Last of London

With just a few short weeks before our move back to Portland, I was able to convince my parents to come over for a quick visit although it was a bit nerve-wracking to say the least, for a number of reasons... one of which is my dad does not travel. He's happiest at home in his garden, but I promised him an unforgettable time :) and as such, it was my parent's first trip abroad together. Secondly, not only would it be my first trip abroad with the both of them, it would be their first trip with their daughter and their daughter's boyfriend. Talk about a double-whammy! Last, but not least, it would be an introduction to my cohabitating with you-know-who ;) But alas, it turned out to be quite seamless vacation (in hindsight, anyway :) and the most important thing is, I think they're glad they came as they really enjoyed themselves! Here are some pictures of us in London... which are also the first scenic/touristy pictures on this blog of my last year's home-away-from-home!

Here we are in front of Buckingham Palace!

St. Paul's Cathedral

Michael and my dad at the gates of Chinatown
Mom loves mangosteens!Westminster Abbey
The ParliamentA cruise on the River Thames takes us under London BridgeLondon EyeThe pods on the London Eye are huge!Thames River Barrier

Atari-ya

We ended our fun-filled day with sushi, from our (secret) favorite, hole in the wall sushi spot! It's not really much of a secret anymore though, as it was packed today! I think the word's out... they get their fish from the same suppliers as Nobu. Yummmmm

Disclaimer: Now that I'm unemployed, I'm probably going to be blogging a lot more. The randomness will be much more frequent over the next few weeks... maybe even months!

Shakespeare's Globe

This entry is dedicated to my little cousin Annie, who not only was the one that first told me about Borough Market, but has also been hounding, begging, and selling me on the idea of seeing a play at Shakespeare's Globe. It just so happens, the appreciation of Shakespeare does not run in our family.

But in an effort to do all-things "English," we finally went to The Globe (a pretty cool structure in itself) today to see "Romeo & Juliet." I think we had some of the best seats in the house (good thing because there was no other way I was going to stick around for the full 3 hours :) Some people had to stand!

We actually really enjoyed it, even though we didn't understand more than half of the lingo. Wish I paid more attention in English. Remember iambic pentameter??? Good thing I already knew the basis of the story!

After the play, we walked back over the Millennium Bridge, but at least it was sunny today!

And here's a little treat for you guys.... courtesy of Michael :)

You know you like that!

Farmer's on Crack

If you didn't already know, Michael and I have quit work...

... and we're moving back to Portland!

YAY!!! I've been homesick. It's time to go home!

So with just a few weeks left before we take off (and just in time for Kathy's wedding), we're trying to see/do some of our favorite things.... one of which is Borough Market. Of all the markets we've been to, this one is by far, our most favorite market of all all time. I've blogged about it in the past, but didn't get to include many pictures. Today was our first time going on a weekday and as it was much less crowded, I got to take a few more photos, although I think my camera lens need to be cleaned... or maybe my settings are off. Any suggestions?

This place is so awesome - it's got just about any type of food you can think of with a old school British feel. Imagine your neighborhood farmer's market, with a British accent and on crack.

Proposal in Hyde Park

Yes, another entry on Hyde Park. I just love this place!!!

Today marks mine and Michael's 1st day of unemployment :) It's also my first weekday off in ages! I feel like I've been dreaming of a weekday off my entire adult life (Gawd, I am so lame) and as such, you'd think I'd have a long list of exciting, adventurous, out-of-the-ordinary things I'd want to do during the day right? Does watching trashy talk shows and soap operas count?

We were at a loss of what to do with ourselves. We even looked up Top 100 Things to Do in London :P And found ourselves back at Hyde Park. It's quickly become one of my favorite spots in London and especially with the current "heat wave" (high of 86 degrees people!!!), we've been spending a lot of time here. Particularly since this city is not equipped for warm weather at all - there is hardly a/c anywhere! The city is advising people to carry bottles of water in the Underground to keep hydrated as people are fainting (literally) from heat exhaustion left, right and center!

Today felt like any other weekend. The park was packed. Don't you people need to work? Apparently this couple didn't. On a lazy Wednesday afternoon in Hyde Park... talk about a random proposal! I saw this guy on his knees and thought, no waaay! I couldn't whip my camera out fast enough :) It was the 1st proposal I've ever witnessed and wished I could have filmed her knees wobbling and trying to run away from him :P I think she said yes though. Even from a distance, I could tell he looked relieved! Awww

After lunch and a nap, we decided to explore other parts of Hyde Park and look what we discovered! Above is a waterway fountain for people to hang their feet in, which is dedicated to Princess Diana. The Serpentine (below) for paddle boating, row boating, and even a swimming area (or a "lido" as Brits call it) to cool off!
And below, another pond called The Pond (yes, it's The Pond :) My favorite bookmark!