Day Off with Mom and Laura

Today is Friday. Mom and Laura have been in London since last Saturday, and I'm pretty sure they have seen more tourist sights in the past week, than I will in my whole 2 months here. Nevertheless, today was my day off from the shop, and thus my day to take them around London.

We all caught up on our rest this morning, which made our departure from the flat a bit late. We got to the bus stop around 11 a.m., and I took Mom and Laura to the second floor of the bus--what a treat! From up so high you can see a lot more than the road and pedestrians. The top deck offers a view of surrounding buildings and scenery. Mom would cup her hand to her mouth whenever the bus stopped close to another car or turned in an unexpected direction. Watching her reactions was almost more fun than seeing the scenery.

Our first stop was Covent Gardens. Like most of the "gardens" around here, Covent Gardens is a marketplace. There are department stores alongside quaint shops, street performers, and cafes. As you walk along the bustling streets you hear laughter, applause, music, and gasps of surprise. We watched a magic show, an astounding escape from a straight-jacket and chains, and dramatic musicians. We saw venders who were selling everything from rose-bud soap to Christmas ornaments. It was quite the thrill.

As much fun as Covent Gardens was, I think Mom and Laura enjoyed Oxford Street much more. That is to say, they enjoyed the toy shop Hamleys which is off of Oxford Street.

Hamleys is a five story toy shop with hundreds of toys. The best part? Most of the toys/arts and crafts are demonstrated by the staff. The workers fly remote control airplanes, paint little girls' finger nails, and draw with magic markers. Everywhere you look you find vibrant colors, stuffed animals, or electronic gadgets! I think we spent at least 2 hours going through the store--not to mention the sweets section!

We returned to the flat and ate supper, deciding to stay in for the rest of the night. Laura and I had tried to watch a movie several times this past week, but it never worked out, so tonight was the night. I popped in "Amazing Grace" and we sipped tea (and then had ice cream and raspberries) while viewing the film. Every time I see it, the movie gets better.

So now we are sitting in the living room. I, with my laptop typing away; Mom sitting at the table trying to plan out tomorrow's schedule, and Laura curled up with a book on the couch. I wish I could record all that happened today, but there is simply too much (and as it is, these posts might be mostly skimmed by readers!) One interesting thing: we ate crepes for lunch. The cafe served them instead of sandwiches, which was creative and savory. Yum :)