Jenn Visits London

My mom came to London for a week from March 21-29.  It was her first time out of the country and I think her biggest challenge was crossing the street.  Now I'll admit when I first got here I was pretty confused about it too, but it's a wonder she ever got across the street here! haha :)

Mom and I with our butterbeer

The day she arrived we went to Kensington Palace, right across from my flat.  It was a gorgeous place and had very interesting decorations.  For dinner we of course had to go to a British pub, she got bangers and mash (I'll try a bite, that's all) and I got a pot pie-the best British food you can get.

That Friday was probably one of the best days of the semester.  With my program we went to........HARRY POTTER STUDIOS! Yes! I was in the very building where the films were shot.  I saw with my OWN EYES.  The props, costumes and sets of the greatest series every produced.  I teared up a little bit, I'll admit it.  It was just so amazing!  And it was great to share it with my mom, a fellow Harry Potter fan.  We also had a butterbeer, which is a non-alcoholic Wizard drink.  It's like root beer, but butterscotch flavored.  At the gift shop I bought a Quidditch tshirt, the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry's wand-I could not resist.

Diagon Alley

Mom and I in front of Hogwarts

The week that my mom visited was one of the coldest yet, which was really awful!  It was almost too cold and windy to go out!  We went to all the tourist-y stuff: Westminster Abbey (cool, but boring-I know, I'm awful), Buckingham Palace and Abbey Road!  We had an amazing afternoon tea! Probably one of the highlights of her visit.  I had to go to the Churchill War Rooms for class, so my mom toured the museum as well.  It was very interesting!   I had no idea that Churchill had all of his offices underground during WWII and the Blitz.  I even got to see the map that divided Germany after WWII ended-the history nerd in me was ecstatic.

War Rooms exactly the way they were
when they closed after WWII

We also surprised her classroom and Skyped with them!  We had a great time while she was here, she's already planning on coming back-hopefully if/when I move here :)

During that week some of my flat mates and I went to Ice Bar, a bar where everything even the glasses are made of ice!  It was fun, but very very cold.