I didn't get a chance to finish telling about my trip to England, so here goes:
Once we all finally woke up from our deep slumbers, we ventured out into the town of Coventry, which is a university town. My MIL had been afraid that our time there might be boring due to it being a small town, but we all actually ended up loving it as there were tons of shops, cafes, and restaurants right outside our hotel. It was a very walkable town! The first thing we did is go to an Italian restaurant, Zizzi, where we enjoyed prosecco and blackberry mojitos. After the hellacious day of travel the day before, the good food and drinks of this restaurant immensely lifted all of our spirits. My MIL had to rush off to do things for the conference she was presenting at, so me and the girls (my SIL, K, and her friend) explored the town some more. We stopped at a Polish delicatessen just to look around where I ironically bought a pair of sunglasses lol. They were cute! We then found this amazing, totally "girly" cafe called Cafe Morso where we proceeded to spend several hours drinking cocktails, which just so happened to be BOGO on Wednesdays. I would like to say I got tipsy but sadly the drinks weren't very strong, but that's probably a good thing. I say the cafe was girly as there were pink flowers, twinkle lights, couches, and cozy things everywhere. The bartender was a redheaded girl named Lara (not Laura) and she was very nice. I think she was...Irish? Scottish? IDK
The next morning, we tried the free full English breakfast at our hotel. I got sausage, ham (although I think they called the ham bacon), a hashbrown, an egg, and a tomato (stewed, I think?). I even tried beans on toast which was tasty and interesting. After breakfast, we wandered around Coventry again with us girls going into Boots which is basically like Ulta and has all the makeup and stuff you could want! I definitely dropped a few pounds (lol) there buying things I haven't seen in the States. Speaking of pounds, I never had to get any pounds or money out of an ATM and used my credit card everywhere (thank you, Capital One, for not having a foreign transaction fee!). We also went into Waterstones bookstore for iced coffee and I happened to find the cutest, sweetest, softest stuffed animal elephant (the brand is Jellycat, check them out online) that I *fully intended* to gift to my baby nephew, Max, but once I took the elephant back to the hotel, I had him cuddled in the bed with me and he 100% became mine. I asked K what I should name him and she said Covey - pronounced Cuv-ee - after the town of Coventry. It was perfect! (I felt so bad that I later went back to the same bookstore in London and got him a green dinosaur Jellycat stuffed animal instead).
After shopping, we went to a nearby SUPER OLD castle called Kenilworth Castle. Parts of it were literally built in the early 1100s! It was also a favorite spot of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 1500s. We even saw some graffiti carved into the stone dating from the 17 and 1800s. Crazy! We had fun walking around all the ruins but once again I was reminded of how out of shape I am. The castle grounds were spread out and hilly and I was struggling. I was never not able to do anything or keep up, but privately and internally I was cursing my body and myself for being so out of shape. Meanwhile, my fit MIL was easily able to walk here, there, and everywhere. I think all of the walking through the airports and Paris (13,500 steps, my personal all-time record for most steps in a day) really did me in because even a little bit of walking/standing was tough in the days after that. I was taking a LOT of paracetamol (aka acetaminophen or Tylenol) for the pain in my legs/hips/back. Sigh, I'm only 34 wtf. Anyways, after touring all the castle grounds, we had cream tea and freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam in their tea room (the former stables). It was very tasty! Scones to me are pretty much like American Southern biscuits, so what's not to like? Yum!
We then crossed the street to have lunch at the Queen & Castle pub where we had a round of fish and chips with Guinness. The fish and chips came with mushy peas which I really enjoyed! They taste so fresh and green. It was back to Morso Cafe for the girls where we enjoyed mojitos. My BIL (brother-in-law), C, wanted to go to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner, but K (his sister, my SIL) didn't want to do anything with him (they sometimes don't get along), so she and her friend went off on their own (they are 18 and 19, after all), while I went with C and my MIL and her husband (Nick's stepdad) to a Vietnamese restaurant that was sooooo good, even though I was still full from the pub food from earlier. After dinner, we contemplated going back to the hotel and not checking up on K and her friend as they're adults after all, but it was starting to get dark, so we went to find them. We found them at a Mexican restaurant having margaritas and it was clear that K was pretty buzzed (it was later revealed they had also done shots). My MIL was worried as K takes medication for anxiety/depression and she isn't supposed to drink a lot on it, so my MIL was worried that K was going to be very sick, but she was alright.
