Category: England

Shopping in London

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, England, London, Shopping, Travel, travel hacks, travel tips, travelling, UK, Uncategorized, vacationLeave a comment

If you like to shop, London is calling you! From vintage to designer, there is something for everybody. Even though I have been to London several times, I’m always finding new stores, neighborhoods, markets and towns to explore. On this trip, as in several previous trips, we had to buy an additional suitcase to bring home all our goodies that we found. Since we get free bag check, it’s cheaper than shipping it home. Next trip (to Italy in May!), we are taking a new fold-up bag, so we are prepared to bring home more treasures that we find on our shopping adventures without having to buy new luggage-I’m running out of luggage storage room!

DEPARTMENT STORES

UPSCALE

Harrods | The World’s Leading Luxury Department Store is THE luxury department store in London that you must visit just to check out even if you don’t have the $$$ to buy designer duds. They do have a nice souvenir department in the lower level where you can find reasonable items. Make sure you check out the food hall with so many tasty options. Word of caution-jam/honey/mustard is considered a liquid (anything that spreads!) when you are leaving London and have to go through security, so pack those goodies away in checked bags or you’ll be sad when they confiscate it from your carry-on.

My new favorite store is Fortnum and Mason, a luxury department store with floor after floor of amazing housewares, including their famous picnic hampers and foodie merchandise. Founded in 1707 as a grocery store, the flagship Picadilly store is beautifully decorated, especially during the holidays, and has been a shopping destination for the Royals, as in Queens and such. After our initial shopping trip where we picked up “biscuits” aka cookies, they were so good that we picked up some additional biscuits or as I now call them “bites of heaven” at their outlet in St. Pancras train station. They also have a shop in Terminal 3 at Heathrow, where we picked up cute British cars stuffed with fudge for the grandkids on our way home. Who’s the best NaiNai and GiGi?? Yep, the people who bring back the best souvenirs and tasy treats to share. I particularly love the F & M premium packaging, from curved beautifully decorated boxes filled with dark chocolate biscuits to their tea tins and musical containers. There are gifts for all ages. If you get hungry while you shop (and don’t we all?), they have a fancy tearoom, a food hall with every kind of food, a wine bar and a café serving famous ice cream confections. Cheers!

Thom had never been to Liberty, a luxury department store located in the West End near Carnaby Street, so we had to go on this trip. The façade of this mock-Tudor building with its ages old timbers is absolutely beautiful and the inside doesn’t disappoint either with wood floors and an atrium that is always spectacularly decorated for the holidays. This merchant is known for its fabrics, housewares and fashion. Founded in 1875, Liberty supports new and emerging designers within its historic walls.

After wandering around Liberty, we headed over to Carnaby Street which is filled with specialty shops like Levi’s which we didn’t need to shop at, but I did visit Doc Martens, a British classic. Thom has a pair of these, purchased after he saw Bruce Springsteen wearing them at a concert (of course, right?), and I have always wanted a pair, so I finally decided to just go for it. YOLO and all. It helped that they had a really cool limited-edition Year of the Dragon tassel loafer style that I can’t wait to wear. Unfortunately, we took public transportation everywhere in London and you do NOT want to wear nice shoes on the Tube. On one Tube trip, a guy was asleep and had a latte on the floor precariously wedged between his feet and it eventually tipped over after a hard stop and spilled all over Thom’s shoes. Thom was just glad it wasn’t vomit but that experience convinced me that the Tube is not the best place for my beautiful new Docs.

REGULAR FOLK DEPARTMENT STORES

Your everyday Londoner does not shop at the fancy department stores like Harrod’s or, if they do, they are rich. Popular go-to places to get clothes for most people are Primark and Marks and Spencer. There are many locations of these stores all over town. Have fun buying reasonably priced outfits and accessories to take home.

SPECIALTY STORES

VINYL

Vinyl lovers should bring an empty suitcase in London. You could spend a week visiting all the vinyl stores located all over London. Check out this good list: 56 Best Record Stores in London by Neighborhood | Discogs – Record Stores.

On this trip, we checked out Third Man Records, which is musician Jack White’s cool space in Soho. “Mind your head” is not just a sign but a caution as the entry to the basement section of this shop has a very low doorway that unfortunately Thom had hard contact with resulting in a big bump on his head. Not only do they have vinyl but a nice assortment of merch and a book machine plus a jam (for playing music not eating a delightful spread for toast) area.

