Done.

That is all I care about right now.

Oh, and the fact that H and I are going to Oxford and having tea at The Rose!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Pavilions, Peter (and Arianne), Palaces, and Procrastination

Things are winding down here in London. I've just sat through my last law school class ever, which is more exciting than I can say. I've decided to put off studying for a bit (yes, James, I've been studying for finals) and update my blog.

BRIGHTON
Two weeks ago, Jen and I went on a day trip to Brighton, a seaside resort city. After strolling for a bit along the shore, our first stop upon arrival was the Brighton Sea Life Centre. We saw various creatures--fish, giant sea turtles, rays and skates, sharks, octopii, etc.--and even learned a bit. Apparently, a full-grown octopus can fit through a hole the size of a Euro! The octopii were my favorite, while Jen was partial to the turtles.

By the time we left the centre, the morning haze had burned off; the bright sun felt wonderful. We stopped for some tea and scones at "Darcy's" before heading to the Royal Pavilion. King George IV built it while he was still the Prince Regent; reportedly, his doctor told him the seawater would help his gout. With its Indian-style exterior, the Pavilion sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of Brighton:



The interior is done in a wonderfully exotic Chinese/Indian fusion style. I can only imagine what people thought of it during the early 1800's. My favorite room was the ornate dining room:



(Sidebar: You were right, Mom, the chandeliers were amazing!)

After buying some fun vintage "Brighton" posters in the Pavilion shop, we relaxed for a while in its beautiful gardens. We really could not have picked a better day to visit. The weather was lovely, and we felt so relaxed and comfortable. We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling through the streets and shopping. We eventually stopped for drinks (sangria) and then sat down to an early dinner at Darcy's (yes, again). Our food was wonderful (I had fresh fish), and we had a nice bottle of wine. We returned to the train station as the sun set beautifully along the shore. On the train back to London, we had a hilariously fun time. We bought mini-bottles of wine at the station and jammed on Jen's iPod (sharing the headphones) while sending text messages to H. We managed to meet up with her at our favorite pub, Montagu Pyke, and caught up on our day. Naturally, the evening ended with me getting hit on by a nice (but much too old for me) man, but what can you do?

PETER AND ARIANNE'S VISIT
We got home fairly early, as Peter and Arianne were supposed to be getting to our apartment around midnight (they were going to crash at our place for the night). I somehow willed myself to stay awake until 3 AM, but they still hadn't shown. I finally gave up and went to sleep. At 9 AM the next morning, they finally arrived, having been delayed because of a flight cancellation. They showered, got something to eat, and were off to Bath until the next day. We met late Monday evening, when I took them to Montagu Pyke for the infamous £5.50 steak and fries deal. They gobbled it up, and we had fun catching up over a few beers. Needless to say, there was must catching up to do! We met up for dinner the next night as well (Wong Kei), and then they saw the "The Producers" while I hit the books.

On Wednesday evening, I took them to Gordon's Wine Bar. Apparently my blog entry on the subject piqued Arianne's interest (okay, maybe Rick Steves had something to do with it too.) We lucked out and found seats in low-ceilinged cellar almost immediately. It's a loud and smoky place, but I love the atmosphere. I think they enjoyed it too. Arianne and I hatched plans for a big Northwestern reunion (since we're all going to be so scattered about come fall), and we all had fun reminiscing and plotting how to spend money we don't have (yet).

On Thursday, I got up early and bought A&P an anniversary present—tickets to my new favorite musical, Billy Elliot. I was tempted to get myself a ticket as well, but I couldn’t justify spending the money or the time. I did meet them later for a pre-show dinner, though, and I’m told they really loved Billy Elliot. I didn’t see them again until Easter Sunday, when they returned from a weekend in Paris. We ordered them take-out from one of my favorite London restaurants, Wagamama, drank wine, watched “Meet the Parents," and ate the Cadbury chocolate egg (see below). Not too shabby.

They've been off to Stratford-upon-Avon, York, and Edinburgh this week. I'll see them briefly tomorow evening before they head back to the States on Sunday. It has been wonderful to see them.

HAMPTON COURT PALACE
On Easter Sunday, I went with Jen and H on a day trip to Hampton Court Palace. The first part of the Palace was built by Cardinal Wolsey, who later gave it to King Henry VIII. Henry, William and Mary, and George II all added to the buildings and gardens, some of which were designed by famous architects Christopher Wren and William Kent.

