Quick Pit Stop in London

A beautiful thing about living in London is that while it is a destination in and of itself, it is also a great pit stop en route to mainland Europe.  London is also a frequent work destination for several of our friends and family members.  Of course it's fun when people come to London just to visit us (well . . . to visit the city we live in), but we are also excited when other obligations or trips draw people to London and enable us to connect with them, even if it's just briefly.

Aunt Becky & Grandma Billings were on their way to a cruise along the Iberian Peninsula and added a stopover in London.  They were here fewer than 3 days, but we sure crammed in a lot!

Welcome dinner to celebrate Cheryl & Becky's birthdays.

Seeing all the downtown sights.  I had to go pick up the big kids at school, but Cheryl & Becky did a hop on hop off
bus tour to see all of the sights.  

We found Abbey's shop at Westminster!  She was unimpressed.  

James had fun playing with Grandma on our boat trip to Greenwich. 

Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere as we lean across the Prime Meridian at Greenwich. 

Such a fun visit!  We also went to a show on the West End (well, part of one . . . we left after intermission), saw the kids school, and played at least one game of Rummikub.  I was amazed at how much we squeezed in to just 2 full days.  

This was Uncle Tim's second visit to London for work since we moved here.  We were able to meet him downtown for dinner one night.  The kids are always so excited to see him (especially after he let them raid the mini bar stash at his hotel).  It's funny because we've seen him more often since living in London than when we lived in Seattle!  We all hope work brings him back here again soon! 

Anne & Rex and my parents stopped by as they were heading to Amsterdam to catch a Norwegian Cruise.  Sadly, mechanical difficulties and flight delays cut into their already short visit to London.  They were with us less than 48 hours.  But this was plenty of time for lunch at Leicester Square, a hop on hop off bus tour, a boat trip along the Thames, a visit to the Churchill War Rooms, a boat trip on the Thames, and Lion King on the West End.  

Sadly, Matt got in a bike accident during their super short visit.  It was a blessing to have them there though because Anne & Rex got the older kids to school and Mom and Dad were able to take care of James and Abby all day while I took Matt to the dentist to have his mouth injuries assessed.  Anne and Rex explored on their own most of the time, but still made time for family dancing at the end of the day.

James thought Uncle Rex was pretty cool.  We look forward to another visit from them when we have a little more time together, but we were so happy they were able to stop by briefly and see where we live and get a taste of our new city. 

Work brought my cousin Michael to a city a few hours outside of London, but had him flying in and out of Heathrow.  We were happy to host him for a night before he caught his morning flight home to L.A.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner together and then Michael, Kaylee, and I went for an evening stroll around our nearby park and the High Road.  It was fun just to chat and catch up on life while enjoying the views of London.  Work also brought our friends Ryan and Mark into town, and we had a lot of fun sharing a meal and visiting with them.    

If you ever find yourself in London for a few days or just a few hours, let us know!  We always love to reconnect with family and friends.

Hong Bed and Breakfast

Since moving here, we've called our home many things.  Pemberley, Hong House, Hong Hotel, Hong End, Rookfield Estate, and The Hong Bed and Breakfast.  It has certainly lived up to its last name these past few months.  For my own records, here's what our bookings have looked like since moving here.

Jan. 27 - Arrive in London
Feb. 3 - Move out of the Airbnb and into our house
March 8 - Sea Shipment arrived
March 24-30 - Grandpa & Grandma Couch
March 30-April 10 - Cousin Isaac
March 30-April 16 - Cousin Calie
April 26-29 - Grandma Billings & Aunt Becky
May 16-19 - G&G Couch, Aunt Anne, & Uncle Rex
May 29- June 12 - Grandma Mauger, Aunt Mindy, Kaya, & Lander
June 16-June 17 - Cousin Michael
June 23 - July 4 - Mary Hendricks

And coming up . . .

July 18-20 - Gutierrez Family
Aug 2-4 - Aunt Liz & Cousin Hannah
Aug 16-22 - G&G Couch
Aug. 23 - Aunt Becky

This is only people who have stayed overnight at our house and does not include the handful of visitors we've been lucky enough to host or connect with while they are in London briefly including Uncle Tim, and a number of other friends.  

Hosting so much lately has gotten me behind on blogging all our adventures.  We genuinely love the circulation of visitors though and even have a set "Welcome to London" dinner & breakfast.  You'll just have to visit to find out what it is though.