French Fries for Dinner? Yes, Please!

 May 25, 2026

Today was our last day in London. We were up and out of the airbnb by 7am so we could make it to St. Pancras station. Some of us were more excited than others to be taking the underwater chunnel to Brussels Belgium. We had to go through security and passport control to get on the train, but unlike the previous day's train journey, this one had guaranteed seats and AC. We settled in for our 3 hour journey. We saw a bit of the London countryside before going into a black tunnel and popping up in the French countryside; eventually making it to the city of Brussels. Our Airbnb was a 30 minute walk from the train station so we decided to brave the walk and see the city along the way. It. Was. Disgusting. There were overflowing garbage cans and garbage lining the streets and sidewalks. I couldn't believe my eyes. Were we really in Europe? Had I really brought my parents here? What was our accommodation going to be like and what were we going to do all day if the streets looked like this

We dropped our luggage at the Airbnb and luckily right near us was an italian eatery that had a packed patio (and no garbage in sight). We sat and had lunch and then dad headed back for a nap while Evan, mom and I sat on a nearby patio and tried some local beers (and an irish coffee) while we planned the next two days of our trip. We wanted to daytrip to Ghent and Bruges and had to book our train tickets in addition to a few other activities. 

After spending the afternoon outside we went to the grocery store to get some essentials for our Airbnb. We had found a top rated restaurant for Belgian fries (because apparently Belgium is known for its fries!?!) and we each enjoyed a bowl of fries for dinner. Mine and mom's had parmesan and caviar and the caviar made it so salty and delicious. I really liked this combo. Dad had green onion, cheese and bacon and Evan had BBQ chicken and cheese. We heard Belgian has the best fries and this place definitely proved true for that. We walked home feeling full and tired.

Day 4 of 4 for a London Style Wedding

 May 24, 2026

Today was a big day. It was game day! We started by cutting the sleeves and bottoms off our Westham United long sleeve jerseys because it was supposed to be an 88 degree day (when I ordered us all matching jerseys and looked up the weather in May in London it warranted long sleeves. I even considered getting us sweatshirts but didn't because I figured they would take up too much space in our carry-ons!) After we donned our new fashion, Evan and I took the bus into Richmond to meet my friends Emily and Todd, who I had met when doing my TEFL program in Cambodia. Me, Jenna, Tash, Todd and Emily became fast friends while in Asia and traveled a bunch together there. (They are featured in A LOT of my blog posts from my times in SE Asia) We met up in London once, about 8 years ago, after leaving Asia. I was excited to see them once again! Since seeing them they've gotten married, had a daughter and are pregnant with their second child. We met at Bill's, a cute spot that had a traditional English breakfast that both Evan and I ordered. It included: 2 fried eggs, streaky bacon (why it's called this I do not know), sausage, toast, beans, tomatoes, black pudding, hashbrowns and mushrooms. It was delicious. It was so nice catching up with old friends.

Evan and I hopped on the bus back to Barnes so we could get mom and dad and go to the match. Our plan was to get into the stadium area early because we heard half the fun is going to the pubs for a pint before. The train journey we had planned the night before went from 1.5 hours to 2 hours but that was fine, we still had plenty of time. We took the bus to the train, but when we arrived 2 scheduled trains were canceled. We decided to take a different line, and transfer, and when we did that line was delayed. We finally boarded and it was absolutely packed. The train kept standing in between stops because of trains on the tracks ahead, so we ended up spending over an hour and a half on one train. When we got off we had a 15 minute walk to the stadium and when we arrived they told us we needed to enter the stadium on the other side. Another 10 minute walk around and they urged us to "hurry, hurry" as we were arriving because everyone was leaving their seats and rushing the concession lines for their halftime beer. (You can't drink within view of the pitch so you have to head to the concourse to have your beers). Evan and I had a halftime beer and then the four of us headed to the uppermost section of the stadium. We saw not one, not two, but three goals scored by Westham. When the home team scores they use bubble machines to send bubbles onto the field. Thus, the famous bubble song. In addition to that we got to hear a few Westham til I die. Unfortunately, even though Westham won, it was still a sad day for fans because their team was relegated to tier 2 for the next season. (My BIL is a huge Tottenham fan and they were also playing. In order for Westham to stay in tier 1 they had to win and Tottenham had to lose. Because Tottenham won and they had the better record they stayed in tier 1.) We were there on the last match of the season so all the teams were playing that day. It was a cool experience for us to attend. 