Every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month, go to the Vinyl Market (oldspitalfieldsmarket.com) to find some good bargains. On my last Girls Trip to London, I was able to find Thom a Bruce Springsteen concert bootleg album that seemed pretty rare. Score!

BOOKSTORES

The Hatchards Bookstore in Piccadilly was founded in 1797 and is London’s oldest bookshop and bookseller to the Royal households. When you sell merch to the Royals, a store gets to display a sign on the outside of their store that is a Royal Warrant. Hatchards has three Royal Warrants. They have lots of stores but the five-story location in Picadilly is the one to visit-it is beautiful and located next to Fortnum and Mason, one of my other favorite stores. It is also opposite the Royal Academy, which is worth a visit to see their museum (and a good place to use the bathrooms!).

Check the Hatchards online site for book signings. They also have in their assortment first and special edition books for the collectors. A book is always a good idea for yourself or to take home for a present.

OPTICAL STORES

MOSCOT Beak Street Shop in the Soho district has a fantastic assortment of frames to pick from. Thom and I both have sported Moscot frames in the past and they not only look great but are super well-made and comfortable. Buying frames wherever we travel is one of my favorite souvenirs. I take the frames home to my local Costco optical and get my prescription lenses put in. Every time I wear my new glasses, I remember my vacation!

On this trip, we discovered a new brand of frames that have lots of fashion styles to pick from at reasonable (about $150 GBP) prices. Buy Eyeglasses | Designer Eyeglasses For Men & Women – Jimmy Fairly (UK) has locations all over London and the suburbs like Hampstead. I love that they have an espresso machine in their stores and offer shots as you shop. Get all caffeinated up and buy some frames to take home!

MUSEUM GIFT SHOPS

I have to call out museum gift shops because I have gotten some of my favorite gifts there to take back home. Usually well priced, every museum in London has at least one if not multiple gift shops with everything from pillow covers (British Library) to Winston Churchill rubber duckies (Churchill Rooms) to booze (all of them have hard liquor including Buckingham Palace, which had an unusually large selection of sloe gin-why?). So, make sure you take time to check out the merch at the museums!

STREETS/NEIGHBORHOODS

Regent Street London – Shopping – Dining – Wellness (regentstreetonline.com) is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It runs from Waterloo place at the south end through Picadilly Circus and Oxford Circus to All Souls Church. Retailers who can afford this pricey real estate have their London flagship stores here. Check out technology at the Apple Store or the Microsoft Experience Center and then shop for fashion at practically every retailer you could want.

MARKETS

There are so many cool markets in London that you can’t possibly visit them all in one trip so every time we come, we try to at least go to one or two. On this trip, we made it to Covent Garden and Spitalfield’s. Come to these markets hungry and ready to shop. Enjoy the journey!

Moulin Rouge the Musical-London

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, England, Europe, London, Theater, Travel, travel tips, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Moulin Rouge the Musical in London’s West End is the best musical I have ever seen, and I get around! Now, I have never seen Moulin Rouge the movie, but I did go to the original Moulin Rouge live show in Paris last year on our Girls Trip 2023. I had no idea what the Moulin Rouge Musical would be about-would it mirror the dancing/singing extravaganza like the original live show, or would they take that setting and weave a story around it with acting? It turned out to be the latter with a huge stellar cast crafting popular tunes around the story of Satine, the lead act at the Moulin Rouge in Paris being wooed by a poor songwriter and a rich Baron who could save the show for her and her castmates.

The costumes, the staging of the ensemble dance numbers, and the high energy of the cast were all spectacular and the historic Picadilly Theater a stunning venue. I found myself not knowing where to look next because there were amazing performances being executed all over the stage and auxiliary balconies. I think you could see this show many times and still not be able to appreciate and catch all the individual talent. It is truly an extravaganza for the senses!

Does it parallel the show at THE Moulin Rouge in Paris? Not at all and that’s okay. There are some brief can-can dance numbers but that’s about it. If you are coming to the musical to see lots of bare women, that is certainly not the case like it is in Paris, where costumes are teeny tiny and the T & A’s are bare.

