"Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not." - James Joyce

For those who don’t know, I have the greatest mother ever. Seriously, she’s the best. And, she spent the last week in London with me! Naturally, it was fantastic.

She came armed with an itinerary a mile long, most of which was taken from my London Bucket List (see below) so we checked off several key things, and had a lovely time.

When she arrived on Sunday, we had a nice cup of tea/cappuccino and headed to the Wallace Collection, which was surprisingly incredible, and highly underrated.

The armor and weaponry room at the Wallace Collection

Then we went to Hampstead Heath which was beautiful, but quite chilly. We got some great pictures, saw amazing sights, and walked and talked for miles.

The view from Hampstead Heath

John Keats' House, next to Hampstead Heath

On Monday, after my classes we went to a fabulous, and quite unique dinner and then saw The Misanthrope (which was awful, by the way, but seeing Keira Knightly from the second row was pretty cool). Tuesday we went to the V&A, got crepes nearby, and went to see Private Lives, with Kim Cattrall and Matthew Macfayden, which was fantastic. Wednesday, since I had the day off, we went over to Kingston, where I got to go riding in Richmond Park, and we attempted to go to Hampton Court (we got there just after they sold the last ticket of the day L), did a bit of exploring, and then saw A Midsummer’s Night Dream with Dame Judy Dench, which was also great.

Thursday, my Mom booked us on an incredible tour that took us to Bath, Stonehenge, and this small town Lacock, which is beautifully untouched by time. It was one of the best days I’ve spent in England, and it was an unforgettable experience. I took lots of pictures!

The view from the Bridge in Bath

Bath Abbey

The Roman Baths

the beautiful and mystifying Stonehenge

Mom and me at Stonehenge

King John I's Hunting Lodge in Lacock, where the king was forced to sign the Magna Carta at knifepoint in 1215

Church Graveyard in Lacock

The Medieval Fireplace at the George Inn in Lacock, where we had a most fabulous dinner (the inn was established in 1361)

A small dog would run inside this wheel to fuel the fire in the fireplace above

Friday we did some shopping and had tea at Fortnum and Mason’s (which I loved even more because in the musical Oliver! there is a cart onstage from Fortnum and Mason’s during “Who Will Buy”). After the tour guide from Thursday’s adventure and I recommended WarHorse, my mom suggested we try for return tickets, which we lucked out with and got great seats. I think I enjoyed the play even more this time, possibly because I wasn’t jetlagged out of my mind, and partly because I was with much better company than before. But I (like the rest of London theater-goers) would highly recommend it to anyone in London.

tea at Fortnum and Mason's

For my mom’s birthday I’d done the British Library’s Adopt-a-Book program, and adopted a 1904 edition of Anne of Green Gables for her (she read it to me when I was little, because, as I said, she’s the best mom ever), and so on Saturday we got to take a special tour of the library, which was very interesting and made me appreciate the library even more. Then I dragged her to my favorite part of London, the markets. First we went to Camden Market, where I got my dress for Ivy Day next year (Seriously, next year!!!). Then we went to Portobello Road, which I think my mom liked a lot better, and we looked at the beautiful antique jewelry, and she bought a beautiful brooch, and we got some delicious crepes.

We passed George Orwell's house on the way to Portobello Road

Afterwards we went and saw The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I may be scarred for life, but my mom enjoyed it because she’d read the books and actually understood what was going on. We got Indian food for dinner, and all was right with the world.

After a lovely lay in at her amazing hotel and a yummy English breakfast (well, as yummy as any English breakfast can be) we bid adieu. It was so great to spend time with her, and do things I could not have done with anyone else. Also just being on the same continent as her was great, because normally our schedules do not mesh well with the time difference, so being able to talk with her was so wonderful and cathartic in many ways. I was so glad to see her and spend time with her and just be able to hug her for the first time in months. I do not think I realized until fairly recently just how blessed I am to have such a great relationship with my parents, so having my mom here was just fantastic, especially since, by sheer coincidence she was here for the British Mother’s Day, so she gets 2 mother’s days this year!