Yesterday morning dawned bright and glorious, and we decided to take advantage of the unseasonably sunny and warm weather to head in and spend a day in Hyde Park. We packed a few things for us to picnic on, but once we arrived in London Bridge, the allure of the Borough Market was unavoidable, so we wandered through, picking up some bread, cheese, hummus, olives stuffed with garlic, and a brownie. Michelle then informed me that I had to bring something home from the Borough Market every Friday (the Market is about a five minute walk from my office, and yet somehow I manage not to make it there too frequently).
Afterwards, it was on to Hyde Park, where we stopped and picnicked by the Serpentine. After a good lunch, we rented a paddle boat (interestingly, here they are apparently called "pedal" boats) and went out on the Serpentine. We also had the option of going in a row boat, but we decided that would probably be a little much with kids. After exploring the area between the two bridges, we stopped off in the middle and had some more of our bread - which was also shared with some of the geese and ducks who live there, and we soon acquired a little following. Even when we started to paddle off, they were chasing after the boat.
Once we returned the boat, we rested on the grass for a while, before going to the Princess Diana Memorial. The Memorial is actually a circular water-feature, where you can take off your shoes, put your feet in the water, and rest for a bit. We've been there before, and of course, like any water thing, the kids really seem to enjoy it, although I do wonder exactly how it's supposed to be a reminder of Princess Diana.
After everyone's feet dried off, we put our shoes back on, and I led everyone a winding route through some of the posher areas of London to Harrod's for ice cream. And then it was home for the evening.
After working with Picasa for a bit, Mich found a way this morning to create slideshows, so I'm trying it out. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Harrod's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harrod's. Show all posts
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A Day at Portobello Road
Yesterday, the day was mostly spent in going to the Portobello Road Market - where we did a good bit of our Christmas shopping. The market is full of odds and ends, with stalls selling everything from old TV remote controls (seriously, am I the only one who is wondering why someone would even bother trying to sell this stuff) to clothes, to jewellery and trinkets, old postcards, keys, and other odds and ends. In many ways, it was like a treasure hunt. I took a couple of pictures, which are below. It's hard to get a picture that captures the feel of the market itself, though.
After we were done with the shopping, we hopped back on the Tube, originally intending to head to Hamley's, but we stopped off at King's Cross Station on the way. I'm putting a picture of one of the more famous platforms of King's Cross, below.
We went to Harrod's first, as Michelle wanted to pick out a thing or two. Harrod's was massively crowded, as it always seems to be when we've gone. We did take a picture or two of the Harrod's lights, and the Christmas displays were suitably impressive. We went back to the Tube station to try to make it to Hamley's but the Tube was a little crowded - think sardines in a can, only with a smaller can, and you've got the picture. So we ended up going home instead. And that was our day. I am going to put some pictures of the Merstham Christmas lights as well, just for funzies.
After we were done with the shopping, we hopped back on the Tube, originally intending to head to Hamley's, but we stopped off at King's Cross Station on the way. I'm putting a picture of one of the more famous platforms of King's Cross, below.
We went to Harrod's first, as Michelle wanted to pick out a thing or two. Harrod's was massively crowded, as it always seems to be when we've gone. We did take a picture or two of the Harrod's lights, and the Christmas displays were suitably impressive. We went back to the Tube station to try to make it to Hamley's but the Tube was a little crowded - think sardines in a can, only with a smaller can, and you've got the picture. So we ended up going home instead. And that was our day. I am going to put some pictures of the Merstham Christmas lights as well, just for funzies.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Monday, August 6th
I guess I'll have to finish the job....
Unfortunately, I had to work on Monday, so I headed in to the office, while everyone else was getting ready for another day in London. Michelle called me to let me know that they were entering the National Gallery, so when I finished up at about 4 or 4:30, I headed towards Trafalgar Square. I can't recall if I've mentioned this before, but the National Gallery stands right on Trafalgar Square, and if you've seen a picture of the Square and the building with all the columns behind it, the building is the National Gallery. As it so happened, I arrived right on time, as they had just gotten out, and Dalton and Maggie were feeding and chasing the pigeons.
