We wandered around the countless stalls for hours. One fascinating sight was a stall of handmade journals. A picture however was all we were able to afford as they were all very pricey. Most of the day was just looking around. Alexis purchased a beautiful pocket watch necklace and a dress with zebras on it. I found a similar dress with sparrows that I was pining for. I, however, unlike Alexis, have a bag that weighs half of what I do so I couldn't justify buying more clothing!
We had a nice sit down at a vendor in the market that had a few couches to sit on. We got some croissants and drinks. I had Victorian lemonade and Alexis had ginger beer.
Having the energy to chug on, we finished up at the market and headed to Harrods. I went there a few years ago when I came to London with my family, and I have to say, I built it up to extreme expectations. And I have to say, Harrods didn't let me down! The bottom floor has beauty, cosmetics and the food halls. Room after room, you walk in and there's another room you've never seen before. You recognize where you are so you say "oh yes it's this way" but no, you're in a completely new room. If you can handle the overwhelming sense of it, it is a really fabulous place.
Of course I couldn't leave London without trying the sweet that turned Edward against his siblings in the Chronicles of Narnia: Turkish delight. I got a sampling of two flavors, rose and pistachio, and I have to say, both were absolutely delicious!
Anyway, back to Harrods. After wandering around the ground floor and purchasing some scones from the boulangerie, we should admit we were about maxed out, but we decide to just look upstairs.
The high end fashion clothing of Coco Chanel and Luis Vuitton left us feeling a little more than haggard. And still, every door we walked through led to more wonder that we hadn't seen. We saw an English tea room, a Godiva cafe, an ice cream parlor, and a Prosecco bar. We saw sugar cubes for tea that had been sculpted into butterflies and other intricate designs. There was a series of rooms completely devoted to Christmas (about all of the Christmas we'll have on this trip).
Then we stumbled upon my favorite room, the kitchen supplies. There were vitamix blenders, mixing bowls that had special attachments to prevent them from spilling, baby food processors and huge ones, and toasters that had additions on top to keep your toast warm. I thought I might be having a stroke. All of the supplies were high end, top notch appliances and it made me sad that I will not really be cooking again for 8 months! With that end, we adjourned our lovely outing and heading back to prepare for that night.
On our last weekend night in London, we decided to take part in a pub crawl. You pay a flat fee and then hop from bar to bar, getting free drinks as you go. I have to say, compared to American boys, European men are very pushy. They will latch onto you and not leave you alone. You have to be very explicit and say "get away from me" for them to get the hint. That aside, it was still a good night out and we met some interesting people along the way. Not to mention some interesting drinks. I have to say I am not a fan of Sambuca. Tastes like licorice and remains in your mouth for the next half hour. But we also drank long island iced tea from a 2.5 ft glass and drank pitchers of monster and vodka.
We even managed to find our way home that night when the underground was closed. We navigated the streets and found the right buses, proving that even tipsy we have the skills to find our way around new cities.
With only one full day left in London, we are finishing up our journey in the UK and are about to begin in Ireland!
Until then,
Liz
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| Finding happiness at Harrod's |
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| It keeps the toasted toast warm. Brilliance. |
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