Rachell and Jeff in London

Chell and Jeff in London

I caught up on our Rome excursions and Kara’s trip, but I still haven’t talked about Rachell and Jeff’s visit. So, before I tell you about the other things we’ve been up to lately, I should tell you about their week in London.

Chell and Jeff arrived on the same day Kara left. They were both exhausted, but excited to be in London. I helped Kara to the train station with her luggage while they relaxed at the apartment and talked to Michael. In the afternoon, Jeff decided to take a nap. We took it easy that day. We went for a brief walk to the little grocery store around the corner, but otherwise, we just hung out around the apartment for the day.

On Sunday they took a city bus tour and a river cruise, which enabled them to see a lot of the city without wearing themselves out. On Monday we saw the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Horse Guard’s Parade before exploring the nearby Winston Churchill Museum and War Rooms. After lunch at the museum we walked around Westminster taking in the sites, including Big Ben and Parliament, on our way to the London Eye.

On Tuesday we spent the morning at Madame Tussaud’s, then checked out the Beatles Store. We had lunch at a little sandwich shop. Jeff wasn’t sure what he wanted, so the waitress took him up to the counter to just point to what he wanted (maybe they should just have picture menus, huh Jeff?). After lunch we went to Abbey Road. For those of you who are Beatles fans, I’m sure that’s all I need to say! We ordered pizza for dinner from our favorite Italian restaurant. Chell has decided that she loves Carbonara pizza!

By the time we’d finished our Beatles walk, Chell and I were getting a little tired, so we headed for home. Jeff decided to visit the Imperial War Museum, so we left him with my city map, my cell phone, and 70 pence.

Travel Tip: Many of you are probably wondering about the pocket change. You see, many public toilets in London require money in order to enter. If you don’t have any change when you need to go then you’re just out of luck, unless you’re brave like a lot of people in Europe who just find a secluded corner somewhere to relieve themselves.

On Wednesday we explored Kensington Gardens, toured Kensington Palace, and then had lunch at The Orangery. Chell really loved the flower garden at Kensington Palace. In the afternoon we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus then walked to the Lyric Theater where the two of them were seeing Cabaret. Michael and I joined them for dinner after the show. We went to the Golden Oven for Indian Food, which they both discovered they liked!

On Thursday morning I took them to Harrods. If you’re in London you have to go at least once just to say you’ve been there! We went to the Emporium after that for a little last minute souvenir shopping. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting at the apartment before they had to leave. They were spending their last night at a hotel near the airport so they wouldn’t have to get up quite so early in the morning. When we called for a taxi to take them to the hotel we assumed that it would take 10 or 15 minutes for a taxi. Well, after I spent an hour on hold with the first company we decided to call a different company. I spent about 5 minutes on hold with them and decided to try another one – hoping to speak to a real person and not a computer. I finally got through and the taxi showed up about 10 minutes later.

We had a great visit, and took some more pictures, of course. I’ve probably forgotten something, so when they read this maybe Rachell and Jeff can add their thoughts and comments about the trip too.