I really appreciated the diversity of the musical cast that covered the gamut from short/tall, slim/full-bodied, male/female/trans. Too many times, especially for dance casts, they want everyone to be the same height, the same hair, the same skin, and the same body. Too much sameness is boring. It’s great when a production is inclusive and diverse.

Whatever your taste in theater-musical or drama-find a show to see in the West End while you are in London. Enjoy the journey!

TICKETS

  • Demand pricing affects the ticket prices. Weekends are popular and the most expensive.
  • If you absolutely MUST see a show on your trip, then pay full price and book it in advance so you secure the seats you really want. Check out the view from the seat you are purchasing-most apps will show you this. There are “limited view” seats which are cheaper if you don’t mind seeing the only part of the stage.
  • If you are able to be flexible and buy tickets the day of the performance, you can save money but you probably won’t get the best seats or perhaps you can buy great seats but not sit together. It depends on your priorities.
  • We bought our tickets online from the theater (https://moulinrougemusical.co.uk/london-tickets/) the day of the show after one of my early meetings cancelled and my day freed up. After comparing prices to the TodayTix app site, which is typically the cheapest site, the theater site offered a package deal including early access to their Ambassador Lounge, free program, and refreshments. So, I could pay the same price on the TodayTix app for the seats without the lounge or get the seats plus the lounge from the theater site. We went with the premium experience with the lounge. Enjoy the journey!

AMBASSADOR LOUNGE

  • Luxury cozy lounge in the theater with maximum capacity of about 20 people with lovely wait staff. Yes, please!
  • Nibbles and alcohol were included in the ticket price. Bring on the champagne!
  • Best part of the lounge experience were the private bathrooms you had access to before/during/after show. I will never forget running up several flights of stairs at a performance of Hamilton in Vancouver, Canada with my sister after seeking out a less crowded women’s bathroom in the lowest level of the huge theater at intermission, standing in line and finally using the facilities right before the curtain went back up. Intermissions are typically 20 minutes for theater shows and, in that time, the hundreds of women in the audience have to hope that the lines move quickly at the 20 or less stalls in the Ladies Room. Ridiculous!
  • We also got complimentary programs with this package deal.

SEATS

  • Most theaters are small and beautiful. They are tall not wide and, if you have any fear of heights, don’t book the top balcony seats because they are WAY up there.

NO FILMING/PHOTOS

  • Every theater probably has different policies and methods with regards to filming/photos of the show but please follow whatever they announce. There are reasons for these restrictions-it is distracting for both the audience and the cast if everyone is taking pictures vs. watching the show. Also, for musicals there are problems recording copyrighted music. At the theater where I volunteer as an usher back in Boise, the security team actually takes the patron’s phone if they choose to tape/take pictures when told not to and they make them erase it and, if they refuse, the patron can be arrested. Don’t be that person! The photos in this article were taken before the show started.
  • At the Picadilly Theater, you can take pictures prior to the show starting while they have some of the cast on the stage posing. We got great pictures and stopped once the ushers walked up and down the aisles with the paddles that said “no filming/pictures” right before the show started. The gentleman next to me took a picture during the show and the usher immediately walked next to our row angrily waving their paddle at him. Shame!!

MERCH/PROGRAMS

  • If you want to buy show merchandise, the best idea is to get to the theater early to avoid lines. During intermission and after the show, these usually small booths where they sell the merch are swamped.
  • Programs are not automatically handed out at most theaters. You can purchase one from ushers stationed around the theater.

REFRESHMENTS

  • Picadilly Theater has an unusual policy of allowing patrons to purchase their beverages (alcohol and non-alcoholic) and bring them into the theater to sip during the show. These refreshments are in glass cups. WTH! The seats in this theater are a tight fit with no cup holders though that wouldn’t help with the wine glasses. It is carpeted throughout, but still can you really trust your audience to bring those glasses back to the bar??? Watch your step at intermission and after the show because those glasses are rolling all over the floor under the seats.

London-Tap to Pay Tips

On By Travels with MelindaIn England, Europe, London, Travel, travel apps, travel hacks, Travel technology, travel tips, travelling, UK, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Technology is deeply integrated in any visit to London so be prepared to “tap to pay” and even “tap to pee”! Need to ride the Tube to get anywhere? Tap to pay. Need to go to the loo? Tap to pee. Going through Customs? Scan your passport. At a museum? Scan the QR code to hear about the exhibit or tap to donate to the museums. After a trip to London, you will go to other countries and wander why they aren’t as technically savvy as London. How to make a trip to London go smoothly? Follow these tips!