After the game the players walked the field clapping for the fans as the fans gave a standing ovation and clapped for the players. We heard a lot of fans telling each other, "see you next season", as they left. We sat in our seats for a bit and then headed to the concourse where there was music and a dj. We grabbed a beer to enjoy the atmosphere outside, but as soon as we got our beers the dj wrapped up. (Timing just wasn't on our side today). After finishing our drinks we walked through a park to get back to the river which was lined with restaurants and bars. We sat on a packed patio and had dinner and drinks before calling a london black cab (my favorite!) to take us the hour and a half back home.

Day 3 of 4 for a London Style Wedding

 May 23, 2026

Evan and I walked down town for a bit this morning, picking up some groceries and things we needed. Then the four of us went to the Barnes Farmers Market for lunch. There were so many yummy treats and vendors. After picking up our lunch we went to the nearby park for a picnic. I had a meat pie and scotch egg, both very heavy, very carby dishes, but very local to London. Mom had a gluten free brownie and a cabbage salad and Evan tried a gozleme, a Turkish version of a quesadilla, along with a French potato and meat dish. Dad just picked at a little bit of everything. 

We got to watch a wedding, the second of our trip, unfold in the park. After the park we walked the other direction in Barnes to a coffee shop. We explored this area and popped in and out of some shops. 

We also visited a recording studio- apparently there are two big ones in London- one is Abbey Road- where the Beetles recorded, and the other is in Barnes. Unfortunately when we arrived they were doing renovations, but the restaurant owner next door gave us a peek at some of the artists who have recorded there over the years via a hallway that connects the restaurant to the studio. 

After we headed into Central London to Buckingham Palace so mom and dad could see it up close. We walked through St. James' Park next door. 

On this journey we learned (the hard way!) that much of the transportation lines were closed because of the bank holiday on Monday. We re-routed and had to use a paper map to find our way.
After walking back through St. James' Park we continued into Soho where we ate at a fish and chips restaurant. It was Evan's first time having this dish in London. While he enjoyed his meal, I think he was even more excited that this was the first place we encountered with air conditioning. Mom and I tried mushy peas with our fish and chips and really liked them.

After dinner we met The Houlihans at Shakespeare's Head, a pub my parents went to last time they were in town to see Kassidy. We sat outside and enjoyed drinks with them. I tried a London cask ale. The description "warm, flat and bread like" was spot on. Glad I tried it. Don't need another. There was a gelateria right across the street so after parting ways with family we had Gelato before taking a London black cab back to Barnes. I very much enjoyed this ride because the 4 of us could sit in the back facing each other which made it more fun. The doors kept locking and unlocking which made us laugh because we weren't sure if we were doing it or if the driver was. 

Day 2 of 4 for a London Style Wedding

 May 22, 2026

I was up around 6 and worked on my blog until 7 when the grocery store opened. Evan and I walked there and got some breakfast staples for our Airbnb and grabbed a coffee too. When we got back my mom, dad, Evan and I, ate breakfast together and then got ready for the wedding. 

We took a taxi to St. Sila's Church in Penton, about an hour and 20 minute ride from where we're staying. We were early so we stopped at a little cafe across the street for a croissant and a coffee. The church had a beautiful free garden outside that we wandered through. When we entered the church, the woman giving programs said, in a perfect British accent, "I'm all fingers and thumbs" because the programs were sticking together. Evan has been quoting it ever since. The service was beautiful. The pastor came out of retirement to perform the ceremony because Kassidy and Nick had gotten to know him while attending services there. They even signed their marriage license during the ceremony with a real fountain pen! 