The next day, we did another full English breakfast at the hotel before shopping some more in town. The girls really wanted to go back to Zizzi, so back we went, this time for pizza, which they served with ketchup as a dipping sauce. I thought that was weird until I tried it and omg - their ketchup was literally the best-tasting ketchup I've ever had. It was fresh and tangy and I thought for sure was housemade, but our server said it's delivered to them in big jugs lol. Watch it be Heinz or something ha. Either way, it tasted so good and I DID enjoy dipping my pizza into it. When in England, right?? I am not a picky eater and do not shy away from trying things that I'm not used to. Isn't that one of the joys of traveling, trying things you haven't experienced before? I think so! I just don't get people who are so wary of foods from other cultures and act like it's "gross" or like they're scared to try it. Quit being a snob and eat it, I say! lol. After Zizzi, we went into Superdrug, which is basically a drugstore. Me and the girls got a kick out of seeing different names for things, such as "Wind Settlers", which helps with trapped wind, aka GAS! We really had the best time in Coventry but our time had come to an end, so we were off on the train for the last leg of our trip - LONDON.
When I heard we would be taking the train, I guess I had a very old-school version of a train in my head because the train is super modern and smooth, it just glides along. No, I've never taken a train anywhere, so that's probably why I had no idea lol. The ride to London was about a couple of hours, so I had time to stare out of the window at various passing fields and doze off. We then arrived at the London Euston train station and wow, we quickly realized we weren't in Coventry anymore. Gone was the quiet, quaint little town and now we were in the loud, busy, bustling CITY. We had rented an Airbnb (a 2 bedroom "flat") so we caught an Uber and wow - our driver, this Serbian guy - basically had to drive like Jason Bourne to get through all the traffic. Cars got within millimeters of cyclists and a bus started changing into our lane, causing our Uber driver to floor it, all the while muttering to himself, squeezing us just past the bus before it was fully in our lane. This guy really could have been a professional driver, for real. He made turns on a dime and drove so expertly through the crowded streets of London. It sure was quite the ride!
When we arrived at our flat, another problematic bed situation arose. The ad claimed the flat could sleep 6 people, which technically was correct. It had 2 bedrooms with queen-sized beds and 2 roll-away cots. However, once again, because our party had 2 singletons and not 3 couples, one person was left without a bed. Since I had gotten the luxury of my own bedroom in Coventry, I agreed this time to sleep on the couch in the living room with the girls on the cots. C got his own room and the parents got their own room. The flat was also TINY, had only ONE toilet for 6 people (one, who shall remain unnamed, with irritable bowel syndrome), and had no AC. I mean, they did have AC but the owners had a lock on it so we couldn't adjust it so it was set at 24 degrees Celsius, which is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, we had some cooler nights so we just propped open the back door and let some cool air in to cool the place off. I really felt bad for my MIL because each time we arrived at our accommodations on this trip, people (and by people, I mean her adult children) had meltdowns about it sucking or how she messed up. What I've observed on this trip is that despite my SIL and BIL being adults, they rely on their mother for EVERYTHING, and so does their father! No wonder she's scattered and makes mistakes sometimes because everything is always up to her. She planned this whole trip with ZERO help from anyone, and despite a few mishaps, I think it all went extremely well! They really need to work on being more grateful and not, no offense, spoiled brats!
Once we figured out sleeping arrangements, we set out to find dinner and found this AMAZING Turkish restaurant called Liman. It probably was the best meal I had on the trip and also one of the best meals I've had in my LIFE. We got tons of appetizers, including hummus, seared scallops (the best I've ever had anywhere), beef vine leaves (like Greek dolmades/grape leaves), and falafel (fried chickpea patties). We had delicious Turkish red wine and for my meal, I got a mixed grill of various kebabs, including lamb, chicken, grilled quail, and a lamb chop with rice and a salad. It was literally the best grilled meat I've ever tasted! It was a very nice evening indeed.
