When I learned a newcomer is vying to take my place in John and Caroline’s life, I knew I needed to make the trip to London before I’d have to share my room with some unwanted crying. I brought along my favorite travel companion Gregg and we arrived at their flat Saturday morning. The next few days we hit up some of Caroline and John’s favorite spots—many of which have already gotten shout-outs on the blog—Borough Market, Ffiona’s, Hyde Park to name a few. We especially liked the waterfalls in Holland Park:
One nice afternoon, Gregg and I decided to rent bikes in Hyde Park. *Note to mom: helmets weren’t offered as an option :)*
On Tuesday, Gregg and I left in the morning for Paris. We quickly learned the mantra “why eat tomorrow, what you could eat today.” Our trip was marked by stinky cheeses, light-as-air pastries, countless bottles of wine, and even some late-night falafel. Our high school French teachers would be disappointed in our conversational skills. Luckily, we got by with smiling and pointing, accompanied by a “c’est parfait!” which means it’s perfect!
*We brought a couple cheeses back with us but now every time John opens the fridge, he gags from the smell*
*Thanks for the falafel rec Susan!*
We also managed to fit in some sight-seeing. Highlights were the L’Orangerie Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Eiffel Tower twinkling at night.
Our favorite part though was a day-trip to Claude Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, where Monet derived inspiration for his water lily paintings:
On Saturday, we returned to London and John promptly showed us his favorite part about living in London: a pub-crawl followed by some delicious Thai food.
We culminated our trip with a “Royal Day Out.” We started with scones from Harrod’s (shout-out to Dad!) for breakfast and then visited the Queen’s Gallery, the Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace where we got to see THE wedding dress. John and Caroline have been amazing hosts—we’ve had so much fun exploring your new city with you and thanks for taking such great care of us. You have made the trip “parfait!”
Charlotte (the youngest Daimler sibling) and Gregg
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Missing you guys already! Come back soon! Love, Caroline