After the ceremony we got on a double decker bus that took us around London- we stopped at Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, St. Paul'sCathedral, Big Ben.

I played bartender on the bus and got pretty good at pouring champagne while the bus was moving. #lifegoals

The bus dropped us at The White Hart, a venue with a lovely balcony overlooking the river. The dinner was REALLY delicious-- Evan and I ordered opposites and then split everything- beef carpaccio and a leek tart, a dill seasoned salmon filet and beef tenderloin tips, both with veggies and different style potatoes. After dinner were the speeches- my Uncle Ed and Kaylee did such a wonderful job highlighting their love for Kass and Nick. Nick's best man, funnily enough, lived in my dorm freshman year of college, and we had run into him 2 summers ago at another wedding. Now he was here. We joked that catching up post college meant running into each other at weddings every few years. Wonder whose will be next? 

There was a piano player for the entertainment and he was really great. We sang and danced to his songs but also enjoyed sitting on the terrace enjoying the cool breeze. We ended the night with a walk home along the river. It was a beautiful day celebrating a beautiful love, one that I had a hand in creating. IYKYK

Day 1 of 4 for a London Style Wedding

May 21, 2026

We were up at 5 so we could walk to the train station and catch our flight to London. (Yes, we were going to the right place this time!) We grabbed a quick bite in the airport and then we both passed out for the entire plane ride to London. It was much needed. After arriving in London we took the Picadilly underground line to Hammersmith and then took a bus to Barnes and then walked 10 minutes to get to our Airbnb. It's a coach house in a garden on a quiet street and is SO BEAUTIFUL. Evan and I did a load of laundry and then hung our clothes all around to dry. 

We hopped back on the bus and then the train, this time to Covent Garden, where we were meeting up with my cousin Joe for lunch. We ate at Dishoom, an Indian restaurant that's come highly recommended to us from multiple people. We tried lamb biryani, chaat, naan, mixed greens and a few other dishes. It was a little too spicy for my and Joe's taste. 

After lunch we walked through London to the new Banksy that was erected in April- a full size "patriot" blinded by the flag....

After that we walked to see Big Ben, The Cromwell Center and Westminster Abbey. The detail in the buildings is just so ornate. 

Then we walked through St. James' Park where we really enjoyed watching the ducks, pigeons and swans. We sat on a bench (my favorite) for a little while before walking to Buckingham Palace and watching the changing of the guard. 

Then we started our journey back to the Airbnb, but were ghosted by our bus (we thought this only happened in Chicago!). We made it back eventually to find my parents sitting in the garden outside our Airbnb. We all headed to dinner on the patio at Red Lion, a famous English pub, that was a 10 minute walk from our Airbnb. We told mom and dad about our travels thus far, and they told us about how they tried to check in for their flight at 10pm Tuesday night but couldn't get checked in. After multiple attempts it dawned on my mom that they had renewed their passports after their last trip to Europe and so the number on the English visa (which they had applied for prior to their last trip and was technically still good) didn't match their new passport numbers so was invalid. My mom panicked and got my dad out of bed in the middle of the night so she could take his picture for the English visa. They applied right then but were so worried what they would do if it took the standard 3 day window to be approved. Luckily they were approved in minutes (my dad must look pretty good, even in the middle of the night) and so were able to get checked in. Thank goodness!

After dinner we walked to Coach and Horses for Kassidy and Nick's welcome reception. We thought it would be a quick 10 minute walk, but somehow got lost and took the 30 minute scenic route. The reception was held outside on the back patio which was perfect because the weather had cooled. We embraced my cousins, aunt and uncle, heard their harrowing travel story and enjoyed spending the evening together. Evan, my parents and I, walked the ten minutes (this time we got it right) home from Coach and Horses, and headed to bed. It was close to 1130 after all. 

