I had been itching to get over to see Fo in London for a while, and it just all of a sudden felt like the right time to go for it. Good fare, one last chance to ask Mish to help with the boys, dreary winter weather in London...well...all except that reason!
I flew over on a Friday night and came back on a Wednesday, so I had a solid 4 days with Fo and Lekka. It was SUCH a treat! I've always dreamed of having my very own Fiona spreadsheet, and boy did I get a good one!!! We didn't do much of the typical tourist areas since I studied in London back in college. Instead, we mostly stuck to local markets, great restaurants, fabulous meals in, a few off-the-beaten-path attractions, a jaunt out to Windsor, and choir rehearsal. Top that off with homemade juices, lots of tea, and a chatty sleepover party every night, and I felt totally spoiled! Not to mention the fact that waiting in the airport security line WITHOUT kids feels like a vacation in and of itself! :-)
Here are some of the highlights...
The Borough Market:
We should have taken pictures of each food item we bought...amazing!
Here are my two fabulous guides, Lekka in "fuzzy boopy"...they name their hats!
That evening we had the most amazing Vietnamese meal at a favorite restaurant of theirs.
The Columbia Road Flower Market:
This was maybe my favorite! It was so beautiful. Sort of My Fair Lady meets quaint London cobblestone meets antique market vibe meets artsy hipster - very fun! Fo bought the most gorgeous thistles, and Lekka got green stalks. ;-) Actually, maybe he's down because Fiona had "fuzzy boopy" that day and he was stuck with "Oscar". (Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was oppressively gray and so cold our toes were permanently numb! Ah, London!)
We also made it over to the Spitfaields Market after this one, warming up with a few pops indoors for tea. We had a jaunt through Brixton Village too before calling it a day and heading for central heating, tea, and dinner at home.
Monday we headed off for the morning...well, actually the afternoon. Since we stayed up a bit late talking every night, I just sort of stayed on US time most of the visit! We headed out to Windsor and Eton for the day and had a fabulous time.
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| Standing on the Windsor side of the Thames looking over to Eton |
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| Looking back from Eton to Windsor Castle |
The Eton boys wear tuxedos every day!
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee fountain and the main shopping street of downtown Windsor.
The Windsor Fire Station (for the boys!) and a cute area of downtown.
The castle! We had tea and scones in a little cafe right next door.
After Windsor, we popped off the train in Richmond to check out the downtown and walk along the river. Then we raced over to Amber and Henry's (Lekka's sister) to a delicious English roast. It was really fun to meet them and spend the evening together. And, the meal was one of the best I've ever had!
The weather on Tuesday didn't disappoint! ;-)
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| The actual London Bridge |
We rode down the Thames by boat, past the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. We got off in Greenwich and visited the Old Royal Naval College. After touring around a bit, we happened upon a wonderful opera performance in an old chapel there. That was a treat!
After that, we walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory where they keep Greenwich Mean Time.
Then we rode the new Emirates Air Tram across the river - fabulous!
One of the goals of the trip was to ride as many modes of London transportation as possible...I love my boys!
The obligatory popping out of the London phone booth by Covent Garden.
After that, we grabbed a quick bite and then raced off through China town to choir rehearsal.
More double decker buses on Oxford St. for my boys!
It was such a fun visit! I felt very grateful to Mike and Mish for their help so I could go. And, I loved all the time with Fo and Lekka...and with beautiful London!