There are various ways to “tap” to pay. You can tap your credit card if it has a chip. You can tap your phone if it has Google Pay or Apple Pay. If you don’t have either of these methods, for public transportation, you can get an Oyster Card to do the “tap to pay”. Purchase the Oyster Card at one of the service desks at the major train/Tube stations and add money (called “topping off”) as you go in order to ride the Tube or buses. But the easiest and safest way to tap all over town is to use your Smart watch for all tapping. It eliminates getting out your credit card/phone every time and risking theft or misplacing it. Use a VISA for your payment because AMEX sometimes isn’t accepted. We used all these methods as sometimes Thom had some issues with his watch, credit card and phone not working so he relied on the Oyster Card when that happened. Be prepared! You don’t want your companion to be able to go through the turnstile at the Tube and you are left behind not being able to tap in to be with them.

As you enter the front door of the bus or go up to the turnstile in the Tube, hold your payment type (Smart watch, credit card, Oyster card or phone) about an inch away and you should see the light go from yellow to green. If it goes red, it means it isn’t working, which is not to say that it won’t work if you try it again. Wait a second or two and try again, perhaps at another turnstile. We had this happen numerous times and sometimes on the fourth try, it would go “green”. On the bus, if tapping is wonky, the driver will sometimes just wave you in to sit because you are delaying the forward motion of the bus. Remember, you must tap in for the Tube and tap out as well. For the bus, you just have to tap in.

Public bathrooms do exist in London and the nicest facilities that are staffed with an attendant, aka not the street latrines that I avoid at all costs, do cost money. The tech savvy bathrooms have a “tap to pee” model where you tap to get access into the bathrooms. The one I used in Covent Garden market was $1.50 euros and well worth it because it was warm and clean. You may find some bathrooms haven’t been updated yet and require a $1 euro coin to enter so have some of those handy if you visit London.

I appreciate how quick the Custom lines are at Heathrow even with the crush of people moving through this airport. You just scan your passport page and off you go! No waiting in lines to talk to a live person and get a stamp. I have had to wait hours before going through Customs (India, I’m looking at you!) so my sincere hope is that all countries embrace the UK technology and gets with the program. Automate now and save us all some time. Enjoy the journey!

Naughtiness at the House of Lords

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, England, London, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

When in London after a long work day, tradition dictates that you go to the nearest pub and have a pint or two.  But I never take the traditional route and I don’t drink beer so after MY work day was over, I headed on over to the House of Lords to hear the Earl of Sandwich argue over the merits of an amendment to the Criminal Finances Bill.  Yep, I’m a political geek.

After not being able to just “drop in” last night as we walked by on the way home (due to the presence of a knife of the Swiss Army variety in Thom’s pocket), we left the weapons at the hotel and off we went.  The House Of Lords works late into the evening so by the time we cleared security after being searched, me so thoroughly that Thom asked if the security guard had asked for my #, up we climbed to the Stranger’s Gallery where visitors can sit quietly and observe.  To enforce that rule, you have to check in all your bags and cell phones with a guard before entering.

With gold-plated pretty much everything and knight statues glaring down from their lofty perches above the floor, the Earls, Ladies, Lords and such sit (and sleep) during the proceedings on red leather banquettes.  If they aren’t sleeping, they are looking at their iPads or speaking on the topic at hand.  All very formal, we snickered (quietly) when one Lord spoke of the “naughtiness” of the vigilante posse hiding wealth by buying up London real estate through LLC’s (owners anonymous) registered in British territories and driving up prices so that buying a home now costs 39x the median income of the average Londoner.  Citing one example in nearby Cambridge, a new development of 292 homes were snatched up by foreigners, primarily Chinese and Russians, with only 2 homes purchased by UK residents.  Shocking-sounds like Seattle.

I did feel quite young sitting there watching these old guys bicker and debate whether there should be stricter government control in this area of finance.  With the average age of about 70 years old and probably only 10% women, there was definitely a strict dress code with the men in suits and the ladies in skirts.  I was disappointed that the only person wearing a white ringlet wig was the youngest person in the room running the technology.  The clerks who run the notes to the Lords were very formally attired in tails and large metal medallions hanging from their bodies.  Posh.

