Tools for survival....

The tools needed to survive London are the following: money, a map, a warm jacket, an oyster card, patience, an appetite, a love of close spaces, an appreciation for bad pub food, a strong immune system (all the hot tube to cold air gets to you), a good job, a good home, but most importantly, you need a family. The past three days, having my parents here really added to that last part. Family brings out the good, the bad, the ugly and the beauty in you. I really feel as though I have a family of sisters here in my flat, brothers at work, and a parent in my faculty advisor – and now I have a grandma at Gordon’s wine bar (read on…) but nothing compares to the real thing and having my parents here and experiencing parts of London with them was unlike anything I expected. It was fun and hectic, comfortable and crazy all at the same time, and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

 

This morning marked the beginning of their last fully day here (they will be back Wednesday night for a quick dinner before they fly home on Thursday). I was able to sleep a little more, which after not going to sleep the night before until 3am due to some unexpected visitors, I was very thankful for. My parents and Andrea’s parents met us both at our flat and we took them to breakfast at Raul’s – that adorable English breakfast café right up the street. We sat, talked and ate the delicious meal – mom loved the French toast – and then we headed into the brisk frigid, yet sunny day (it has seriously become winter like overnight, it was freezing yesterday J as my mom would say – brrr!!!!!! But she really was right, it was uncharacteristically cold). We weathered the wind and took an adorable narrow boat down the Regent’s Canal to Camden market to show them the shops. During the fifty-minute ride (we were going like 10 mph, it is actually only 2 ½ miles down the canal, so it can be walked like we did last weekend, but too cold for that). We waded along the water, looked at the beautiful homes lined on either side of the bends and relaxed a bit, glad to be out of the rush of the city.

 

When we arrived to Camden market I was a little disappointed because it was not all set up like it is on the weekend with the food carts and the specialty clothes, but it did have some interior stores open – certainly not the same effect as when we went last Sunday. But my parents were still able to get an idea of what a market in London is like. We walked around some shops and quickly decided that we were a bit chilly so we headed on the tube to Knightsbridge tube stop to encounter a little more of an upscale shopping adventure – a walk through the famous department store, Harrods.

 

Harrods is absolutely breath-takingly (not a word? Go with it….) amazing! The food halls alone were so glamorous and specialized – instead of it being a big open department store, Harrods has halls and labeled rooms so it is like a maze of luxuriously displayed goods – the finer things in life – all categorized and presented uniquely. Of course, my favorite was the food hall of chocolate, sweets, specialty cakes, and then of course the bakery where they had an entire section just for Krispy Crème and one for Jelly Belly. They also had gelato specialty sundaes for an arm and a leg so we just took a tasting and it was the creamiest most delicious flavor to ever grace my palette J. After being enamored by all the amazing food, we went into the jewelry hall, where I found a label called boodles diamonds, and boodle is what Lynnie calls me! So, I of course took illegal pictures J. Harrods has everything from perfumes and cosmetics to every fashion label imaginable at ungodly prices. BUT THE BEST PART OF ALL…. They had an entire floor devoted to CHRISTMAS – called… drum roll please…. CHRISTMAS WORLD (how appropriate and magical sounding)! It was so incredible and decorative and made me so excited to see London all lit up for Christmas. I feel like that time is going to come so much more quickly than I could ever anticipate if things keep moving at the rate they have – it is flying by.

 

