Powers Invasion ~ my parents come to London!

It's been a family affair this week-- my mom and dad flew to jolly old Londontown to visit me!  We had a great time, and did so much in just five days!  If you remember my post from when my older sister came to visit me in London, you may already know that we Powerses have a great time whenever, and wherever, we're together... so being all together in London of all places just couldn't be better.  And we had a great time!  Follow the jump and see what we got up to!

My parents flew in on a red eye flight and arrived in London early Thursday morning.  Since I was still at work, they got settled in, rested a bit, and we all met up later that evening for dinner in the South Kensington area.  It was so unbelievably surreal to actually see them both standing in front of me, and not be waving at them on a computer screen!  It was nice to get real hugs in person... and to be able to talk to them without worrying about my Skype connection or lack of Internet in my building.

They were both still pretty jet lagged, so after calling it an early night on Thursday, I headed to work at MEC on Friday morning and they came to Southwark to meet me for lunch.  We went to a small pub nearby; it was so much fun to get to show them where I work, and instruct them on the Tube lines and walking route to the office that I use every day.  I feel like I've come to know the City well over the past two months, and I was proud to be able to show my parents how I've learned and adjusted to it.

Aaand they wanted a picture of me in front of my office.
Gotta make Mama and Papa Powers proud!

We met up for dinner later that night in Piccadilly Circus, and afterwards I took them to one of my favorite little tourist spots... M&M World London!

Mom and Dad riding the "double decker bus" in M&M World

Dad walking down "Abbey Road"

Saturday was a day of sightseeing for us!  We started in Westminster, and by mid-afternoon had made our way all the way down the Thames.  We covered some serious ground, and saw all the sights!  The weather was fair, a little cloudy/overcast and cool, which made me feel bad-- I've seen such good, clear weather pretty much every day since I've been here, and the *one* weekend my parents are here the weather is stereotypically London (cold and damp).  We still had a great time though, and at the very least it didn't rain on us.

Mom and Dad in front of the London Eye

Me and Mom in front of Parliament and Big Ben

We strolled down the Thames for the afternoon, and actually ended up all the way down in Southwark (where I intern at MEC)!  We had lunch at a great little Italian place a few blocks from where I work, that I didn't even know was there!  I'll definitely be back there during one of my lunch hours before I end my internship.  My dad raaaaved about how good the pizza was, as did my mom and I-- we're seasoned NY pizza connoisseurs, so that's saying something!

It was bridges-galore after lunch!

Mom and Dad on the Millenium Bridge.  This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them!

Mom by the Southwark Bridge

Mom, Dad, and me in front of Tower Bridge

We were pretty beat after our full day (it's a long river, as we realized when we finally sat down on the Tube and felt the afternoon's walking on our poor, tired legs).  After freshening up and having a quick dinner in South Ken, we set off to Piccadilly Circus for a fantastic evening-- we saw Million Dollar Quartet in the West End!  It was a phenomenal show-- the actors play all their own music live during the show, and they were so talented I sat there with my jaw dropped for most of the show.  It was like being at a live rock show!  My parents really enjoyed it as well, particularly the Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash storylines, since those are the artists they are most familiar with.  I was so excited we got a chance to see a show in London-- it made me feel a little closer to Broadway, and home!

Sunday we took the train to Birmingham to visit my Mom's aunt and cousins.  It was so nice, especially for me, to meet these members of my family who I either have never met or haven't seen for a long time.  We spent the afternoon with my Mom's Aunt Teresa, her cousin Paul, and his family.  We had a great time catching up, and had such nice weather! 

While we were at King's Cross Station waiting for the train, we took a Harry Potter pilgrimage!

Family in Birmingham

Mom and her Aunt Teresa

Monday was our last full day together!  I had Advertising class in the morning, and Dad had to go to his company's London office for the morning, so we all agreed to meet up around lunchtime when we were all done taking care of business.  Buuut before class, Mom and I had a breakfast date at The Muffin Man!  Mom loved the scones, the full pot of tea, and the quaint little setting, tucked right off High Street Kensington.  She read about the place in the book Something Borrowed and really wanted to see it while she was here.  We had a lovely, delicious time!

Mom in front of The Muffin Man!

Mom and her delicious scone :)

Tea time for the Powers ladies!

After class and work the three of us met back up, had a quick pub lunch on Gloucester Road, and set off for Buckingham Palace for the afternoon.  The palace has been closed for tours since October, and it was a bit damp and cold, so we walked around for a bit before seeking out warmer cover!  We actually ended up heading to Leicester Square and going to the movies.  We saw Tower Heist (with Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy), and it was absolutely hysterical!  I didn't know much about the movie, since I'm so removed from American television, commercials, and previews, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It was also fun to watch a movie set entirely in New York City-- seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featured in the movie was a nice little touch of home.

The (Royal) Powers Family outside Buckingham Palace

The next morning we met up for a quick breakfast at a little Patisserie on Gloucester Road, before I had to get on the Tube to head to work.  Mom and Dad had a mid-afternoon flight back to New York, so we said our goodbyes after breakfast.  It was definitely a hard goodbye-- I missed them a lot for the days after they left!  I loved being able to show them the city and spend time with them the way we do at home.  But I am so grateful that they both could come visit, and that we saw and did so much during our time together.  I can't believe I'll be seeing them again sooner than I know it.  We had a great time, and it will be a great reunion in a few weeks' time home on Long Island.