Misty and Mark

This weekend my friend Misty, who used to work with me at Axcan and got married and left the week after I did, and her husband came to visit. Misty was in town on business, and Mark just tagged along because he’d never been to London before; neither, in fact had Misty. Both world travelers, though, they were happy to cross London off their list of places to visit. They had a hotel, paid for by Misty’s company, for the week, but they arrived on Saturday morning and spent the night with us before checking into their hotel on Sunday.

Misty and Mark have done better than anyone we know with jetlag. We couldn’t believe that their plane landed at 10:00am, and they were able to go from then until 2:00am the next morning. They must have been carrying tiny Energizer bunnies in their pockets! We were quite proud.

On Saturday they arrived at the flat around 1:00pm after hours on the plane. They freshened up, and Andrew and I took them to Portobello Market, one of my favorite places to go on a Saturday in London. We wandered around a bit and then quickly maneuvered into a pub so that Misty and Mark could grab some lunch. We ended up just sitting in the pub catching up on each other’s lives until after 5:00, at which point we came back home to get ready for dinner. I had made us a booking at Kaslik, one of Andrew’s and my favorite restaurants here in London. It’s the Lebanese one with the belly dancers!



At dinner, Misty and Mark were impressed with the food. They’ve had Lebanese food several times, and we were happy to hear that Kaslik really was as good as Andrew and I thought. (Andrew and I had never had Lebanese before Kaslik, so we really had no basis for comparison; we just knew we liked it!) We sat downstairs this time, three on a low cushioned bench along one wall, and one on a pillow on the floor. Although it was quite crowded, I though the atmosphere of the downstairs room was very quaint. The belly dancer came out later, and I hid, not wanting to have to dance with her again!



After dinner we tried to think of something to do, to no avail. We were really afraid that we would go and pay a cover someplace only to have Misty and Mark totally crash from the jetlag. We didn’t realize we weren’t dealing with amateurs! I really don’t think either of them expected to last as long as they did, either, though. Anyway, we decided to head back home, open some beers and a bottle of wine, and play cards! We stayed away from Presidents this time, though; instead, we played Spades (a little more grownup).

On Sunday morning we all slept late (except Mark, who stayed up later than any of us and was up at nine). Andrew cooked bacon and eggs and biscuits for everyone before we saw them off to their hotel. I was sorry to see Misty and Mark leave, but I think they were glad to get away from the dog hair! Hadley and Savannah are currently shedding their winter coats, and it’s impossible to keep the flat clean without vacuuming twice per day.

Later that week, we met up with them once again on their last night in London before heading off to Paris. We had dinner with Misty, Mark, and Misty’s boss (who Andrew asked if she was Mark’s mother – and she wasn’t even that old) at a tapas restaurant in Mayfair. After an almost tearful goodbye (for me, anyway), Andrew and I said goodbye and left them having their farewell to London drinks at a nearby pub.

Misty and Mark, it was wonderful seeing you; I’m so glad you looked us up and stayed with us. It was really our pleasure!

Everyone else, I do hope that you’ll all come to visit soon. It was so wonderful to have a slice of Home here in London, and I look forward to happening when you come to visit, as well!