sausage that is the closest thing to andouille in the UK, but still no luck! Then, we headed to Buckingham Palace because dad wanted to check out the tulips that I had seen two weeks before, but their time had already expired :-( Our timing just wasn't right because next we went to check out the Queen's Rose Garden in Regents Park, but that was a work in progress. The weather was all right, so we sat for a bit and walked for a bit. We were due for a pub stop, so we did that then went back to Wimbledon. For dinner, Luke and I took them to our favorite Indian restaurant near us, Cocum. We had a few drinks at the pub afterward before heading home.
Saturday, May 10
Three of us (take a guess at who was missing from the group) woke up early and went to the airport to drop off the parentals. We said our good byes, and they were whisked back to Houston.
It was great to have my folks come visit again! I'm sure it was a bit different than the first time they visited as it was spring this time. Next time, they need to come around Christmas time! I promise, Christmas in London is fun fun fun!!! Anyway, thanks for visiting mom and dad!!
RANDOM FACT:
During the Second World War, British soldiers would yell "fish!" to receive a response of "chips!" to identify a fellow soldier.
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