Our final trip this Fall was particularly special because we were able to meet up with Amanda’s parents in London for a long weekend. Seeing our families so regularly over the past few months has kept us from being too homesick.
Max was on his best traveling behavior for the train ride through the Chunnel, and even wanted his own seat for the trip. He met a little girl from Germany who was traveling with her mom and dad, and they swapped snacks, stickers, and literature. Making a new friend made the two hour journey fly by.
Amanda’s parents were waiting for us in the hotel when we arrived. Max quickly made himself comfortable (Max is most at home when he’s free to go pantsless).
Since Oma and Opa’s last visit, Max has grown a lot: now he is very talkative, runs everywhere (instead of toddling), and holds some deep-seated opinions. Oma and Opa had fun interacting with Max in new ways.
A new experience for Max on this trip was riding in London taxis. He quickly recognized their unique shape on the streets, and would call out for them as they went by.
When we weren’t going “vroom vroom” in a taxi, we did a lot of walking. We went to Leicester Square, strolled through Hyde Park, and explored around the Tower of London.
There was a field of poppies planted in front of the Tower of London to honor veterans.
We stayed in a beautiful hotel near Grosvenor Square, and were able to enjoy a few toddler-free evenings out. Some of Amanda’s closest family friends recently moved to London, and we met up with them several times throughout the weekend.
On our first night, while Max stayed home with a babysitter, we met up with some of Ed’s long-time British colleagues and friends at The Grenadier, a historical London pub. We dined on bangers and mash and enjoyed cask ales.
The next night we went out for dinner and a show. Our first stop was the incomparable Burger & Lobster, where the menu consists of only two (insanely delicious) options.
After dinner, we walked to Dominion Theatre, where we saw Evita.
Oma is famous for her Halloween costume creations, and this year was no exception. Her hand-made costume traveled all the way from the US, and transformed Max into the cutest dinosaur. Oma wanted to be sure he would be ready for his upcoming Halloween party. (More on that in the next post).
After all too brief a time together, we had to say goodbye. But we made many wonderful memories in just a few days. Next time we are all together, it will be back in Kansas City for Christmas.
As a final farewell to London, we made sure to stop by Workshop Coffee Co., a cafe on our Coffee Shop Bucket List. The cappacinnos were excellent.
More to come soon …