My kid sister came to visit and brought the
California sunshine with her -- thanks Annie! The weather has been
miserable the past few months with torrential downpours, gale-force
wind, and below-normal temperatures. To date, this is by far my worst
summer in the UK although I probably say that every summer, but
seriously this summer has been unusually cold. I had to wear my leather
gloves throughout most of May and started questioning if we skipped
summer altogether? But, on my kid sister's second visit to London, she
enjoyed seven straight days of 80F temperatures and glorious blue skies.
It was brilliant!
Besides catching up on some sleep and making
herself comfortable in our beloved Clapham flat, my kid sister got the
chance to visit neighbourhoods that she didn't get to see on her first
trip to London. She schlepped out to Canary Wharf to have lunch with her
brother-in-law at Jamie's Kitchen; met me for a picnic lunch near
Paddington station before taking herself for a canal walk from Maida
Vale to Camden Town.
She perused through the funky shops at the Stable
searching for quirky souvenirs for friends in California; went
museum-hopping around South Kensington; checked out the hipster
neighbourhood of Shoreditch; and dined alfresco along the Southbank.
Keenan and I both had to work during her stay in London, but we spent
evenings together over home-cooked meals, or cold beers and white wine
at one of the local pubs, The Sun being my favorite for its lovely beer
garden. It was great catching up with her about her busy semester as a
nursing student and other exciting news from California.
One of Keenan's former co-workers also
stopped through London on her way home from a business trip in
Switzerland. It was somewhat a little reunion as we met up with the same
co-worker in Santorini while on a family holiday last year.
It was fun taking Annie and my friend around London, showing them my
favorite places and restaurants. Saturday we went to check out Borough
Market and had a walking lunch of bratwurst, chorizo sandwiches, paella,
and a massive chicken wrap called 'The Hangover' whilst admiring
London's newest skyscraper, The Shard. Tummies happy, we were off for a
walk along the River Thames to the iconic Tower Bridge.
It was the perfect day to spend the afternoon
in Royal Greenwich, the neighbourhood just south of Canary Wharf. We
stocked up on some snacky items and a bottle of white wine for a picnic
near the Royal Observatory from where there is an amazing view of
London. Greenwich was all decked out for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
where the Royal River Pageant will start. Cutty Stark, the last
surviving and fastest tea clipper of her time which reopened to the
public in April, was heaving with visitors. My kid sister thought it was funny that
Londoners all flock to the nearest green patch on warm summery days,
donning bikinis and board shorts. I'm sorry to say, kiddo, we're not
guaranteed summer here in London.
The next morning we went up to the charming
neighborhood of Notting Hill, walked around Portobello Road, which was
surprisingly quiet for a Sunday. Then we took the train for a day trip
to Oxford. We haven't been to Oxford in over three years; crazy how time
flies! It was nice to see Oxford in another light as my last visit to
Oxford was in the dead of winter.
We snagged some patio seats at The
Head of the River pub, which overlooked the canal, for a late afternoon
lunch all washed down with a pitcher of Pimms. We visited several
colleges, including Christ Church College, Corpus Christi College, and
Queen's College, and of course stopped for the obligatory tourist photos
of the Bridge of Sighs and the Radcliffe Camera. I had forgotten how
lovely Oxford is; shame that it took me three years to return.
Cheerios from London!
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