Quote:
Originally Posted by glatt
Friends of ours moved to London suburbs (near Windsor) for two years last summer. They have asked us several times to come visit them. Have an extra bedroom, miss us, etc. So we finally figured out that we can probably swing it in August. It will be expensive for 4 tickets, but it's a once in a lifetime kind of thing, so why not? We'd spend several nights with them, and then go traveling on our own for a week or so.
So we email them that we can come in August, and they are sending all these signals like we aren't welcome now. They aren't coming out and saying it in concrete terms, but they are definitely sending a chilling vibe.
WTF?
Should we just tell them never mind, and make other plans instead?
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1) Be (indirectly) direct. Something like, "You don't seem that keen. Let us know if it's bad timing..." It gives them an out, so they might be honest if it's a problem. Or they might admit is really is the timing (someone else might be promised their time) or a downturn in finances or something else you can work round. They might worry that you need a tour guide, necessitating time off...
2) Do come! I'm free all August so I can at least meet you in London for one meal! I'd be able to advise you on bus & Tube tickets and decent places to eat and perhaps my insight into things you've planned to see.
I might even be able to hire a car and collect you from Windsor on a quick tour of Aylesbury Vale. There's nothing staggering here, but if you're making the most of your airfare by staying longer for example you might like to see
Waddesdon Manor or
Claydon House or have a proper afternoon tea at
Hartwell House Hotel. I worked there in my late teens/ early twenties and amongst other claims to fame it was the English home of Louis VIII in exile from the French Revolution. Happy to help anyway, as will other Brits, if you want to go slightly off the beaten track.
3) Just come already.