I suggested that we go to the Harrod's food halls, and so that's where we headed next. The Harrod's food halls really are astonishing, not only in terms of what they carry - everything from foie gras to olives to squid ink to apples, but also in the way that they present it. The halls are exquisitely decorated, each with the theme of the food in the hall, and the fish, meats, veggies are all laid out in such a manner that I think that even the most squeamish person would be tempted to try something new. Of course, I say that, but then Dalton and Maggie went down the fresh seafood presentations and kept saying "Yuck!", "Yuck!", "That's gross!", "Ewww!", and other such pleasantries, until I pulled them aside for fear they might be scaring off the Harrod's clientele.
We left and headed down the street a little bit before stopping to eat at Leon. Leon turned out to be a little Mediterranean/health food eatery, which served falafel, Moroccan meatballs, chicken in yoghurt, and other such assortments. I thought it was really quite good, although Dalton ended up dining on garlic bread. Maggie enjoyed her chicken and yoghurt, and we all shared a carafe of wine.
Afterwards, we headed to the Royal Albert Hall to watch one of the Proms. The Proms (short for Promenades) are a 113-year old tradition here in London where they basically let you go and see classical music for cheap. You can "promenade", which roughly translates to - don't buy a ticket before hand, just show up and pay five pounds/person for a standing spot in front of the orchestra. Excluding the fact that you're standing, they're probably the best seats in the house. I thought it was amazing, and even Dalton says he liked it. I think that there is a huge difference between live classical music and listening to it on a CD - the live music just seems so much richer for some reason. If you're interested in reading more about the Proms, click here. We actually skipped out on the last bit of the concert, but it was about 11 or so by the time we got home, so another 40 minutes or so would have made us quite late, and even more tired than we were.
Unfortunately, I had to work on Monday, so I headed in to the office, while everyone else was getting ready for another day in London. Michelle called me to let me know that they were entering the National Gallery, so when I finished up at about 4 or 4:30, I headed towards Trafalgar Square. I can't recall if I've mentioned this before, but the National Gallery stands right on Trafalgar Square, and if you've seen a picture of the Square and the building with all the columns behind it, the building is the National Gallery. As it so happened, I arrived right on time, as they had just gotten out, and Dalton and Maggie were feeding and chasing the pigeons.
I suggested that we go to the Harrod's food halls, and so that's where we headed next. The Harrod's food halls really are astonishing, not only in terms of what they carry - everything from foie gras to olives to squid ink to apples, but also in the way that they present it. The halls are exquisitely decorated, each with the theme of the food in the hall, and the fish, meats, veggies are all laid out in such a manner that I think that even the most squeamish person would be tempted to try something new. Of course, I say that, but then Dalton and Maggie went down the fresh seafood presentations and kept saying "Yuck!", "Yuck!", "That's gross!", "Ewww!", and other such pleasantries, until I pulled them aside for fear they might be scaring off the Harrod's clientele.
We left and headed down the street a little bit before stopping to eat at Leon. Leon turned out to be a little Mediterranean/health food eatery, which served falafel, Moroccan meatballs, chicken in yoghurt, and other such assortments. I thought it was really quite good, although Dalton ended up dining on garlic bread. Maggie enjoyed her chicken and yoghurt, and we all shared a carafe of wine.
Afterwards, we headed to the Royal Albert Hall to watch one of the Proms. The Proms (short for Promenades) are a 113-year old tradition here in London where they basically let you go and see classical music for cheap. You can "promenade", which roughly translates to - don't buy a ticket before hand, just show up and pay five pounds/person for a standing spot in front of the orchestra. Excluding the fact that you're standing, they're probably the best seats in the house. I thought it was amazing, and even Dalton says he liked it. I think that there is a huge difference between live classical music and listening to it on a CD - the live music just seems so much richer for some reason. If you're interested in reading more about the Proms, click here. We actually skipped out on the last bit of the concert, but it was about 11 or so by the time we got home, so another 40 minutes or so would have made us quite late, and even more tired than we were.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
London Living
Firstly, we're all okay, and doing fine. The recent attempted car bombings were not close to my office, and certainly not close to where we live. And despite the news, life in London yesterday certainly seemed to be normal - as normal as London gets, anyway. I had told Michelle and the kids that we were going in on Saturday to do something, rain or shine, and had anticipated going to Trafalgar Square to let the kids feed the pigeons, and going to the National Gallery. However, with one of the attempted bombings being right next door, and the annual Pride parade occurring there yesterday, we decided that it might be better not to go there this Saturday.