We progressed through the interior more or less chronologically, starting with Henry VIII's State Apartments. This section was highlighted by magnificent Great Hall and the Great Watching Chamber. Next up were the Georgian Rooms. My favorite was The Hall of Windsor Beauties, which contains portraits of the most beautiful women in King Charles II's court. The Queen's Private Apartments were interesting as well; the audio guide shared all kinds of fun tidbits with us. Apparently, Queen Caroline was particuarly keen on bathing even though it was thought at the time that frequent bathing would cause illness. Oh, the irony... We wrapped up our indoor tour with the King's State Apartments. The neatest room was the King's Guard Chamber, which is decorated with some 3,000 arms (weaponry, not body parts).

After returning our audio guides, we went back in time to the Tudor Kitchens. As you can see from my pictures, they had people dressed up and working the kitchens. They were preparing real food and could tell you all kinds of interesting things about how food was prepared. It smelled wonderful inside, especially near the roasting spit, and it made us all even hungrier. So we set off to the Tiltyard Tea Rooms to have afternoon tea. After having our fill of scones and cake, we started exploring the lovely Palace Gardens.

We first walked through the beautiful Wilderness, where the spring bulbs were blooming. It was gorgeous and smelled amazing. We then made our way through Home Park and over to the Privy Garden, where we took lots of gorgeous pictures. The other smaller gardens were lovely as well. Be sure to check out my photos! We walked back from whence we came and tried The Maze. Being Harry Potter fans, it didn't take long for one of us to compare it to the Third Task in Goblet of Fire (honors go to Jen). It was trickier than it looked, but we made it out in the end and got the sticker to prove it!

Alas, it was time to return to London. I made an unorthodox Easter dinner--my "famous" fajitas--though we had a traditional giant Cadbury Easter egg for dessert. I got to briefly chat with James and Grandma as well. All-in-all, it was a lovely day. Almost as lovely as this photo I took in the Wilderness:



I plan on doing one last update from London before I leave for my two-week Eastern European adventure with James. Now it's time to get back to studying, but before I do, I'd just like to say congratulations to Lisa and Jeff on their engagement. Can't wait to you see guys in Denver!

Meet the Parents

The parents have now come and gone so it's officially time to write about their visit!

* * * * *

Mom and Dad arrived last Wednesday morning, and I met them at our flat's Official Relative Meeting Place--Starbucks. I showed them my flat and unpacked the goodies (clothes and food) Mom brought me. I helped them find their hotel in between classes then left them to recover from their flight. In the evening, we met up with Jenna and had a celebratory dinner at Cafe Pasta. Mom even brought along a small care package for her as well (instant oatmeal and peanut butter from her grandma).

The next morning, I jogged up to their hotel. Predictably, Dad had been up for quite some time. He was already downstairs having breakfast while Mom had just gotten up! We solidified plans to meet-up later in the day. While I toiled away in class, they shopped at Harrod's and visited the Victoria and Albert Museum. At 3:30, we met up at the Courtauld Collection a private art collection that I had never heard of, but it is very impressive. The Collection has an impressive assortment of works by Peter Paul Rubens, Gauguin, Seurat, Degas, Van Gogh, and Kandinsky, among others. It's most famous work is this familiar piece by Edouard Manet:



Mom made me sit down and consider what's wrong with it (the reflection, duh). At this point, I half expected her to whip out a handmade workbook for me to do on the collection. Oh yes, this would not have been a shock. That evening I treated Mom and Dad to tickets to The Producers. Meanwhile, I ran off to a "Girls Night Out" event at Canary Wharf. I'm told they enjoyed the show, especially the old-ladies-with-walkers dance, and I had a fun evening sipping free champagne and eating chocolate-covered strawberries with H and Jen.

After attending my two Friday classes, I met Mom and Dad at Russell Square, where we caught the Tube out to Heathrow. We rented a car (a lovely Saab) for our road trip through southern England. We managed to get out of the airport craziness without incident, but I had to alter our route after we missed our initial exit. But as luck would have it, the new route took us right by Stonehenge. Of course, none of us realized this until we literally drove right by it (see the pictures for details) so it was a pleasant surprise.

Our first destination was Moretonhampstead, a small town in the middle of Dartmoor National Forest, where we'd be staying for the night. The road out of town to our B&B was--how do I put this--interesting. Tall hedges lined the sides of this narrow, winding lane, and trees hung over the top, creating a slightly unnerving tunnel effect, and it was only wide enough for one vehicle. We also had to drive over two cattle grids. Thanks goodness we got there before dark! Our B&B--Great Wooston Farm--was cozy and quaint. We checked in, got a dinner recommendation from the proprietor, and faced the country road back into town. Our dinner was wonderful; I had a lamb dish for the main course, and the chocolate and lavender fondant I had for dessert as simply to die for.

