Nadia and I had both visited London several times independently in the past. When people asked us if there was anything different about the city this visit, we replied “Yes, it’s sunny and warm!” The weather was wonderful the entire week we were in London.

We stayed with Nadia’s cousin Yasmin, who has a beautiful, bright flat just north of Central London. Yasmin was kind enough to host us and fit us into her hectic schedule. One of the highlights of the week was spending an evening with Yasmin and her mother Zaynab. It was fascinating to learn more about Nadia’s family and Zaynab’s cooking is incredible! We spent another day with Zaynab in Surrey and walked through the perfectly manicured gardens of Henry VIII’s Hampton Court palace.

We spend most of the days in London’s museums and parks and visited friends and family in the city during the evening. I especially enjoyed seeing the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum, while Nadia would have loved more time in the National Gallery with it’s renowned collection of art spanning almost 1000 years.

London is so charming and relaxing when the city is hit with California weather. The streets are filled with people in the evening, spilling out of pubs and taking advantage of the daylight. It was wonderful to catch up with friends from AIESEC and spend a night on the town with Nadia’s cousin, Nadia.

We went to The Garret in Campbell on Saturday to hang out with friends from the South Bay before heading overseas. The pizza was excellent and the pitchers were cheap! It was great to spend time with former roommates, colleagues from AIESEC and high school buddies. Thanks so much to everyone who came by!