Leaving as the debate was still raging at 7:30 p.m., Thom and I couldn’t wait to discuss the experience.  Yes, for political geeks, this was the highlight of our London trip.  Cheers!

 

Treacle Tarts at The Wolseley

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, England, Europe, London, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Harry Potter fans will understand my fascination with treacle tarts.  Why did Harry and his gang love eating something with such a funny name?  What is a treacle?  Well, thanks to The Wolseley in London I can now answer those questions.  Treacle tarts are amazingly delicious and treacle is golden syrup.  Yum!

I owe a big thanks to my friend, Karmann, who turned me on to this elegant yet approachable restaurant near The Green Park and The Ritz.  After cheering on the late finishers in the London Marathon that ended at Buckingham Palace today, we made our way through The Green Park, filled with marathon fans soaking up the last of the sun.  What a beautiful day it was whether you ran a marathon (how do they do that??) or just enjoyed a walk through a market or park.

Seated as soon as we walked in to The Wolseley and starving, I ordered the recommended chicken soup with carrots and dumplings that was light yet deliciously rich at the same time.  With bits of chicken, I quickly finished it while Thom shared with me a few bites of his chicken, bacon, and avocado sandwich and pommes frites.  Not only was the service impeccable but the prices were not too expensive given that London in general is very expensive indeed.  Surrounded by marathon finishers still wearing their medals and celebrating with champagne, steak and caviar, we quickly moved on to dessert.

Treacle tart-what would it taste like?  I had done no research and had no expectations.  I wanted to be surprised. Well, it came warm with a side of clotted cream that actually helped cut some of the sweetness.  Think pecan pie without the pecans and with a flaky crust.  Very dense and delicious.  No wonder Harry, Ron and Hermione ate these up when they magically appeared at Hogwarts.  After seeing Platform 9 3/4 at the Kings Crossing station this morning, it was only fitting that I end my day with their favorite Hogwarts dessert.  London is definitely a magical place.

 

Exploring London’s Parks

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, England, Europe, London, Parks, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

London has THE BEST parks.  Friday after checking into St. Ermin’s, we immediately set out to explore and push on to avoid the dreaded jet lag.  Unfortunately, we hadn’t gotten any local currency yet so when I tried to use the public loo later in St. James Park, I discovered there was a 20 pence coin required to gain entry.  WTH!  You have to pay to pee?  Thom’s solution was a suggestion to walk all the way back to the hotel.  NOT a  really timely choice so I went with my own solution-act really pathetic and prey on kind strangers who DID have the required coins.  Bingo!  Within seconds of asking the closest coffee kiosk barista in the park for directions to an ATM and explaining the situation, another customer quickly found the right coin and offered it to me, rolling her eyes at Thom and telling me there was no need to walk anywhere and she was happy to help me.  There you go!  Afterward, I promised Thom that I would “pee it forward” and help other desperate ladies out next time I go, keeping a stash of required coins just in case.  Ladies need to stick together!

Later, we checked out Golden Square on the way to Carnaby Street.  A park with stunning public art AND a communal ping pong table in heavy use, this may not be on visitor’s “hot” list to see but it was just lovely.   Shoe lovers will appreciate the largest stiletto you will ever see.  Now that’s art!  None of that crazy abstract crap you have to figure out in museums.

On Saturday, we headed out to the most popular spots:  The Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Garden.  Very close to our hotel, The Green Park showcases Buckingham Palace on it’s perimeter.  While we didn’t see the changing of the guards, we did check out the guards and the massive palace.  Really, who needs all that space???  Looks like a big money drain to me.  Walking through the Wellington Arch and checking out the many war memorials, you are reminded everywhere in London of WWI and WWII.  So many lives lost.

Right next door to The Green Park is Hyde Park, totally deserving of all the accolades I read out about it in the travel books.  From the cheap ($2 euros a day) bike rentals to the large lake with paddle boats and rowboats and horse trails, it is amazing.  Thom quickly got a hot dog to wolf down for energy before our long walk.  My only beef with the park system is the lack of trash cans in all the parks.  What’s up with that London?  Surprisingly given the lack of receptacles, the parks are very clean but the few trash cans overflow like crazy, the only unsightly view in the otherwise clean space.