After a good night's rest, we had a full English breakfast. I couldn't possibly eat everything she served us, but Dad was the good farmer's boy and cleaned his plate. Dad then showed me around the farm (it's a working farm with 350 head of cattle), and we took some pictures. Then we were off to drive through the Dartmoor National Forest. The drive was wonderful--hedge fences, hills, interesting rock formations (a.k.a. tors), and sheep as far as the eye could see. At one point, we saw a "Sheep Lying in the Road" sign, which turned out to be quite accurate. We hadn’t gone a quarter mile before coming across a few sheep drinking water out of the potholes in the road. We also stopped to see a clapper bridge, which I won't bother to define--just check out the pictures!

That morning we drove all the way to the coastal town of Tintagel, where we visited the ruins of Tintagel Castle. Legend has it this castle is the birthplace of King Arthur. Mom explained to us the legend of his birth, accused us of not listening!, and then sent us off the cliff-side ruins to take pictures for her (her knee not being up to the steep steps to the ruins). The seaside cliffs were astonishingly beautiful, and the water was a lovely blue-turquoise color that day. If there hadn't been a blustering wind, it would've felt like the Caribbean. After trekking back up the hill into town, we stopped by King Arthur's Bistro for some Cornish specialties--a Cornish pasty for Dad, potato and leek soup for Mom, and Cornish ice cream for me. Yum.

As we drove to our next stop, Mom noticed that we were incredibly close to our B&B for that night, the Old Bissett Mill. So we stopped by, checked-in, and had some tea before driving on to St. Ives, a popular resort town that is also home to an artist's colony. After getting a bit lost among the town's narrow streets, we finally parked and wandered along a sandy beach and a pier. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and the sunlight felt lovely and warm on my face. But the daylight was fading quickly so we off in the car once more. We drove toward Penzance and then along the southern coast. We stopped briefly in Marazion to take some pictures of St. Michael's Mount. The Mount houses a still-inhabited castle and is an island at high tide. During low tide, it is accessible by a footpath. That night we had dinner at the Norway Inn near Truro. Mom and I had traditional Fish 'n Chips, while Dad tried the local beef. Dad and I also sampled the local ale from St. Austell brewery.

Sunday morning we had another nice breakfast and then headed to St. Austell, where I was to catch a train back to London. We stopped by a grocery store to pick up provisions, and then I said goodbye to Mom and Dad until Tuesday evening. For the record, they visited the Lost Garden of Heligan, the Cerne Abbas Giant, Maiden Castle, Winchester, Sissinghurst, and Hever Castle. They also stayed in very interesting B&Bs. Sunday night it was Brambles, which has a thatched roof (picture here). On Monday night they stayed at Leaver's Oast, an old, 19-century oast (picture here) in Kent.

I met up with them on Tuesday evening back at their hotel in London. Mom assured me that they only got lost "a little bit," and Dad only drove on the wrong side of the road a "couple times." Without independent confirmation, I cannot attest to the accuracy of these claims. After swapping pictures and stories, we made plans to meet up the next morning.

We met in Leicester Square, where we bought tickets to Billy Elliot. In true Stephens style, both Mom and Dad managed to chat up other travelers. Dad chatted up two Kiwis--mother and son--in the ticket line, while Mom met two young women from California. Parents! While I was in class, Mom and Dad visited the National Gallery. We met up for dinner that evening at Montagu Pyke, a pub that Jen, H, and I frequent because of its cheap-yet-yummy steak deal. I brought Jen and H along to meet the parents, and everyone ended up ordering the steak. We had a fun dinner, and I was mostly spared from embarrassment.

Billy Elliot was wonderful. I enjoyed the movie, and the musical version was splendid. The boy who played Billy was simply amazing; other memorable cast members included Billy's hilarious Grandma, dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson, and the "Born to Boogie" Mr. Braithwaite. But my favorite was Michael, Billy's cross-dressing best friend. His "Express Yourself" number with Billy nearly brought the house down and got a well-deserved mini-ovation. I also loved "Grandma's Song" ("and I never...would be sober"), "Born to Boogie," and "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," which features a 20-foot puppet of the Iron Lady. Naturally, the dance numbers were a highlight; the first act ends with an amazing, angry solo dance by Billy, and a Swan Lake number with Billy and his older self highlights the second half. The encore--a massive tap number--stars the entire cast, including Grandma! I loved this musical. How I wish I had time to see it again!

After the show, I took Mom and Dad back to their hotel. They caught an early plane home yesterday morning, and I've just had word that they got home safely. Great seeing you, Mom and Dad!