Posts by blinkin2000
Buckingham Palace and Harrods
Hi again! Today we had another early morning filled with croissants and cappuccino. I don’t typically drink coffee so I asked for orange juice and I was pleasantly surprised that the Barista at TomTom fresh squeezed my orange juice promptly and gave it to me in a little orange paper cup with tomtom hand-stamped diagonally on the side. It might have been the best orange juice I have ever tasted. After that we walked a few blocks to Buckingham Palace because we had tickets to see the State Rooms which are the rooms that invited guests of the palace use and the places where the Queen entertains. We were so lucky to see them because they are only open briefly once a year. You won’t see any pictures of us inside the Palace because we weren’t allowed to take any. We had a little bit of a scare when we went through security because they wanted to take the iPad that Mickey lent us and hold it until the end of the tour. I guess laptops are a security threat. I was reluctant to give it up because it’s not ours, but I really had no choice. I handed it over and got the equivalent of a coat check ticket for it. At the end of the tour I crossed my fingers that it would be waiting for us and it was. Phew, what a relief! That thing has been a lifesaver for us as it has an internet connection and the streets in London can be confusing. Buckingham Palace is breathtaking inside and out. The audio tour they gave each of us was good and told us about the rooms, what was in them, and how they are used. The entrance staircase and the ballroom were my favorite parts. They also had a really good special exhibit on the Queen since 2010 is apparently the Year of the Queen. Some of the gowns the Queen wore for past occasions were on display and they were just stunning.
After finishing the tour we walked along Green Park towards Harrods, the infamous London department store. People have told me how big it is before, but nothing, absolutely nothing prepares you for that kind of experience. It was room upon room upon room of high-end shoes, gowns, handbags, perfume, coats, scarves, musical instruments, furniture, lighting, entertainment, chocolates, toys, couture for children etc. etc. etc. They also had a pet boutique that was at least 5,000 square feet of nothing, but high-end pet gear. Nothing chintzy about it. This was the Prada of dog boutiques. We bought the Pugs a robot plush. It was the only non-consumable item we purchased there. I think we were overwhelmed more than anything else. I would have shopped for clothes, but I was almost in a trance wandering around because there was too much to look at. There was even an opera singer complete with red couture gown singing in the escalator corridor. All that and I haven’t even begun to describe the best part of all…the food area. I believe they called it Food Hall and it really was as big as a large hall if you add up all the rooms. They had a whole room of nothing but chocolates, another of candy and pastries, another of fresh seafood and meats, one more with prepared foods, yet another of dairy and cheese and another of just fruits and vegetables, not to mention the wine cellar and all the restaurants sprinkled around. And these aren’t just any meats/seafood/fruits/veggies. These are the cream of the crop, just butchered/caught/picked from the farm hours ago foods. This place makes the two-story Whole Foods in Pasadena (which I still love, by the way) look like a Seven-Eleven. We were lucky enough to go during their British Food Festival where all the best England has to offer was on display. I had a wonderful English mushroom, goat cheese, and spinach lasagna with homemade pasta and Andrew had a Sicilian pizza with spicy salami. And on top of that, the guy that made our pizza sang to everyone in Italian every few minutes. Just amazing. All-in-all we were in there over 2 hours. When we left our heads were spinning. After that we walked about a mile back to Mickey and Cheryl’s flat. Tonight I think we are going to eat in. Mickey wants to use the BBQ one last time before they move as the new flat doesn’t have any outdoor space. Tomorrow Mickey and Cheryl are taking us to a large farmer’s market type of thing and we are really looking forward to that. Oh, and one more thing…we’ve been walking about 10 miles a day and it looks like that is a trend that will continue. Hope you are all well back at home. Miss you all. Au revior, Chelsie and Andrew
Buckingham Palace gates
Once again, Buckingham Palace (We are getting really good at those shots you take yourself with your arm stratched way out)
Buckingham Palace Back Lawn (where the spectacular garden parties take place)
KEEP OUT- Barbed wire at Buckingham Palace (you don't gotta tell me twice)
In front of the statue outside Buckingham Palace front gates
Walking along Green Park
Harrods' escalators (the ones with the opera singer)
The fruits and vegetables room at Harrods
Our pizza thrower/Italian singer
The chocolates room at Harrods