My parent's arrived in London on Friday and, nervous about their jet-lag, our only plans for that afternoon/evening were a stroll through nearby Hampstead Village and dinner at a local gastropub with Martha. Martha was beyond excited to the see my parents! She'd become quite fond of my dad, and his generous treat giving, when we lived with them before our move over. Plus, my dad had a couple of toys in his carry-on :).
dinner at The Wells
On Saturday, we grabbed breakfast at a local bakery before heading to West London to show my parents around the Notting Hill and South Kensington neighborhoods. We strolled through the Portobello Road Market, stopping in some of the small antique stalls, before making our way through the pretty neighborhood towards Kensington Palace, Kensington Palace Gardens and Hyde Park. My parents told us that they had been 'training' for their visit and wanted to walk the whole park, so we did!
Notting Hill
Kensington Palace
Our next stop was Buckingham Palace, and with the Queen's 90th Birthday the week my parent's were in town, the area surrounding Buckingham Palace was packed. We stayed long enough to snap a few pictures and I decided that it was time for us to take a break. There is no better way to take a break from touring in London than with an afternoon tea and luckily we had a reservation at The Wolseley, right around the corner from the Queen. The tea was so much fun and the perfect way to relax after an 8 mile walking day!
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace Gate
Afternoon Tea
Rather than braving the city on a Saturday night, we picked up some things from the local butcher shop and organic produce store and made dinner back home.
Sunday, we were back at it again but our agenda was more geared towards my dad...less pretty houses and royals, more history. We headed to London Bridge to walk along the Thames river, viewing Tower Bridge from afar, before crossing over and touring the Tower of London. The London Marathon was on Sunday, so Tower Bridge was a bit more active. As we walked across the bridge we were able to cheer on the marathon runners!
Tower Bridge
Touring the Tower of London was a first for all of us. The Tower of London dates back to 1066 and has served as a royal residence, armory, treasury, prison and more throughout the years and is currently home to the Crown Jewels of England. The Tower of London is a complex made of several buildings set within two defensive walls and a moat (currently with no water). The Tower of London is quite impressive and took us a couple of hours to make our way through. We saw everything from the torture chambers to the Crown Jewels.
White Tower View
White Tower
Waterloo Barracks
Traitor's Gate
After the touring the Tower of the London, we were off to one of the oldest pubs in the London, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. In an effort to make it to the pub before closing, we opted for the tube forgetting about the marathon. The underground was insane and my parent's got to experience what the tube is like during rush hour - so crowded that you are unable to move!
We made it to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in the perfect amount of time and found a table in the cellars. Shane and I hadn't been yet, just had heard good things, so it was a first for all of us. The cellars of the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese are thought to date back to the 13th century.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
The last stop of the day was St. Paul's Cathedral. We opted out of doing a tour and instead headed to Soho for an early dinner of Italian tapas.
Shane and I worked on Monday and Tuesday so my mom and dad were on their own. They mastered the tube and were able to tour the Churchill War Rooms, view Big Ben, tour Westminster Abbey and stroll through Camden Market! They even had time to take Martha on a couple extra walks.
We loved having them and showing them around London!
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