Puttin' on the Ritz

After two and a half days of endless fun, we of course had to make Mrs. Toll’s last day equally as enjoyable as the first. Carolyn and her mom spent the morning at the Victoria & Albert Museum taking in the “Fashion through the Ages” exhibit (unfortunately there was a long wait for entrance into the Grace Kelly exhibit because it is closing next weekend), before I met them at the Lido Café in Hyde Park. It took me longer than expected to get there (I’ve yet to master the layout of the expansive greens), but once I did, they had a lovely table right by the river, complete with view of a 3 month old Schnauzer puppy, named Sam, that Mrs. Toll had quickly grown a liking for. Soon after, we headed out to Knightsbridge. First stop: Zara. Carolyn was able to find a fleece blanket (our room is freezing) and a pair of black boots, while I managed to find a skirt. Next, on to Mrs. Toll’s final visit to Harrods (I think this was trip number five of the weekend!). We hit the Food Halls of course (and Mo’s Diner for lunch… YUM), but we did venture into an area Carolyn and I had never previously explored: Pet Kingdom. Any toy, collar, leash, or outfit (yes, outfit) you could imagine for cats and dogs can be found here. From a $130 Juicy Couture puppy jacket, to $8 individual “pup-cakes” (or if "pup-corn" is more your style) it was an animal lovers dream. They even had three month old Dachshund puppies to pet, even though they had already been purchased by their new owners (who had gone through an “extensive interview process,” of course). Afterwards, we explored the fine china section with Mrs. Toll, who was in heaven. I picked up a cute, little (emphasis on the little… probably only 1.5 inches diameter) tea cup sitting on a table, just admiring its pattern when I looked at the price tag: 895 GBP…. or $1400. I almost had a heart attack (at least you would get the VAT tax back....). Even worse, there were five more just like it on the same table. We joked later on that they must leave them on the tables hoping that somebody WILL knock them over and break them, since it’s probably the only way they sell them!
Before we knew it, 3 o’clock rolled around and we headed back to South Ken for an hour or so of downtime and to change for the highlight of our day: high tea at the Ritz! We got dressed up then jumped in the cab down to Fortnum and Mason for some quick last-minute souvenir shopping with Mrs. Toll. Everything in that store is so adorable (and what’s edible looks delicious!). By 5:20 it was time to head to the Ritz for our reservation at 5:30 and meet up with Katie! She had just arrived in London the day before, and what better way to be welcomed to London than an afternoon tea! From cucumber sandwiches to freshly baked scones and pastries, each was more delicious than the first.

The ambiance was also magnificent (except for that obnoxious table of girls taking pictures… who could that have been!?). By the end, we were so full we walked to Piccadilly Circus before taking the tube back to Courtfield to show Katie our humble abode. Almost all the girls on our hall had returned from their weekend escapes, so Mrs. Toll was able to meet everyone before heading back to the hotel for the night. Her flight is early Monday morning so I said my goodbyes, and of course, thanked her immensely for all she had done for me this weekend; it was incredible and one I definitely will never, ever forget.
Back to the real world tomorrow...
xo LC