Mom & Dad in England, pt. IV

In an effort to introduce M&D to more than just British city-life, Fi & I rented a car one day, & the 4 of us took a drive through the English countryside.  Our destination was Kenilworth Castle, a Norman ruin in Warwickshire that Fi & I unsuccessfully tried to visit once before.  I was excited to go back.

The weather was a bit... English, but we managed to make it around the entire castle without getting rained on.

There are some gardens to the side that're kept up, but otherwise, ruins occupy most of the grounds.

Pretty, eh? 

At one point during our exploration, I realized I'd been noticing quite a lot of date graffiti etched into various interior walls.

Most were from the 1800s

I got super excited when I found this one, 1760!

The castle just goes on & on.  I can't even imagine how impressive it must've been in its prime.

Kenilworth was really worthwhile sight-seeing in the end.  It definitely merits a visit if you're interested in castles of any sort, but especially ruins.  & Of course, no day out would be complete without a stop in the pub for a refreshing beverage.

Mom & Dad in England, pt. III

As a surprise, Fi & I took M&D to afternoon tea at the Old Parsonage, a quaint little hotel / restaurant about 10 mins' walk from our apartment in Jericho.  Tea is a very English thing to do, so we thought it'd be a fun surprise for our American guests.  Unfortunately, of the mere 5 photos I managed to take during that experience, only 3 came out clear, so as a compromise, I thought I'd post 4 here. 

Fi's mom & sister were kind enough to drive up from London to have tea with us.  I think it was a real treat for my folks to experience such an English custom with actual English people!  Here's a blurry action-shot of dad manhandling his teacup.

Fi & mom, grinning ear-to-ear.  This is probably because all of the strawberry jam & clotted cream on offer.

Finally, a close-up of the sandwiches, cakes, & scones.  Not a bad spread, all things considered. 

The Old Parsonage interior felt like it had a real, old-fashioned English charm to it.  Although the atmosphere was a bit loud while we were there, I can imagine it being a great place for tea when it's not super busy.  Thanks again to the Mooring ladies for journeying up from London to accompany us!

Mom & Dad in England, pt. II

The next adventure with M&D was a stroll up Port Meadow to the Trout Inn, our favorite local feedbag.

By this time I'd started to feel quite sick as well, so I self-medicated with a healthful cup of cider.  It's sort of like drinking juice.
 

Fi, as she appears in the wild: coquettishly checking Facebook.

Beef.

Didn't you get that memo?

Here's a rather nice pic of the shortest canal boat I've ever seen.  Note yet another day of blue sky.  Much as we complain about the weather here, it was uncommonly pleasant during most of M&D's visit.  Fortune smiles.

The afternoon's calorie-load called for a brisk walk into town & around Merton College, where Fi did her MPhil.  Here's the tour-guide in her element.

Merton's gardens would be spectacular to anyone, but they particularly overwhelmed mom.  She got super excited by all the green grass & flowers.

In the next post -- afternoon tea!

Mom & Dad in England!

A couple of weeks back, my mom & dad flew over from Texas to visit.  This being their first time in England, Fi & I tried our best to give them the best possible tour during the week they were here (as we do with all visitors!).  Despite a few health-related hitches, I think we all managed to have a pretty fantastic time.

M&D arrived late morning on Thursday, & after a short nap that afternoon, everyone was ready to rock & roll.  Thursday's temp was forecasted to be the warmest of the week, so we took advantage by doing some punting.

Dad was a natural.  It took me at least two sessions to get the hang of steering & propulsion, but he seemed to cotton on to all the right moves within 5 minutes.

Taming the mighty Cherwell always calls for a celebratory beverage at the Turf.  The weather was a bit chilly for Pimm's, so we ordered cider & ale.  Good form.

Morris Minor Alert.

Friday morning, we all got up early & boarded a bus for Londontowne.  Once we arrived, our first order of bidness was riding the London Eye. 

The English sky cooperated with our timing, & we had decent visibility.

Afterward, the four of us strolled down the Southbank.   Here's one of M&D watching tricks at the Southbank Skatepark.

During Southbank strolls, we like to stop for a glass at the Swan, a pub attached to Shakespeare's Globe.  Since dad was feeling a bit under the weather, he opted for Elderflower cordial.  Be sure to ask him how much he loves it.

Rah!

At lunchtimes we ducked into Borough Market for some delicious vittles.  The girls visited a sandwich stand for halloumi (Fi) & chicken (Mom), while dad decided on a meat pie.  I bought myself a bratwurst.

 
I noticed this sign on the Mudlark pub for the first time.  If I'm not mistaken, that's a hobbit.  B. Baggins, esq?

The Nautilus.

Toward the Tower Bridge, someone had displayed a troop of whimsically-painted gorilla sculptures.

From there we continued onward, to the bridge & across, & then around the Tower of London.  Quite a pleasant little trek.

More posts of the parental visit to come later!