Last Wednesday we ventured south of London to Blackheath, stopping in Greenwich on our way to stand on the Prime Meridian. Zero longitude was established at Greenwich in the 1850s as a convention to help marine merchants maintain consistency in maps used for navigation. Though the zero longitude line is somewhat arbitrary, we took advantage of the opportunity to be tourists and posed with one foot on either side of the line. Greenwich is also the site for official Greenwich Mean Time, or ‘GMT’ as it is often called.

From Greenwich, we met up with Nadia’s aunt and uncle who live in Blackheath – a neighboring village. We drove to the hill in Greenwich park near the Royal Observatory to take in the gorgeous view of the Queen’s old house with London skyline in the background.

We went to a delicious Thai dinner and took time to chat – it had been a few years since Nadia was in town and the first time I met the family. We had so much fun we decided to barbeque in Blackheath the following Sunday. We were spoiled by the ongoing sunshine and incredible spread of food. Nadia’s aunt and uncle prepared tandoori style barbaque with curries and other sides. The food was so tasty, I ate as if it were a  Thanksgiving feast.

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.