Everyone is Sleeping Better

We had no morning agenda, we put in a full day yesterday, and we slept a bit later knowing that we could. We all had breakfast in our flats, and took our time heading out.

Paul spent the morning with us as we did the circuit of London Emporiums- Liberty, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Lots of walking through Mayfair and Knightsbridge and the beauty that is English architecture was on view.

The Liberty store was built in 1924 out of Timbers from ancient British battleships. It’s as beautiful a building as the speciality of its fabric designs (45,000 of them created to date). It is a marvelous place to shop.

Harvey Nic’s is Harvey Nic’s, you just feel special and never quite as turned out as you should be when inside.

Harrods, that monster of a tourist trap with all the things that make it such a special place on earth. That it remains still so very special is a miracle in our point and click culture. Yes, it was a madhouse, yes it was splendidly surreal, and yes, we took a photo in the elevator because it was so beautiful.

And then there is walking through Mayfair and Knightsbridge. The side streets, the luxury homes, the flowers everywhere, Walton Street, the poshness of it all.

The V’s were busy with pancakes and Selfridges. They shopped and ogled and loved every minute of that fabulous store (if you haven’t seen the Masterpiece Theatre, Mr. Selfridge with Jeremy Piven, you need to). Then they ambled over to Harrods and discovered even more treasures!

We all caught up for high tea with a Scientific flair at the Ampersand Hotel. The girls concocted drinks and made cocoa and we all had a proper afternoon respite.

The V’s headed out for more sightseeing and we decided to cab it back home. Stuck in interminable traffic near Hyde Park, we started bantering with our cabbie who was a very frustrated young man – he argued with other drivers, expressed his displeasure with his occupation, thought the city mayor was an idiot, couldn’t imagine why so many people were driving mid day, and on and on. I tell you this because he was frustrated with his lot — he felt too many immigrants were taking his jobs, that the government was caring for foreigners and not veterans, that there was a sinister plot afoot to oust his British Anglo Saxon male status to that of a beggar. It’s not just in our country that nationalists are angry. He finally admitted that his mother was an immigrant too, but he held fast for “Britain for the British!” I guess every immigrant group has been and will be hated universally. (long sigh).

We popped out of the cab and picked up our morning purchases at Liberty and decided a bit of air was needed, and walked back to the flat. With clear heads, we dressed for dinner and met the V’s at a hip little Italian joint called Circolo Popolare.

The decor is really beautiful, the vibe is very Instagram, and food was good. Not gonna win an award, but an entertaining experience. As Kayla said “the best part is spending time with you”. We always have such a good time when we’re together – it makes such wonderful memories.

We split back up to head home and got a few more snaps on the way.

Another day, another 18,000 steps.