Hyde Park even has chairs you can rent by the day to relax and gaze out at the water.  Very reminiscent of Central Park in NYC, one of my favorite places, people were stretched out on benches and the lawn enjoying the rare sunshine.  And can I say, the dogs here are SO well behaved it’s crazy.  Off leash in the parks, I have yet to see dogs growling or fighting.  They just walk docile and obedient with their owners by their side. Thom asked one dog owner why the dogs are so calm and he replied, “Lots of opium.”  Be calm and drug your dog?  I’m sure he was just kidding.  Probably.

Right next door to Hyde Park is Kensington Gardens.  We were needing a break from the sun so we ducked into the Serpentine Gallery on the park grounds to check out the spring show featuring the work of John Latham, a pioneer of British conceptual art (1921-2006).  Thought-provoking for sure, the use of books was prevalent in the conceptual art pieces.  Interesting exhibit but the bathrooms had the best technology I’ve seen.  Dyson water faucets also served as hand drying jet blasters–all in one and very cool.  Better than the art!  Heading over to the Prince Albert Memorial we enjoyed watching an intense street hockey game.  Damn, they were good.  Hockey scouts need to be checking these dudes out for their teams!

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John Latham’s art-these are books if you can’t tell

 

Moving on, we checked out Kensington Palace, with the beautiful Diana White Gardens to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.  We did feel that the security was pretty darn lax and gates were unguarded and would be too easy to hop over.  What?  In fact, walking down embassy row later in the day past all each country’s gorgeous building, we didn’t see any armed guards except for the Israeli post where they were armed with impressive weapons.  In China when we walked Embassy Row, you would see armed guards in front of every embassy.  Here, one guy came running out of an embassy yelling “YO!” to the Domino Pizza guy at the curb to deliver a hot pie.  Classy.

We tried walking by The Orangery next to Diana’s White Garden but a very fancy, or as the Brits would say “posh”, wedding was going on so here the security was tight and we were politely turned away.  So, they guard weddings better than they do embassies here in London?  With top hats and tails for the guys and long gowns for the ladies, this wedding was one fancy event.  We considered trying to crash it but thought better of it and moved along to continue our 11 mile hike that day.  What a great day!

 

Chechnya Protest in London

On By Travels with MelindaIn England, Europe, London, UncategorizedLeave a comment

We just happened to wander by the Russian Embassy in London as a crowd gathered to show support for gays being rounded up and held in detention centers in the Russian republic of Chechnya.  Part of a purge by the Russian government in response to a planned gay pride parade, Londoners we saw wanted to spread the word of this atrocity so action and pressure by world leaders will hopefully stop it.  I am happy to help.

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One man carefully spread out a roll of paper to write his message, “Free Love.  If compassion is higher form of wisdom, how wise are you?” while others organizing the event spoke to policewomen and the crowd.  Photographers captured the moment and others wrote encouraging thoughts on the pink triangles.  I wrote “Love Trumps Hate”.  Thom explained to me that in Nazi Germany gays had to wear pink triangles on their clothing.  Frightening times when we see history repeating itself and our nation’s leaders are doing nothing to stop it and some are encouraging it with their hate-filled rhetoric.

Laying pink flowers on the sidewalk, the mood was somber but defiant.  A group of men allowed their pictures to be taken as Londoners stopped to read the signs.  We walked by later on our way home, happy to see the signs undisturbed and folks reading the messages.  Grassroots efforts like this work as we are finding in the U.S. with our protest marches, calls to Congress and other efforts trying to stop the madness that lies in POTUS.  Where we can support other countries with their efforts to stop the hate and embrace love, we most certainly will.  Never give up and never back down.London_April 2017-8261

London Shopping-Vintage to Vinyl

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, books, bookstores, England, Europe, London, Shopping, Travel, Uncategorized, VinylLeave a comment

Eleven miles and 25,000 steps later, we had walked ALL over London.  Literally.  We embraced “shop till you drop” and had fun doing it.  Starting at our historic boutique hotel, St. Ermin’s, at noon after sleeping in (jet lag sucks) we walked to Notting Hill.  Yes, that Notting Hill but, alas, we didn’t run into Hugh Grant.  Buggers!BC655D29-FC10-4252-920C-07883DB7450F

