First full day in London

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It’s arise time. Television here is terrible. Half the channels are foreign language - either Chinese or French. The other half are BBC something or another. There are no good news or sitcoms on. We plan our day: see Harrods and Buckingham palace and relax/get acquainted. Both Harrods and Buckingham Palace are within walking distance of the Park Tower.

Harrods at Knightsbridge was the first stop. This department store reminds me very much of Marshall Fields in Chicago. It’s a local store with literally everything. You can come here for your dry cleaning, fine jewelry, fresh foods and fruits, Prada/Gucci bags, electronics, men’s and women’s ware, artwork, musical instruments and everything in between. They have multiple restaurants inside. The escalator “shaft” is themed after Egyptians. (666-672) I find a travel book that says the Changing of the Guard only happens every other day and at 11:30. We trek over there…

We’ve hit it lucky! Today is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. (550-596) The pictures tell the story here. This lasts for about 45 minutes. Weather today is nice. It’s not very chilly (actually in the 50’s) and no rain.

By now we are starved. Lunch is eaten at Prezzo, 17 Hertford St. Food was pretty typical Italian fare. (603) After lunch we head back to Harrods to continue looking around and for some afternoon tea.

Some thoughts about Europe so far… We are noticing that things here are much more expensive than in the US, even excluding the exchange rate. For example, cell phone service for a 1000 minute anytime plan is £85 per month. Dell computers found in the US for $500 are £700. I see an Epson printer which sells for $99 USD selling for £159. We also notice most things have a “class” associated with them. You can always buy a first or second class ticket. Even the mail goes first or second class. (607-609) Old fashioned telephone booths are everywhere. (614) Most booths even have an Internet kiosk within them. Transportation is pretty modern. You see many BMW’s, Lexus’s, Audi’s, Volkswagen’s, Peugeot’s, and Jeep Cherokee’s here. We have only have seen one Chrysler minivan. However, all the cabs look like they are holdovers from the 60’s. (615,630) Bikes are numerous here. (612) Busses are double-deckers. (638) And oh do they love their football! (It’s called soccer in the US.) Harrods has a sign that says for security reasons sports is not shown on store televisions. (652) How about that! We also see multitudes of soccer fields everywhere we go. Princess Diana is memorialized in many places. Harrods displays her (huge) engagement ring and last used wine glass. There is a Princess Diana walkway in central London. (637) Finally, take note when using an European elevator. American’s are used to the ground floor being considered floor 1. Not the case in Europe - ground floors are the 0th floor.

Café Punch on the 3rd floor at Harrods is where we stop for afternoon tea. We down an order of scones and clotted cream while sipping English breakfast tea. (664-665)

Harrods is lit beautifully at night. (685-687) Every street window has a storybook theme - such as Rapanzul, Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow queen, the Wicked Stepmother, and Aladdin’s Lamp - which are all impeccably designed. (648, 649, 676) We walk past Harvey Nichols on the way to the hotel. (688)

We set out for a library or kiosk to find Internet access. The folks back home don’t yet have confirmation we’ve safely arrived and we need to email them.

London is chock full of old Cathedrals. The mother church of the Diocese of Westminster is Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral. On our way to dinner we stop and tour the inside. Completed in 1903, the church contains many marble tiled rooms and the typical, huge, open worship area. I will allow the pictures to tell the story. (698-728)

Café Rouge, caferouge.co.uk in Knightsbridge, is where we eat dinner. This little French establishment has quality food. We dine and head back to the hotel for sleep. Reminder to self: next time don’t bring American (NTSC) DVD’s - the players in Europe only accept PAL format.

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