Mom and Dad Come to Visit!

Updated: Aug 31, 2018

04.03.2018 -

It was definitely a busy past week... Mom & Dad come to London for the week and we had a great time traveling around (I was definitely tour guiding!)

I was lucky to catch a train back from Edinburgh at the time I wanted - it was in the middle of the afternoon, I didn't have a reserved ticket, and the train was almost entirely full. But thankfully it all worked out (I don't think the seat I was sitting in was reserved, but I didn't want to make eye contact with the woman walking by in case it was...).

The scenery was very pretty to watch (though it quickly changed from the Scottish the English countryside).

I had just enough time to drop my bags, repack, and grab a bite before I headed to the hotel to check us in. I dropped my backpack off and caught a train from Paddington to meet Mom and Dad at Heathrow (I was able to sneak up and surprise Mom :) ).

A high-speed train from out trip to Windsor Castle

The next day (Monday) we toured around. I took them to the SIM card story and got them set up with Oyster Cards for their stay. I showed them my apartment, and our first stop of the day was Westminster (the area, not specifically the Abbey). We saw all the classic, famous landmarks, and their favorite part was definitely Churchill's War Rooms. The recently saw Darkest Hour, and loved the underground museum/bunker where Winston Churchill commanded Britain during WWII. Very cool!! It's amazing being in country with such a range of history, and some of it even hidden below ground.

From there we bused to Trafalgar Square (they got to see the city from the top deck on the bus). We got tickets for a show the next night (The Play That Goes Wrong), and sat from dinner at an Italian place nearby. We ended the day buying so warm hats at Primark (we had to go to the one on Oxford St. Tottenham court didn't have much...). Oh, I forgot to mention! That morning we walked around Harrods and had fun looking at the fine art, like glasswork by Chihuly. Always fun to get lost there! We also got breakfast at M&S (porridge!).

Tuesday - we went to Windsor Castle :D We had some trouble getting the train, but after we caught it everything worked out fine - we even got to Windsor just in time to see the changing of the guards. It a beautiful palace, and I loved getting to explore and compare it to the other royal buildings I've seen. Mom and Dad (especially Mom!) loved it! We got some lunch at a pub right next-door, and shopped around for a bit before heading back. Dad got a gorgeous, wool Tartan scarf. We even got to rest a bit at the hotel before the play (after traveling by myself and other 20-year-olds for so long, it took a little adjusting).

That night we saw The Play That Goes Wrong -> It was AMAZING! I've been wanting to see it for at last the past year, and would definitely see it again. It is play within a play: a murder mystery performed by an "amateur theater production group" and everything falls apart. The actual "play" started with ten minutes of "finishing" the set, and the director went around apologizing for the lack of heat and a stagehand looking for a lost dog. (We got a super late dinner after :) )

Wednesday was Mom's birthday, and it SNOWED! London never gets snow, especially like this! In decades! So, course, it has to happen as soon as Mom and Dad arrive... We still got out and about though! We walked through the park to Kensington Palace in the morning (it was so white out, it was hard to see!). There was an amazing Princess Diana Fashion Exhibit that we loved (and were told it usually very packed, though we got lucky because of the snow). After, though, Mom wasn't feeling 100%, so they headed back to the room while I swung by my apartment to pick up a few things (and say hi to Olivia :)).

Dad and I picked up lunch and we ate back at the hotel all together (thankfully Mom was feeling better after a nap!). That night was Purim, so we joined the Jewish Community at Central synagogue for a Megillah reading and musical-cabaret Purim Schpiel (some of the gentlemen in it were from the West End! And from their voices it was no surprise!). That night I stopped by Western Marble Arch Synagogue to say hi to my friends at the student's Purim party.

A compilation of the night's songs

Thursday we took a quiet (we had been running around so much!) and brought breakfast to the hotel. Dad and I wanted to give her some quiet time, and she wanted us to get out and do something, so we got amazing last minute tickets to Young Frankenstein, in the middle of the third row! It was hilarious, just a little raunchy, and we were so close to the actors it was almost intimidating.

Friday we went to the British Jewish Museum in Camden (a smaller, but very interesting gallery!), then cut through Camden Market on out way heading back to Oxford Street. We got lunch and Mom used Nathan and Alicia's birthday present to her (an M&S giftcard) to buy a really gut spring dress! I don't know which was more fun, shopping around or actually finding the one!

We had had Shabbis plans for Friday night and Saturday, but because of the lingering snow and distance to walk we wanted to stay closer to the hotel. So we bought food from M&S and set up shop for Shabbis. Saturday afternoon we took a walk through Kensington Gardens, past the Albert Memorial, and took our time exploring the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) because it's FREE!! It was a relaxing, leisurely afternoon.

That night we went to a great fish restaurant and I was able to get M&D to try custard for desert 😂 Mom did a little souvenir shopping for her kids at school, and I chilled for a bit at the hotel before goodbyes and heading back to my apartment (their flight was extremely early, and I'd rather sleep at my flat then be in the hotel room by myself when they leave).

It was so special to have them here, on such new ground for all of us, and I loved getting to show them around. A great way to finish off my spring holiday 😊

Which brings me to today, Sunday! I took it a bit easy, running errands and getting some work done (though my one Monday class is canceled tomorrow evening for the break!). I start my internship later this week, and Morgan and May (Temple friends) come to visit!

Going to be busy!!