The next day, the girls took FOREVER to wake up and get ready. They were sleeping the day away and I wanted to get out and about. We finally made it to this cute little teeny coffee shop nearby called Coffee Berry, which is run by this sweet Vietnamese woman. We had iced coffee and some of the most delicious and moist banana bread I've ever had. A truly enjoyable experience! Since we were only going to be in London for a few days, we all were ready to go to the heart of London and see all the things, so back into the Uber we went. Little did we know that we would be landing smack dab in the middle of Pride celebrations. I am all for Pride and supporting the LGBTQ+ community so it was amazing to see so many people out in support. We did have to adjust our plans because of the sheer number of people and the crowds everywhere, which we weren't expecting. We walked up to the London Eye which we didn't get to ride due to an hours-long line. At this point, we all had either not eaten at all or had very little, so some grouchy attitudes were starting to set in. We struck out at the first few restaurants we attempted to go to as they were completely full. We finally found a place where we were seated immediately, so we promptly ordered cocktails (Aperol spritz) and more fish and chips with mushy peas. We then walked along the Thames and crossed a bridge to go see Big Ben and Parliament. Of course, there had to be some religious anti-gay nutjobs with microphones protesting the Pride celebrations. Why are people like that? Like eff off and get a life, stop obsessing over other people and what they do. Mind ya business!
We walked to Westminster Abbey but it was closed for tourists. We had a place we wanted to go (forget where now) and ended up being smack dab in the middle of a Pride parade, which was cool. We eventually realized we were close to Buckingham Palace, so we headed that way and saw an old man in a tuxedo with a flash mob of dancers propose to his girlfriend. We wondered if they were famous or something! We walked alongside St. James's Park as we made our way to Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace was cool and all but it's really not THAT impressive of a building, is it? We saw those guards who stand there so still and don't move. Sounds like a miserably boring job! At this point, my legs/feet/back had had enough walking and standing and I was desperate to sit down but of course, there was nowhere to do so. I hated feeling so limited by my body while everyone else was fine. We walked a little further before finally taking a much-needed break in a cafe where we got cocktails.
We then Ubered back to our part of town and found a small Italian restaurant, Mangia Bene, for dinner. It was so cozy in there and we had delicious meatballs and various pastas (linguine and clams for me). It was delicious and the people were so nice, even gifting us a tiny glass of limoncello after dinner (which we noticed that not every table received). It was another exhausting (11,000 steps walked) but great day!
The next day, we found a cozy local coffee shop where me and the girls had iced coffee and giant cinnamon rolls. There also happened to be a local street market going on, so we wandered around looking at vendors until it was lunchtime, so we grabbed some sausage and pepper sandwiches. The sandwiches must have had soy in them because C, who is very allergic to soy, immediately had a reaction and had to take 2 Benadryl, knocking him out for most of the day. He stayed at the flat and slept and his dad stayed with him to keep an eye on him.
We felt bad for leaving them behind, but me and the girls and my MIL Ubered to Covenant Gardens, an area in London with tons of cool shops and cafes. My MIL met up with some of her online friends (fellow fans of the band Toad the Wet Sprocket) and me and the girls wandered around. I bought my nephew Max his green dinosaur Jellycat from Waterstones to replace the elephant I had taken lol. We then found another awesome super girly cocktail bar called Mrs. Riot. It was decked out in all things feminism and girl power. Pink floral bouquets, turquoise velvet chairs, black and white zig zag wallpaper, etc. It was SO cutely decorated! We spent a few hours in there drinking cocktails and hanging out. My MIL eventually joined us and we discovered there was a photo booth, so we got very silly taking fun pictures. It was a lot of fun! It was also nice to take a break from all the walking!!
C and his dad eventually joined us and so began the quest to find a place to eat dinner. Every place we went, C and K would claim that it was a "tourist trap" after looking at the menu and reading reviews online. We must have bypassed 6 restaurants before C picked a Chinese place, which he instantly wanted to leave after the Chinese server informed us that they stop serving at 7:30 (it was before 7:00 and we had plenty of time, she was just letting us know but that set C off and he was like, "we should just leave, this place probably sucks anyway."). I learned on this trip that C and Nick are a LOT alike in many ways. They angst a lot over every little thing and can't just relax. It's not fun to be around lol. We enjoyed a dinner of dumplings, noodles, and spring rolls and then walked around some more (my favorite thing lol). We ended the night in a cafe where we had cocktails and ice cream.
Even though C and K complained a lot on this trip, they were shockingly both not ready to go home. It was our last night in London and we had an 8 AM flight to catch in the morning to go home, which I was very much ready for, but my MIL literally got on the phone and attempted to change our flight to a day later, so we could have one more day in London. At this point, I had reached my travel (and walking) limit and was ready to go home. I could not understand how or why they were attempting to change our travel plans home THE NIGHT BEFORE. Like, it was 9:00 PM the night before our 8:00 AM flight when my MIL was on the phone with the airline. Thankfully, she was never able to get through and we knew we had to leave, which meant getting up at 3:00 AM to catch a 4:00 AM Uber to the airport.
