The Day of Department Stores

Put three avid shoppers together in one of the greatest cities in the world and what do you get?  Well, other than trouble, a day full of strolling, browsing and exploring!  And this is what I and my two favorite shopping companions did on Saturday!  After sleeping in a bit in the morning, my mom and I met Lauren before stopping for a quick breakfast at PAUL pâtisserie.  I have been walking by this charming French café since we've gotten here and have been so tempted to go in; I'm sure you'll be happy to know that my high expectations were met.  We enjoyed (even more) tea and fresh almond croissants; so delicious!  I think my mom got into the whole French café vibe a little too much though; when the woman behind the counter if she wanted anything to drink, she responded "trois thés, s'il vous plaȋt."  After the woman gave her a confused look (clearly wasn't French), I reminded her that she in fact could speak English here, it being an English speaking country and all.  Although I continued to tease her throughout the day, she stood behind her use of French; "come on, everything was written in French in there!" she insisted.  I forgive you, Mummy :)
After breakfast, we made our way down Cromwell, which eventually turns into Brompton Road, one of London's greatest shopping streets.  We made a quick detour and stopped to see the house where they filmed the Parent Trap in; soooo pretty!  We returned to Wilton Place so my mom could see my grandparents' old flat; she was remembering all the fun holidays they had there!  We popped into the Berkley hotel, right across from the flat; I can only imagine how nice it was to live across from it; it was so elegant and cozy.  We continued on and eventually made our way to Selfridge's, one of what seems like hundreds of department stores in the city.  We spent a few hours strolling through all the departments, from kitchenware (my mom's request) to Christmas World to fashion accessories.  We stopped for lunch at the Mozzarella Bar, one of only three in the world.  My mom claims she had one of the best meals she's ever had in her life; the food was amazing, all incorporating some kind of mozzarella.  We've already decided we'll need to return in the very near future.

Parent Trap Flat!

After lunch, we turned onto Oxford Street, another shopping mecca, and stopped in two or three more department stores, each with its own distinct character.  Here we discovered the store that everyone has been telling me about: Office.  They have really cute, unique shoes; although it was tempting, we restrained ourselves...for now at least.  Next up was Regent Street, London's equivalent to New York's 5th Avenue.  Despite the ridiculous Saturday crowds, we enjoyed discovering some quintessential London spots, including  Liberty, Barbour, and a discount China Shop (again, mom's request).  We did stop by one of our favorite American stores, Anthropologie, but after looking at their British prices, we decided we would be waiting to make any purchases until we were back home in December.
By the time we reached Piccadilly Circus, it was 4:30, our feet killed and we were starving.  Luckily, we were right near Fortnum & Mason, one of my mom's favorite department stores.  We decided we would have an early dinner in the form of afternoon tea; no objection to that of course!  The woman at the front door of the store recommended for a "fancy china, pinkies up" tea, we should try the St. James' Restaurant on the top floor of the store.  When the elevator doors opened, despite instantly feeling underdressed, we felt as though we were walking into a different world; soft harp music, waiters in bowties, and trays of treats flying everything...heaven!  The tea was absolutely delicious, complete with sandwiches, scones and pastries.  Our first official afternoon tea turned out to be a resounding success!

Afternoon Tea!

Stuffed, we jumped in a cab back to Courtfield to get ready for the night.  We were meeting the Hoags and Pam at the Dominion Theater in Soho to see the hit West End show, "We Will Rock You."  After a few tube delays (doesn't the Pope know that people have very important musicals to get to on time?!), we made it just in time for the start of the show.  "We Will Rock You" is based around the music of Queen, and everyone I had talked to who had seen it said they absolutely loved it.  After seeing the show for ourselves, we could only come up with one word to describe it: bizarre.  Although the music was amazing (the actors' voices were unbelievable...I was jealous) and the last 15 minutes was pretty much a really fun rock show, the whole storyline was so out there you really had to pay attention, and even that didn't guarantee you anything.  Overall, we were glad we saw it, but honestly, didn't really rock us all that much.
After the show, we all said our goodbyes and returned to South Ken for the night.  Unfortunately, both Mr. and Mrs. Hoag and Britt and Pammy have early flights out Sunday morning.  We were so sad to see them go, but we had soooo much fun; we have some amazing memories from this weekend!  Sunday is my mom's last day in London, so we're going to make the most of it!
    xo Carolyn