We did, however, go in - it was raining - and the train ride in was not a promising start to the day, as two guys got into a fight in our coach. I had decided to take the family to the British Museum - there's stuff there for kids and grown-ups. Dalton really wanted to see the mummies, so I was able to buy some time for Michelle and I to wander by some old boring Egyptian, Greek, and Roman stuff by making him promise to behave until we went to see them. Visitor's tip: There is tons of stuff there - you WILL NOT be able to see all of it, or even close to all of it in one day. Pick what you want to see, and buy the guide book for 6 pounds. You might even want to buy the guide book first, as it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. What I didn't realise until yesterday is that the Museum (which was started in 1759) actually split out its collections because they became so large, forming what is now the Museum of Natural History and the British Library. Anyway, if you make it over here, I highly, highly, recommend going there. I'm putting some more pictures that Michelle took below.
After spending a few hours there, I enticed everyone to Harrod's, with promises of doughnuts and ice cream. On the way, we passed the Virgin Megastore, so we stopped in, and Mich found a U2 single, which was promptly purchased. We then proceeded to Harrod's. We went through the perfumes and into the food halls. Near the bakery, there's a Krispy Kreme, where we bought the "Limited Edition Harrod's Dreamcake" (picture below), as well as a glazed cruller for Dalton, and a chocolate glazed for Maggie. We then went over and had ice cream. The ice cream creations there are truly amazing looking, and taste good to boot. I would highly recommend going there if you're here, just for the experience and presentation factors. Afterwards, we wandered through the rest of the food halls, and then up to the toys section on the 4th floor. Like everything else there, the toys are presented most enticingly, and our children rushed to look for their favorites, getting sidetracked by just about everything else on the way.
The day wrapped up quite well - we got on the train riding back home, and met a Brit who plays American football in an American football league over here, and had quite a good conversation about holidays, rugby rules, American football vs. "football", and, of course, the terrible weather recently. He was quite personable, and actually confirmed that I was telling the truth about the British celebration of Guy Fawkes' Day... which was being met with some lack of confidence by my wife. It was quite a long day, and we were tired by the time we made it home, but everyone had fun. Dalton says that he will allow me to type what he says about our walk home from the station, so stay tuned for another post later on today.
We did, however, go in - it was raining - and the train ride in was not a promising start to the day, as two guys got into a fight in our coach. I had decided to take the family to the British Museum - there's stuff there for kids and grown-ups. Dalton really wanted to see the mummies, so I was able to buy some time for Michelle and I to wander by some old boring Egyptian, Greek, and Roman stuff by making him promise to behave until we went to see them. Visitor's tip: There is tons of stuff there - you WILL NOT be able to see all of it, or even close to all of it in one day. Pick what you want to see, and buy the guide book for 6 pounds. You might even want to buy the guide book first, as it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. What I didn't realise until yesterday is that the Museum (which was started in 1759) actually split out its collections because they became so large, forming what is now the Museum of Natural History and the British Library. Anyway, if you make it over here, I highly, highly, recommend going there. I'm putting some more pictures that Michelle took below.
After spending a few hours there, I enticed everyone to Harrod's, with promises of doughnuts and ice cream. On the way, we passed the Virgin Megastore, so we stopped in, and Mich found a U2 single, which was promptly purchased. We then proceeded to Harrod's. We went through the perfumes and into the food halls. Near the bakery, there's a Krispy Kreme, where we bought the "Limited Edition Harrod's Dreamcake" (picture below), as well as a glazed cruller for Dalton, and a chocolate glazed for Maggie. We then went over and had ice cream. The ice cream creations there are truly amazing looking, and taste good to boot. I would highly recommend going there if you're here, just for the experience and presentation factors. Afterwards, we wandered through the rest of the food halls, and then up to the toys section on the 4th floor. Like everything else there, the toys are presented most enticingly, and our children rushed to look for their favorites, getting sidetracked by just about everything else on the way.
The day wrapped up quite well - we got on the train riding back home, and met a Brit who plays American football in an American football league over here, and had quite a good conversation about holidays, rugby rules, American football vs. "football", and, of course, the terrible weather recently. He was quite personable, and actually confirmed that I was telling the truth about the British celebration of Guy Fawkes' Day... which was being met with some lack of confidence by my wife. It was quite a long day, and we were tired by the time we made it home, but everyone had fun. Dalton says that he will allow me to type what he says about our walk home from the station, so stay tuned for another post later on today.
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