SHOPPING IN LONDON

I really must finish this London stay so I can get on with the rest of the trip - particularly all the things in Amsterdam.  So I am going to end this with just a little note on the shopping in London.  Of course I would have loved to just buy everything but I only have two suitcases and they are packed so I just looked instead.  Two of my favorite stores in London ate Harrod's and Fortnum and Mason's.  Both absolutely exquisite.  The food hall in Harrod's is one of my favorite places to just look around.  Much changed since I was there 20 plus years ago, now they have all sorts of counters where you can eat.  Their displays are always so beauitful!

Vegetables

Flowers

Fruit

Caviar

Lots more caviar 

And of course champagne to go with that caviar.

The store itself is lavish.  Very expensive! Right up my alley, just not in my budget.  Always fun to look though.  

The store itself occupies a 5 acre site and has over one million square feet of sellling space which makes it the largest department store in Europe.  Their motto is "All Things for All people Everywhere".

One of the area  in Harrod's is the Egyptian Escalator unveiled in April of 1998.  We had gone to Harrod's one time with JoAnne and Ginger and thenwent back when Sharon read about the Egyptian Escalator.  We had to have a look.  The pictures just don't do it justice.

The spinxes located all along the escalator are allegedly the likeness of the former owner Mohammed Al Fayed.  

We walked around the store and when we got ready to leave we couldn't tind the escalator and had to depart the store walking down the steps under this small chandelier. 

We of course also had to hit Fortnum and Masons.  A much smaller department store, more of a speciality store.  It too, like Harrod's started as a grocery store and although it grew into a department store,it continues to focus on stocking a  variety of exotic, speciality and also 'basic' provisions. It has held many Royal Warrants over the past 150 years and is also famous for it's high tea.

Elegance

Beautifully displayed food items

Creams and finger nail polish bottles adorned with jewels. 

Soaps too pretty to use.

Shower hats fit for a Queen 

Or a beautiful lady from Iona

Sharon found a couple of red hats but my favorite was this one.  We just couldn't get it down. I think it has Sharon written all over it.

This is more me.  Sedate!  Perhaps I should have angled it a bit instead of just plopped it on my head.  Oh well. 

Guess what folks, I'm moving on. The United Kingdom is behind me now and I'm going to try to get caught up on Amsterdam and stay current.  

So Paddington Bear and I say " Cheerio" to "Jolly Old England". We had a great time!