The next day, we successfully got up as intended and made it to the airport in London on time. But literally, as we are about to check our bags to GO HOME, C & K again whined to their mom about wanting to stay another day. My MIL literally looked around and attempted to find someone to talk to about changing our flights, which was shocking to me. We are HERE to LEAVE. There's nothing that can be done, we need to check our damn bags and go HOME! When C & K realized there was nothing to be done, they were in clearly sour moods and kept whispering in hushed tones to their mother. Me and K's friend found it very annoying as we were 100000% ready to go home. I was very happy to get on that plane lol.
Sadly, my happiness didn't last forever as we missed our connecting flight home in the Washington DC airport (Dulles) due to a very long customs line (more standing for ages). I was SO upset and on the verge of a freakout lol. So of course, we had to walk far and wide to find someone to talk to about our missed connector, and of course, there were NO OTHER flights out that day. They had one at noon the next day and 5 pm the next day and my in-laws wanted the 5 pm one! I wanted to scream because I wanted to be at home so bad. Think about it, I had not been home in 2 weeks. I missed my cat. My big fat body was tired of walking and traveling. I wanted to be at HOME, but there was nothing that could be done. Nick and his grandparents used to live just outside of DC in Alexandria, VA, so the in-laws were glad to have missed our connector so we could spend the next day in Alexandria. As much as I wanted to see Alexandria one day (Nick LOVED living there), I did not want to see it this time lol. I was just so tired. K's friend was so fed up that she actually got a flight that day with a different airline, even though it meant a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. LOLLL she was desperate to get out of there!
So we said goodbye to K's friend and then had to figure out what to do next. We were in DC without our luggage (it had already been checked for our next flight) and no place to stay. Of course, my dutiful MIL who is in charge of everything got us hotel rooms, so we headed there in an Uber. The hotel was in the heart of Alexandria on King St and was super nice with cushy beds and icy cold AC. I was at least thankful for that! But here I was without ANY clothes! On the way to Europe, I had packed a change of underwear and clothes in my carry-on in case my luggage was lost or whatever. I did not pack any change of clothes in my carry-on coming home because I just didn't think about anything going wrong on the way home. I guess that taught me! I was stressing because I can't find clothes just anywhere, being plus-sized. Me and K Ubered to Walmart where a miracle happened. Despite them having one of the smallest clothing sections I've ever seen in a Walmart, I actually found jean shorts and tank tops that fit me (plus a pack of underwear, but I knew they'd have that at least). Now it wasn't the cutest stuff ever or the best fit, but it was definitely passable. We got back to the hotel and changed to go to dinner at a nearby restaurant, and I see the outfit my MIL was able to find at Ross - a super cute blouse, skinny jeans, and even new cute sandals! Sigh, you can find clothes anywhere and look great when you're thin. Anyways, we had a very nice dinner at this restaurant, which my MIL's husband claimed to have the best steak he's ever had (and he's extremely picky), so I got that. It was a good steak, but not the best I've ever had lol. My MIL had gotten a bottle of 14% red wine and after my own 2 glasses of prosecco and 1 glass of that red, I was feeling very good and finally accepting and at peace with the fact that I wasn't at home yet.
The next day, I enjoyed the free hotel breakfast and then we set out to explore King St. We saw a cat cafe (sadly it was closed) and had iced coffee in this funky little cafe. I got souvenir magnets from a shop and we made it all the way down to the Potomac River. It was VERY hot that day (July 4th after all), so we were all melting. We went to an Irish pub for lunch, O'Connell's, where I had the *best* corned beef and cabbage. It was so tender and delicious! Another one of my favorite meals of the trip. Then, FINALLY, it was time to go home.
Once I landed in my state, I went to my mom's, where she and my sisters, and even Cindy were waiting to hear about my trip. They had had a 4th of July cookout that day, so I loaded up a plate and ate, and told them about the trip.
I finally came home to my own house and my precious kitty Ollie the next day on July 5 (I had been gone since June 16). I had a lot of fun on my vacations and travels but as they say...
IT'S FUN TO ROAM, BUT THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME! :)
9:51 a.m. - Wednesday, Aug. 09, 2023