The [B][B][C]: The Griswolds err The Uslans Do London!

After five months, my mom and Brian finally decided they couldn't hold out any longer, so they packed their two 50 pound bags (1/3 of which was U.S. "essentials" for us...thanks!) and headed across the pond. According to my mom, it had been 30 years since she was here last and her legs must have had a bit of amnesia as well, as she was pretty sore after their first day exploring the city, though between our 90 steps and our cousins' 5 floors, you can't really blame her. Since I was in the middle of doing some temp work at Burberry for a few weeks (a revealing insight into the world of customer service, but that's another blog entry...), we left them alone to be tourists. I have to admit, I was a bit worried when we said goodbye after that first night together, as I watched them curiously cross the street and look for a way to get back to our cousin Lori's. But Brian turned back the clock and pretended like he was in Boston again, navigating the city and public transportation throughout their stay, like he was Sir Francis Drake.

We decided it was our job to show them where to eat! So we took them to our local pub, The Castle for some good 'ol British food - though I always get the burger there and Brandina gets the veggie platter. We took them to brunch at the Orangery, just a few blocks from us in Kensington Gardens. We went to the Street Market in Bethnal Green, near the farm I volunteer at and noshed on some "beigels" for 20p (about 30cents U.S.). We took them on our favorite walk - from St. Paul's Catheral, across the Millennium Bridge, past the the Tate Modern, past the Globe Theatre, past London Bridge, and past the Tower Bridge to the Borough Market, where we first sampled all of the gourmet food like cheese, olives, bread, granola, and pork loin, then finished it off with a tasty lamb sandwich. Finally, in a country that loves their dessert, we took them to our gelato place for a few scoops of real ice cream, at Gelato Mio. After all that eating, you'd think we would've put on some serious weight by now, but living in a city that facilitates walking everywhere has its perks - remember the U.S. is the one with the obesity problem, but again, thats an entirely different blog.