The Queen Invited Us Over!

Since Paris we had just been hanging around Nottingham.  I had to do some coursework for my Ball State courses, so Mom and Dad went and explored the city alone.  They stopped by the castle again and then walked around the city centre.  By the time they got back, I was finished with my assignments and we got ready for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Brown's. They have great drinks and food, and we found out that they have amazing desserts as well. We each got something different, and I don't think anyone's choice was a bad one.

Say cheese! Aw come on...even the waiter is.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove down to London.  We started our day riding the underground to get to Oxford Street and Regent Street, two popular streets with lots of shopping.  We popped in a few shops and headed to lunch afterwards.  We walked towards Buckingham Palace where we had scheduled a tour.  Before that we walked in St. James's Park and Hyde Park (The Central Park of London). 

St. James's Park

Hyde Park 

Yet again...Hyde Park 

 The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk

We made it back in time for our no-pictures-allowed tour at Buckingham Palace.  The inside was amazing, and each room is still a functioning room. I especially liked the room filled with all of the childhood toys and memorabilia. The toys not only belonged to Prince Harry and William, but even the Queen when she was younger.  Very impressive toys...even a little camper made for children.  And then we had afternoon tea with the Queen and Princess Kate.  That's when Princess Kate personally told us the news about the 2nd royal baby on the way.  Okay, I joke...but not about the next royal baby! 

Buckingham Palace. 

The only proof that we went inside...the backside of the palace. 

After our hour-long tour, we headed towards the Parliament building where the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is located and Westminster Abbey is across the street. Once again, we didn't make it in time to visit inside Westminster, but we were able to get a few photographs.  Hopefully one day we will make it there on time! Next we headed towards the River Thames, saw the London Eye, and walked alongside the river.  

Beautifully decorated pub and Westminster Abbey

 Some more shots in front of the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and Parliament 

We grabbed some dinner at Pizza Express and took a load off of our feet.  Our last destination was the Tower Bridge, which is one of my favorite spots in London.  After enjoying out time riverside, we hopped on the underground to head back to our car. 

I think every one of my London posts has this tower in it. Guess you could say I like it?  ha!

We got home around 11:00 PM, and the last few days together were pretty low-key.  As you can tell by my posts, we were on the go a lot, so I planned for our last few days together to be pretty quiet.  Sunday, my mom and I went shopping around Nottingham.  We bought some things for our wardrobes as well as for friends and family at home.  On Monday, we headed to Derby to visit Jeff.  We walked around Derby, stopped in some antique shops, the mall, etc. then Jeff picked us up.  Jeff and my dad played squash  for a few hours while my mom and I had some 1-1 time.  Jeff plays squash with a few local friends a couple times a week, so he was happy to be able to play with my dad as well! 

Later that night we took my parents out for Mexican food, BarBurrito! Our favorite Mexican food over here is similar to Chipotle or Qdoba.  Not many options for that type of cuisine, but great food nonetheless. And better yet, FREE REFILLS! If I haven't mentioned before, when you order soda/pop/coke (whatever you may call it) you pay by the glass and do not get free refills like you do in the states.

Their last full day here we walked around Nottingham one last time, even took them to some areas I've never been in the city before.  That night I made chicken tikka masala for them.  I think they liked it as they had never eaten it before.  Indian food in Indianapolis is pretty scarce, so you can imagine living in a smaller city than Indy...there are zero options. 

Overall, we had a great visit with my parents and according to my mom's Fitbit we walked approximately 90 miles during their 2-week visit. I wish they were able to stay longer or come visit more often.  I woke up on Thursday to a very quiet house with no one to drink coffee with, so they were definitely missed right away. Mom & Dad, thank you so much for coming. We treasured every minute you were here.  We cannot wait to see you again soon! 

Onto the next adventure...