Chronicles of a Vagabond: March 2011

Pop the Champagne and let the party begin! That's exactly what I did when my Mom made the journey over the Atlantic to meet me in London. I was SO excited for her to come visit. We'd been talking about it since I left in October and the day finally came. I trained it from Manchester and met Mom at the Lancaster Hotel. Mom and Daughter trip 2011...let the fun begin!

We wasted no time and headed stait over the the nearest Pub for a real Ale....and of course to catch up on 5 months worth of girl talk.

We did everything there was to do in London and more. To get a good overview on the first day we bought a ticket for one of those double decker, super touristy, hop-on hop-off buses. We rode around on that sucker all day site seeing and only stopping for the occasional pub stop or pee stop. Both equally important. My mom brought her uber-fancy Nikon, so I was snapping pics every second. Neck strap and everything. That's right...you could stamp tourist on my forehead. I have no shame.

Double Decker bus action.

Day two was soley dedicated to the real Londoner's experience, so we headed to Harrads for our afternoon tea (After all, is was Fashion Week in London!). For those of you that have never been to London, Harrads is the ever so high end shopping mecca. Home to every designer you can think of and a place you only pull out your wallet if you're planning on dropping some major dolla bills (I mean Pounds)! We opted for a spot of tea insead of Valentino, so we landed in Laduree. You wouldn't believe their selection of treats. To die for!

Afternoon Tea at Laduree

Harrod's

The greatest part about traveling with my Mom is that we are both pretty chill about how we spent out time. We were hanging out together and as far as I was concerned that was fun enough for me. Without a schedule we were able to change up the plan on a whim. Well. I use the word "plan" loosely because really, we never really had one. However, over the course of 6 days we did so much and did so without traveling like it were our last 9 days on earth. Ah, a relief. Plus, Mom has a bad case of jet lag or insomnia, aka torture. :( She was still a trooper during the day despite her sleepless nights.

We saw all the major attractions London has to offer inbetween the time we spent people-watching and chit-chatting inside a cozy Pub. I must have tried the fish 'n chips at least 4 different places and I was getting quite used to the beer not being very cold. Oh yes, back to the attractions. We saw it all...London Bridge, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the armed guards, Kensington Palace, London Eye, Picadilli Circus, every Circus and every square there is...

London Bridge

Armed guard at Buckingham Palace

Although we mastered the underground transit we still managed to walk all over creation (London is extremely walkable). We discovered new neighborhoods by chance, popping in shops along the way. Mom even got kicked out of a plus size boutique! They took one look at her petite ass and let her know she was in the wrong store. haha! Mom, that should be a lesson for you!

If we hadn't done it all already...we were about to outdo ourselves. With the historical theaters lining the streets leading to Piccadilly Circus showing everything from Les Miserable to The Lion King... Mom splurged and got tickets to Dirty Dancing! The show was fantastic, the dancing was saucy and the story brought Patick Swaysey back to life. Five stars!

Another fun night was when I took Mom on a pub crawl. We only made it to 3 pubs, but it was a blast!

Pub Crawl

Our last night in England Mom and I met up with Cheyenne and her Mama, Aunt, Uncle and Cousins. After all the whole reason Chey and I became friends was because our moms have been for the last 10 years. It only seemed absolutly necessary to meet while we were all in London at the same time.

Moms and Daughters

The Donohue's Fam. Love love!

We spent the last 3 days in Oxford and an adorable B&B. The one and only day we got rained on during our whole trip was here...and that was the day we also decided trenge the 45 min walk home. Don't ask me why.
The Natural History Museaum was by far the best attraction of the town. Dinasour bones, Fossils from millions of years ago, and crystalized rocks that will even facinate a physisit. Actually, the building's beautiful architecture itself is work the visit. I was really surprised at the Oxford campus, however. The buildings are quite handsome, but they were spread out everywhere throughout Oxford. We managed to see the highlights, but after day 3 we were ready to head out on our third leg of the trip.

Natural History Museum

Paris here we come!!

A great friend once said to me...

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. ~Mark Twain

And friend, I am so in like with you..."

After 5 months of traveling Cheyenne and I have been there for each other every step of the way. Literally, we did not miss one laugh, cry or exciting moment on this adventure together....becoming more than just friends, but sisters, travel companions (or a couple of hip kiddies, as we were dubbed by a friend we met abroad). However, we knew it wouldn't last forever and the time would come to say goodbye...or 'till next time. Here is a photo montage that only gives you a taste of our amazing journey abroad: