I was so blessed to have my mom visit me during my second travel break in late March. Following a grueling Marketing Test, I packed my bag and hopped on a bus to London. I was dropped at Victoria Station, then I took the crowded Underground to Embankment where I found the Grand and my mother! After a brief time to relax, she and I set out towards Trafalgar Square and to the Theatre District in search of tickets for "Les Miserables." We found the tickets and a soda from good ol' McDonalds, then hopped back on the Tube and went to Harrods! We explored the Food Halls and the expensive jewelry, the ladies clothes and the evening gowns, the unique kitchen supplies and the chocolate bar. Before we knew it, we needed to find dinner!
We headed back to the Theatre District to find a pub where we could sample the local fare. The Porcupine welcomed us to its upstairs dining room where we enjoyed fish n' chips and steak & ale pie along with a spot of tea. Soon, we went to the Queen's Theatre and enjoyed an AMAZING show of "Les Miserables." It's such a powerful story, I absolutely LOVE it! Our hotel was very near the London Eye and Big Ben, so after the show, we ventured down to the Thames to see the old buildings all lit up at night. I gave the "Stephanie McClellan Midnight Walking Tour"--trying to recollect the bits of knowledge I had about London--it was not the best quality, but it was fun. We slept like babies that night, and woke up in time to ride the London Eye in the morning. It was quite fun because we rode a Ferris Wheel on our last trip together in Chicago after I graduated from High School.
We checked out of our lovely hotel and found the bus stop where we crammed in a few sandwiches from a nearby Tesco and loaded onto the van that would take us to Stansted Airport. We went through security then found some Starbucks and a burger while we waited to go to Sweden. My great grandparents came to America from Sweden around the turn of the 20th century. They raised my grandfather in Chicago. We were thrilled to get to explore our Swedish heritage in Stockholm!
It was already dark when we arrived in Vasteras and took a bus into Stockholm. From the central train station, we hired a cab to take us to our Hotel. Thankfully, a 7-11 was right on the corner and we were able to have a snack before we slept. Our hotel had a free "Scandinavian Breakfast" which contained different deli-style meats, boiled eggs, bread, and pickled herring. I was brave enough to try the pickled herring--it was not terrible, but it was a little to early in the day to be eating fish! After breakfast, we took the Tunnelbana (underground) into Gamla Stan. We toured the Royal Palace and walked around town all day. We tried to find Swedish meatballs for dinner, but that is much harder than it seems! We went back to our hotel for a while then again tried to locate a restaurant that sold traditional Swedish food. To no avail. We settled for pizza at a pub.
The next day, we wanted to go tour the Vasa Museum which was on a different island. Stockholm is composed of 14 different islands. After a long process trying to find transportation to the museum, we finally arrived and were in awe of what we found. The Vasa is a 17th century warship that sank in the harbor on its maiden voyage. For 333 years, it sat 32 meters below water until one man decided it was time for it to see the sun again. So, over more than 17 years, the ship was raised from the depths and restored as much as possible. It was incredible. I definitely encourage anyone going to Stockholm to see the museum. After the museum, we found Cattelin--a restaurant where my dad had had delicious Swedish meatballs about a year ago. The meatballs didn't change--they were amazing! Happily, we journeyed back to the hotel where we packed up and went to bed before saying Goodbye to Stockholm the next morning.
Our plane landed in London late morning. We found the Hertz counter, and rented a silver Ford Focus. Now the adventure would begin! Everything was backwards! We were so thankful that we decided to pay extra for a GPS, because all the roundabouts were just so confusing! Finally, we made it to quaint Harrold, a small village near Bedford. We found the house that a friend from Westover owns and settled in for a couple of days. I was obsessed with the television! In our houses here, we only have about 3 channels of British shows. At that house, there were hundreds of channels showing American shows! We watched House and NCIS so much! Eventually, we ventured the short distance into town where we bought groceries at the store and ate at a small pub--DELICIOUS fish and chips!
The next morning, after sleeping in, we went on a ramble in the nearby Country Park. We walked along a lake to the next village called Odell, then we circled around the lake and ended up at a small cafe. We had sandwiches, tea, and sponge cake--a great way to end a great day. We relaxed at the house for the rest of the afternoon and then made burgers and watched "House" for dinner. The next morning around ten, we were packed up and headed to Oxford!
It was raining. How English of it. I took her to On the Hoof to have a "Sexy Brazilian with Mango Chutney" sandwich (which she loved), and then we went to City Centre. Since I work at Christ Church, we decided to tour there, and really enjoyed it. After that, we found a tea room and had a pot of tea and lemon bread and chocolate bread. It was delicious! That night we drove to the Eagle and Child and had fish and chips where CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien used to meet and eat from the 1930s to the 1960s with their group called "The Inklings." We concluded our Oxford Evening with G&D's ice cream. The next morning around 6:30, my mom dropped me off at the house and drove to the airport in London.
It was so refreshing to see her! I had really missed her and really missed home. I'm SO anxious to get back to my family and friends!
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