After looking through the halls, seeing the Princess Diana shrine that is set up there, and capturing it all on my camera (sometimes against the wishes of the police guards standing literally at every door), we decided to get some lunch! So we headed on the Piccadilly line to Covent Garden –where I thought this wine bar I really wanted my parents to see was located. But directionally challenged Jenny comes through once more, and upon walking around a bit, I quickly realized that we were in the wrong place – had a little emotional breakdown because a lot of things have been going not so perfectly – but also realized we were a close enough walk to Embankment, where is actually was. So Don, trusty map man, led us there and we went down the stairs into Gordon’s Wine Bar, a historic landmark in itself, said to be one of the oldest wine bars in the world and was even once used as a bomb shelter during WWII. We had wine and cheese and met Joanie, an 87-year-old woman who has been working at Gordon’s for over 27 years (she is even featured in the Rick Steve’s travel videos!). She is probably the sweetest lady you will ever meet and she told us stories of when she met Frank Sinatra and how her husband, named Don, sent her a sign after he passed. She was so cute, when she found out Don’s name she said, “Well then I must give you a kiss right there,” and she kissed his cheek. It was so sweet. I am definitely going back to see Joanie again, and she said she would watch over me for mom – it was an unexpected moment where you are at the right place at the right time (only after being at the wrong place and having to have a breakdown and a map to find your way back on course) but most importantly, with the right people and the right kinds of cheese (but sadly without you Lynnie J we missed you so much). It was a candlelit oasis, hidden away from the constant traffic of the city, and it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

 

On our way back to Oxford Circus to show my mom my office and meet Rob and Gordon for drinks at the Piano and Pitcher bar, we stopped at Charring Cross Station and popped right up into Trafalgar Square, where the moment we entered, it began to pour. So we took some quick pictures, and then headed right back down into the tube –where for once I appreciated the heat.

 

We then went into Hog and Pound, a cute pub on the corner of Bond St for a late afternoon snack to kill time before meeting the boys. With tummies full we climbed up to my third floor office around the winding stairs and finally, my parents were able to meet the infamous Rob and Gordon J and, just as I expected, they were as taken by them as I have been. We had such a blast, and I realized upon seeing them how much I missed them this week having taken off Wednesday – which in turn made me realize how sad and difficult it is going to be to leave this place. They just make me so happy J. So we went to the packed piano bar, and talked and laughed for a while before they had to rush off to meet with a casting director. I think it was one of the highlights of having my parents here because so much of why I love this city is because I love my internship and the opportunities it has allowed me – and of course, I love Rob and Gordon – even when I am washing their dirty dishes J. They are so fantastic, and naturally my parents loved them too.

 

It was just a short walk from the bar to this private Italian restaurant on a hidden side street off Regents St. where we gorged on garlic bread, calamari, and pasta. It was delicious and topped off by some amazingly refreshing mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge – my absolute favorite. It was a very comical (for many reasons) and relaxing way to end their London experience. Tomorrow they are off to Paris – two words….. good luck! My parents do not speak a word of French, but I am sure they will pick up the needed phrases – where is the toilet? what does it cost? where do we go? no speak French! – ya know, the usual. Cannot wait to hear their impressions.

 

As they headed back to their hotel, I freshened up and went back out with my girlfriends who just came into town, Katherine, Emily, Sharon and Abby and we all hit the town. The bar we went to was called Tiger Tiger…. enough said. Needless to say it was another interesting and fun-filled night – and, fun fact, I may or may not have met the man of my dreams….. now we’ll see if he calls J But that is all the details I will allow… a girl has got to keep some things to herself! (Lynnie – you may call me later J

 

This morning (Saturday) I woke up realizing my parents were already safely journeying on the Eurostar toward five more days of amazing sights, foods and culture. But while they look ahead to that, I have only the four fantastic days behind me to think back on. There are so many things I wanted them still to see, but seeing each other (I realized by the end) was really all that mattered. It was great having them here, even if everything wasn’t exactly how I planned it, and now they have left, and I am staying here. And while I would never want to leave here right now because I love it so much, that is a weird feeling. It is like they were not a part of my life in London, so while I missed them, it was distant and separate from my experience here. But now, they have contributed to that experience, and picturing certain things without them becomes more difficult. But I must say, it got me so excited for Brezny and Ike to come for Thanksgiving! They will love so many things here, I just know it!

 

So it turns out, you may be a broke, directionally challenged, claustrophobic, sick or even unemployed and homeless but as long as you have your family (and some good wine and cheese) you will find a way to figure everything out (and probably get them to pay for it too J ps – thank you both so much for EVERYTHING – the shows, the food, the company) no matter what.

 

Love and hugs,

Jenny