The week I moved in just happened to be the week that my Dad had a work meeting in England. So he jumped on British Airways and stopped by for two days to help me get settled and see the city (it was his first time in London).
He arrived on Tuesday night to blue skies and warm temps. The weather was picture perfect summer while he was here; 80 degrees with a light breeze and bright warm sun (the Brits think this is a heatwave, they've never been to DC).
He arrived on Tuesday night to blue skies and warm temps. The weather was picture perfect summer while he was here; 80 degrees with a light breeze and bright warm sun (the Brits think this is a heatwave, they've never been to DC).
We wandered around the quaint little streets of Notting Hill before settling on a pub for dinner. Veggie burger and chips for him, scallops and tomato (pronounced toe-MAH-toe here, I get made fun of for saying tomato). We chatted for a few hours on life and how wonderful things can work out sometimes (like London). We've all had plenty of the opposite happen, so I it's important to celebrate every little good thing. There are plenty of those too, if we make sure to look :)
The next morning we did what is fast becoming tradition, a massive trip to Ikea/Target/insert home goods store to all the basics. This time was a trip to Ikea for some extra storage pieces, and my favorite, a cute little bistro table for my balcony!
After a few hours of assembly (thank goodness my Dad's an engineer!) we decided to celebrate with some tapas, wine and beer on the balcony. I'm in heaven here!
My poor Dad, I wore him out! At least there was no painting this move :)
The next day we dedicated to a leisurely stroll through London so he could see all the sights. We started at Leadenhall Market. It's a stunning covered market that was used (or inspired) Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron from Harry Potter. It's so beautiful there! It's filled with little restaurants and shops.
Then we continued on our way to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Who says it only rains in London? It was sunny skies for days!
We stopped at Borough Market for lunch and then strolled along the Queen's Walkway next to the Thames. We passed by London Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the London Eye and more. We finally ended up by Big Ben in all it's glory.
We also stopped at Buckingham Palace and the Churchill War Rooms. The war rooms are the original cabinet war rooms from WWII. When the war ended everything was left exactly as it was. Today you can walk through that underground bunker and see what it was like for Churchill during The Blitz. A fascinating look at history.
After this we were beat! We headed back to my place to chill out a get dinner at a not so great french restaurant (live and learn). We did get to pick up some gorgeous hydrangeas for my flat from the adorable "Wild at Heart" stand that I've seen on the Londoner's blog so many times. So cute!
The flowers are still doing well today (with a fresh mani/pedi and glass of vino). It was such a nice treat to have my Dad visit. Now for the rest of my visitors, book your tickets!
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