Excuse Me, Miss, You Booked a One Way Ticket to the Wrong Airport

 May 20, 2026

We had breakfast at our hotel and it was a really great deal- there were hot items like eggs, waffles, crepes, sausages and bacon, as well as yogurt and granola, deli meat and cheese, hardboiled eggs, avocado, fruit, pastries, cereals, coffees, teas and juices. After, we had a quick walk to the airport train. We made it to the airport in about 40 minutes and when we arrived there was 1 security check for everyone. While the line was long it moved quickly. When we got through security and looked at the board for our gate I noticed that there were gates that said Oslo, while ours said Sandefjord. Hmmm... that was odd. We were going to Oslo, weren't we? I looked at the ticket and it said Oslo Sandefjord. Maybe there are two airports in Oslo, kind of like Ohare and Midway? Evan googled it. Nope. Oslo and Sandefjord were two separate places, about a 2 hour train ride between the two. I couldn't believe I had booked a flight to the wrong airport I felt so dumb. After traveling for 15 hours from Oslo to Bergen, the trip back was supposed to be a quick 1 hour flight. Now we had to fly to Sandefjord, take a 4 minute bus to the train station, wait at the train station for 1 hour and then take a 2 hour train ride back to Oslo. There was a flight leaving for Oslo so we asked the gate agent if there were any open seats. She told us that the airport moved away from paper ticket sales to online only so even if there were seats she couldn't sell them to me. I asked if I could check online but she says the tickets stop being sold 1 hour prior to the flight So... we sat at our gate and waited for the journey ahead. I heard not 1, not 2 but 3 other people talking about how they had made the same mistake I did. One of the locals was saying she wasn't sure why they added the Oslo in front of Sandefjord but that it got people all the time. I felt validated. Slightly.

After landing in Sandefjord we got on bus that dropped us at a train platform. Not a station, just a platform, in the middle of nowhere, with 3 seats under an overhang. We sat outside for an hour waiting for our train and once it arrived we started our journey back to Oslo. 

I slept   while Evan read. We arrived in Oslo at 220 and grabbed sandwiches from Oslo Central Station to take back to our hotel. We checked in, ate a quick lunch and put on our suits for the sauna.

Evan loves the sauna/cold plunge back home and he always asks me to do it with him. I am very afraid of saunas (since childhood I've had an irrational fear of getting locked inside and melting to death) and I'm not a fan of being cold. However, since we were on vacation and this was a Norwegian cultural activity I acquiesced and told him I would do it with him. He booked a sauna on the water in Oslo. We walked over and immediately saw tons of tiny sauna huts clustered together with docks on the water. We were able to choose any of them and after sitting in the heat we could step out onto the deck and jump straight into the lake. The sauna was very hot and the lake was very cold, but I did both multiple times. I don't think I ever felt the relaxation that Evan did (I was constantly planning how I might escape if the door sealed shut) but I am glad I tried it. I will say returning to the sauna after jumping in the lake is much easier than sitting in the sauna for the first time. Evan's sell is that he gets the best sleep of his life after sauna-ing and while I write this he is currently passed out. I on the other hand am wide awake. We will see if tonight I sleep well and then maybe, just maybe I will think about going to the sauna again.

After Evan's nap we took showers and walked 20 minutes across town to Mathallen, a food hall with cuisines from all over, including Italy, Budapest, China, France, Norway and Greece, to name a few. We decided to stick to Norwrgian cuisine since it's our last night here. We shared the traditional fish soup which was LOADED with fish--it even came with fish roe on top! We really loved it. I had Norwegian oysters because I really loved the ones from the other day and Evan had mussels (because he's been wanting to get some while here). We both agreed that Norway's food scene was better than expected and that the local dishes should receive more hype. One of the most famous sweets in Norway is a cinnamon bun so after dinner I bought the last one from a stall in Mathallen while Evan enjoyed a scoop of Gelato. 

We walked to the opera house that's on the water so that we could sit on the roof and look out at the city (it's a very common thing to do here) and we saw lots of people coming and going while we were up there. We didn't quite make sunset (it's 10pm and the sun still hasn't set) but we did enjoy a late evening view before heading back to pack for our early flight to London.

After packing I treated Evan and I to the cinnamon bun I had bought earlier- it was very tasty