Mom and Dad to England

That's right, they finally made it over here! Mom and Dad came to visit last Autumn, bringing with them some delightful weather. We spent three days based in Oxford, exploring the town and venturing to Bath and Windsor Castle. We then relocated to London for about 6 days, where we took bus tours, visited the Tower of London, took a ride in the Eye, visited St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, took a boat to Greenwhich, and visited both Hampton Court and Buckingham Palace. It was a whirlwind tour of England, and I think they had a great time. Dad even managed to laugh off getting left behind at a tube station! We took hundreds of photos, but below are some of my favorites. I'm currently in the process of trying to convince them to make the transatlantic flight once more, this time for a different European destination of their choice!
The outside of Balliol college, via a tour bus, followed by the inside of the college, looking towards the chapel.Dad and I in the back garden of Holywell Manor, our graduate accommodation,and Mom and Dad in the gorgeous back gardens of Rhodes House.
In Bath we took a bus tour around the city and up onto the surrounding hills,then visited the ancient Roman Baths. The Bath Abbey is the backdrop of the next two pictures.Next, off to Windsor Castle, home of the British Royal Family and the oldest occupied castle in the world. We walked around the castle and toured the State Apartments,And in the two pictures below, you can also see St. George's Chapel in the background.We watched a changing of the Guard from outside the chapel, and, of course, I wasn't about to let them leave England without this obligatory picture.We next stationed our selves in London for the week, where we started with another bus tour and took a trip up into the Eye with Chris.
We took a river cruise on the Themes, passing the Eye and Tower Bridge,And stopped to tour the Tower of London and see the Crown Jewels.We took a guided tour of Westminster Abbey,and spent a day walking around Hampton Court (in robes, of course).We also took a river cruise up to Greenwhich, where dad and I climbed the hill to the Royal Observatory and to stand across the Prime Meridian. In no relation to either, this also occurred in Greenwhich.We fought the crowds to watch the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace,then took a tour of the Palace itself and a stroll in the back gardens.We walked through St. James Park, directly outside Buckingham, and also past the Wellington Arch.It was a fantastic time overall, and I can't wait for them to return!