19 April 2009

Stuart and Kelsey come to visit!


Over Easter weekend, Stuart and Kelsey came to visit us for a week. Unfortunately, they got true London weather the entire time there were here. It was cold and rainy the whole time (except whent they took their excursions outside the City, then it was, of course, lovely).



They arrived in town the Thursday before Easter, and Andrew and I both took the day off. We met them at Vicoria Station that morning and took them back to the flat to drop off luggage and clean up, then headed straight out.

Before they came, Stuart and Kelsey made a list of all the different places the wanted to visit, and Andrew came up with a complete itinerary for their trip so that we could be sure to fit in everything they wanted to see.

Thursday, 9 April
1. Tower of London tour



2. Cross Tower Bridge and walk along the Queen's Walk on the Thames
3. Lunch at the George pub near Borough Market
4. See Shakespeare's Globe Theatre



5. Walk to Tate Modern and wander around the modern art
6. Cross Millennium Bridge and walk along the Embankment
7. Take the tube back to flat and have dinner at the Fulham Mitre (our local pub)

Friday, 10 April
1. Go to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards
2. Walk through St. James's Park



3. See the Royal Stables (the tours were closed)
4. Walk around the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben



2. See Westminster Abbey (the tours were closed)
3. Walk past 10 Downing Street
4. Head over to the Cabinet War Rooms and wander around the museum



5. Have lunch in a pub
6. See Trafalgar Square



7. Wander around Covent Garden



8. Have another pint at a pub



9. Have Indian food for dinner in Fulham
10. Meet our friends Beth and Rino Nori, who were in town from Connecticut, and Geo and Ted Wyss for drinks at the piano bar




Saturday, 11 April
1. Head up to Camden Town Market and wander around all morning



2. Come back to Fulham and get pasties for lunch before the Chelsea match
3. Watch Chelsea Blues versus Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge



4. Have drinks at the Malt House (another of our local pubs)
5. Go to China Town in Soho for dinner at Superstar (a good Chinese restaurant)
6. See Piccadilly Circus at night



7. Later we met Beth and Rino Nori and friends at the Hereford Arms so that we could see them one last time before they headed back to the US

Sunday, 12 April
1. Take a guided walking tour centred on the Beatles that takes you around to different places in London that were significant to the Beatles and their popularity



2. Go home and chill out before heading over the Kent's house for a cookout for David's birthday
3. Go back to flat and pass out (by this time we were all so exhausted that we missed mass at Westminster Abbey)

Monday, 13 April
Stuart and Kelsey took a day trip to Stonehenge, Windsor and Bath, while Andrew and I chilled out at home.

Tuesday, 14 April
Stuart and Kelsey took the Eurostar to Paris. (Andrew and I went back to work!)

Wednesday, 15 April
They took a day trip from Paris to Normandy Beach and did several tours there, then went back to Paris for the night.

Thursday, 16 April
Stuart and Kelsey spent the day in Paris and then got back late that night. We went to the Mitre for a pint when they got back, and they told us all about their trip and showed us some amazing pictures.

Friday, 17 April
Andrew and I both had to work, but Stuart and Kelsey met near my office for a pub lunch. They spent the day sightseeing, and that night we had a dinner reservation at the Churchill Arms, the best Thai food restaurant in London. After dinner, we met Emmanuel at the Windsor Castle, another pub, for drinks.

Saturday, 18 April
Stuart and Kelsey got up early and caught a flight back to the US. We were so sad to see them go. It was nice having a bit of home in London for a change!



Blame Canada