Parents Visit pt 5

Hello all!

Today was the final day of Andrew's parents being in town, they leave tomorrow afternoon. This being their first trip to Britain, it was necessary to spend an afternoon with a proper high tea. Through much research Lili found that one of the best high tea's inthe city is at the Balmoral. After a breakfast at Montpelier's and wandering the local shops on Morningside, we made our way through the rain and wind to the Balmoral up on Princes Street for our tea at 2.

Upon entering Lili and Andrew felt slightly out of their league, but were excited to be able to share this experience. The Palm Court in the Balmoral is stunning, in fact the lobby was even stunning. While Andrew and Lili went to check in for the reservations, Andrew's parents were admiring the beautiful floral arrangements and getting inspiration for their business back home.

Sitting down, none of us realized the intensity that was about to follow. Pages of different teas to choose from, combined with an amazing amount of food that never seemed to end, we all soaked it in and enjoyed our few hours of relazing.

Everything was done quite proper, and it was a great reprieve from the miserable weather outside. A large faux dome in the middle of the room made it feel like a sunny day, and by the time the second round of food came out we all forgot about the blustery day just beyond the doors.

Sampling all sorts of tasty morsels, we finally reached everyone's favorite part, the chocolate trolley. Dark chocolate truffels, VIctoria sponge with jam, and a decadant chocolate cake put a smile on our faces as we all sampled something different and enjoyed each bite. The whole experience was topped off by a lemon sorbet that was the perfect palate cleanser and we each received our small tin of the Blamoral's own tea blend to bring home and have our own high tea experience.

Walking out the front door we were greated by the sun! The bluster had calmed down to a stiff breeze, that was still chilled, but the strong sun kept some of the chill at bay. We walked down Princes Street so we could visit a few final shops for some souveniers to bring home as reminders of the first trip across the pond.

The sun dipped down in the west, and we all went for one final visit to the local pub The Hermitage for a late bite to eat. Fish and chips, nachos and pint, we left happily full and it was the perfect end to a great week. We all had a blast and can't wait for the next visit, and as always are sad see Andrew's parents leave.

More soon!

-L&A