We had to dress up for afternoon tea, which we had a two o'clock reservation for, but didn't want to walk around in nice shoes. So we wore our walking shoes with our dress clothes. Classy.
On the train we played Crazy Eights. The Husband really liked this game because it is one of few that he can actually beat me at.
We got into London bright and early before all of the tourists even got up. We headed toward the Borough Market and came across some interesting pieces like these giant Astro-turf couches.
The market was farther away than we had originally thought so we kept wandering...down Sumner Street...
by the Mad Hatter Hotel...
around Shakespeare's Globe Theater...
and then we finally arrived. Everything was up and people were bustling around! There were all sorts of fresh produce, breads, meats, cheeses, jams and any other food you could think of!
We didn't end up getting much because, well we don't actually live in London and would have a hard time transporting it back to our flat. But, I also had to buy something. We grabbed a pretzel roll and shared it.
We were running short on time and wanted to make it to see the Changing of the Guard. So we took the Underground back and I had to take the cliche underground picture.
Before I left, I was told to check out Rick Steve's podcasts. Rick Steves travels the world and has written many guidebooks. Rather than looking into guidebooks for this trip, we just downloaded several podcasts which where chock full of information from free things to do in London, ways to avoid the crowds, strategic ways to get around town and even walking tours! Among other things, I learned that everyone waits hours at Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guards. But, all of the tour guides head over to St. James' Palace to watch them line up and march in with them. So, we thought we'd do the same. Sure enough, the crowd was significantly smaller and so we got to see much more! I will be looking into Belgium podcasts before our trip and I absolutely recommend listening to some wherever you travel!
The guards are actually active military, so this is not their day jobs. But there they are, all lines up and ready to march.
Getting closer.
Somehow, we managed to get very close.
Good thing The Husband is more than six feet tall. He took a few videos so I could see what was going on. I tried to post them here but it looks like I'm having issues.
Since we actaully couldn't figure out what was going on, we left before they were done (we think) and headed to Harrods. We wanted to get ourselves something nice for our anniversary. This place was TOO nice. It was more crowded than Disney World and it was sickening to look at the price tags. I didn't take any pictures but I've never seen so many Bentley's and Rolls Royce's parked along the street.
I wonder if I can make this cake one day? (it's larger than it looks because the top is chopped off)
Wow. I couldn't believe how much we had done in just one day! It was crouching in on the two o'clock hour so we headed back towards Buckingham Palace to have an afternoon tea at the Brasserie at the Grosvenor Hotel. It was so lovely!
Unfortunately, there was scaffolding all over the outside of the Hotel, so I stole this from the internet. Is it stealing if you cite it? I think not!
We had traditional English Tea. I did put some milk in mine but have done it before and am quite the fan of milk in tea. We talked about what a brilliant idea afternoon tea was. We don't have to go to a fancy restaurant but from now on when we have a day packed of activities, we will find a place to sit down for an hour or two to have some snacks. I never understood the afternoon tea until yesterday, but now I get it. It helps you regain energy and allows for an enjoyably afternoon!
On the bottom were tea sandwiches. They were a variety of egg cress, cucumber and some kind of cheese, one other cheese sandwich and something that looked like ham. They were all crust less of course. We stayed away from the meat looking one. The next tier was the scones with clotted cheese and on the top was a variety of tea cakes.
Everyone was walking away from the area so I thought we had missed it...but I was wrong. Granted, I've only been there twice, I have never see this many people in Trafalgar Square.
We had to run after this girl to get a picture.
We didn't have much else to do besides shop around for the gift we didn't find at Harrods so we thought we would try to see an evening show. Like Broadway, you can get half price tickets when you purchase the day of the show. We learned from the podcast to go to TKTS. There are plenty of half price tickets but TKTS is the only official one. They are located in Leicester Square with a giant clock on the building. We got tickets to the 7:30 showing of We Will Rock You, the Queen tribute show.
We got the tickets just before 5 so we had a few more hours to kill. We got on the Underground and headed towards Portobello Market. It is a HUGE market that sells food, clothes, hats, new goods, used good and antiques. It was closing as we arrived and people were beginning to pack up. This will definitely be a priority when we head back to London. We have been discussing getting a clock for our anniversary as it is one of the traditional first anniversary gifts. We would love to place it on our fireplace mantle (when we have one) and would be a great memory of our stay here. Harrod's clocks weren't cutting it for us (we just don't have $20,000 to spend on a clock) but we did find an antique clock store on Notting Hill and will have to go back there.
I just had to take this picture because he is king and he knows it.
This was a clothing store lined with old swinger sewing machines.
This market was more our taste. We wanted to grab some food. The Husband wanted "real" food and saw the golden arches. In my opinion, McDonald's is the farthest from real food but marriage is a compromise and this time, it was my turn to give.
After "dinner" we got back on the underground and headed toward the Dominion Theater on Oxford Street. Get excited for what's about to happen.
Little did we know what was about to happen. After waiting 15 minuted for a delayed train, we were told that it was actually suspended. A little flustered, we got on another train and found another route to the theater. It wasn't actually to the theater but one stop away. On the train, we looked at the map and I said we needed to book get out and go left on Oxford street for about three blocks. We got to the station at 7:28 so we needed to book it. We got to the street and ran left. Then I realized that there wasn't just one exit, but eight and I wasn't sure what side of the street we were on. We ran left about a block then back to the station, then left again and wasted 5 minutes. Once I realized the right way to go, I knew we weren't going to make it. We found a pedicab and he took us to the theater. He had the nerve to ask for a tip after he charged us twenty pounds for a five minute bicycle ride. I knew from the start that he took advantage of the stress in our voices.
We made it to the theater almost 10 minutes late. They were in the middle of a song (I'm assuming it was the first). We stood in the back for the rest of that song and the next before the usher seated us. Once we settled down, we really enjoyed the show.
It was very interesting to see it in the UK though. There were phrases that I know would not have been used in the States (like referring to the guy as a bloak). I also am sure the American version didn't involve the underground station they used and the girl would have probably been wearing underpants of the American flag rather than the British one (just a hunch). There were other characteristics of the musical unique to the area and this part of the world. I'm sure there were even some jokes we missed just due to the accents and differences in culture. It made me wonder what it would have been like to see a show we had seen before like Wicked or the Lion King.
After the show, we got on the 11:35 train and made it back to Farnborough. We missed the last bus and the line for the cabs was crazy so we walked home. It took almost 30 minutes because we were so sore and tired from such an eventful day!
I slept in this morning and woke up to have Honey Cheerios with pouring yogurt and pomegranate and coffee on the side. My legs were still so tight and sore from yesterday but it was totally worth it!
I needed to eat well today because yesterday, the only fruit or vegetable I had was small plum in the morning (even though I burned it all off walking around the city). For lunch I had couscous and ratatouille while The Husband made a turkey sandwich. He makes them so well! First, he heats the turkey in a frying pan....
Put it on some bread and you're good to go. Try it some time.
We took it easy today and went to the carboot sale where we didn't get anything besides some watermelon and ice cream:
Then we got supplies for the 4th of July BBQ we are having tomorrow. More to come on that...
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