Amber and Matt's European Adventures: Mom & Dad Biviano

Mom and Dad, Covent Garden

Matt's parents made their first trip abroad to visit us in April. They were here for almost two weeks (April 22 - May 2), but I'll save you the day-by-day replay. We were really looking forward to their visit and showing them around England. It also helped that their visit meant that Matt would be home for two weeks straight!

Mom, Matt, Amber - Southend

Contrary to popular belief, I did not have their itinerary planned by the minute. They had a few things in mind they wanted to see and do but otherwise were happy to hear our suggestions. We divided up the days by going into London, traveling the countryside, and hanging out at home. Of course, we took them to our favorite pub for fish 'n chips, but we couldn't completely give up the comforts of American cooking and customed Outback Steakhouse and TGI Friday's. (Yes, they have those here.) We went to Southend-on-Sea for a stroll along the coast, to Canterbury to see the Cathedral, and to Portsmouth to visit the historic dockyard. We took the train into London on two days, but split up to do sightseeing. Matt and I had already seen most of the usual suspects, so left Matt's parents to explore the Tower of London and such. We all went to Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace and stayed for the entire ceremony in the rain.

Amber, Matt, Dad in London

Dad's proof we went to church, in Canterbury

One especially nice thing about having his parents with us is that they wanted to take as many pictures during their visit as I did, so Matt could not escape the cameras! After 10 years together you think Matt would learn and adapt, but yet he still runs from a camera or scowls for most of the pictures. I am and will always be a picture taker...but sometimes I want to be in them too! Sadly, out of the hundreds of pictures we took between us we did not get even one with the four of us together.

We truly enjoyed their visit and it was so nice having them to ourselves for a bit. With a large family like the Bivianos' it is sometimes difficult to get quality time on a small, more personal level. Mom and Dad, we are so grateful for the time we got to spend with you. Thank you for making the trip across the pond to see us!