This terribly charming area has shops galore including Portobello Market, a street filled with stalls featuring furs, teapots and more.  But first, it was National Record Store Day and we were looking for vinyl and lucky enough to stumble upon the Music & Goods Exchange.  Searching for treasures among the used vinyl, I found “Stompin’ at the Savoy”, a compilation of 19 classic cuts from the archives of the Savoy featuring pioneer jazz, be-bop, rhythm and blues.  Dedicated to and featuring Charlie Parker, the tracks are from 1940-1960.  Thom picked up singles from Elvis Costello as much for the covers, which we will frame, as for the music. Can’t wait to spin some tunes when we get home!

I love bookstores second to none so imagine my excitement to not only find the original bookstore featured in the movie, Notting Hill, but we also found a great sale at another bookstore.  Picking up a “Royal Snap” very British card game, I now have a plan to play cards with Mia next time we go to Boise.  “Albie and the Space Rocket” was another purchase.  “It seems like just another ordinary night to Albie until he wakes up to find…penguins stealing the furniture, moose tangoing in the toilet and zebras asleep in the kitchen cupboard.  But who has left a trail of baked beans?”  Can’t wait to read this silly tale of adventure to Mia!  Of course, I’ll have to explain what a “bloke” is and so on.  Love those British terms especially “cheeky”.   I got Thom “From Churchill’s War Rooms” as he plans to visit the actual war rooms while I am working this week.  Booorrring! He knows that would not be at the top of my “go do” list so off he goes by himself.   Yet another bookstore we stumbled on wasn’t open but we read the sign by the door which shared that this shop was the inspiration for the travel bookshop featured in the movie.WP_20170422_19_16_40_Pro

Furs everywhere
Teapots galore

Finally reaching Portobello Market, we navigated the crowds to find Mary’s Living and Giving, a thrift store that benefits Save The Children.  I had read about this amazing shop and it did not disappoint.  From Kate Spade to DVF, there were bargains galore and a friendly clerk to assist.  I’ve decided to start a new tradition and get Hannah vintage fashion wherever I travel and this time she’ll be gaining a black sheath with fringe and zipper treatment.  Super cheeky and all proceeds to a worthy cause!

Around the corner, we found another vinyl store, Rough Trade, where we browsed until we were informed that closing time was upon us so basically, “GET OUT!” Now dark, we started our long journey home.  Walking in front of a group of millennials at one point, we chuckled at their conversation discussing a game they like to play in the pubs called, “Daddy or Sugar Daddy?” asking women with older companions to share the truth.  Wonder how many cocktails they get thrown in their faces while playing this cute game.  I’m betting quite a few.

At one point along a lonely, creepy stretch of road, I was ready to try to hail a cab.  My back hurt, my feet ached and I was a little bit scared.  “Princess Snowflake get your ass moving” was my compassionate husband’s response to that idea.  Hitting 11 miles on my overworked Fitbit, we finally arrived back at St. Ermin’s.  Time for an adult beverage.  Cheers!

B Day in London

On By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, England, Europe, London, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

B Day was today in London with Theresa May cutting Britain loose from the European Union.  Thom and I had experienced a celebration of the EU in Munich last Sunday and now we were on hand to witness this historic Brexit moment in London.  Two sides of an important issue affecting so many people.

We walked across the Westminster Bridge one week after the terrorist attack and thanked the Muslims who were peacefully standing by the memorials and advocating love and unity.  Right on!  Later in the day, the police blocked off the bridge and marched in solidarity to show support for their officer who died in the attack.

We walked by Big Ben to see all the news teams who had taken over a local park to broadcast.  With Parliament across the street. it made for a good backdrop for the news personalities to discuss B Day.  Back at the hotel after 20,000+ steps (9 miles) of walking all over London on my only day off here before I head to work tomorrow, it was fun to watch the news broadcasts from where we had just been.

All the news shows are discussing Brexit and the effect it will have on London and the EU.  There seems to be so much uncertainty and confusion.  Of course, there were protestors making a statement on our crazy POTUS too-it is all one tangled mess.  Seems like our leaders could get their act together and actually take care of their citizens but people here are shaking their heads in dismay just like we are in the US.  What.  The.  Hell.