Several of you, dear correspondents, have prescribed for us an upscale Afternoon Tea in London - a treat to experience at least once during our England sabbatical. So we set out to book at the renowned Fortnum and Mason department store. According to their website: "Since 1707, Fortnum & Mason has been home to extraordinary hampers, delicious food, joy-giving gifts and unforgettable experiences."
This was hard to resist! But ultimately we found ourselves too faint-hearted to pay the per-person price tag (£80 = $98) for this albeit posh afternoon refreshment. Instead, we contented ourselves with a somewhat lower-priced Tea at the nearby Fleming's Mayfair. And we're so glad we did! The food, coffee, and tea were all excellent, the service wonderful, and the setting was intimate, serene, and very charming with its murals depicting scenes of India. It was a truly wonderful respite from another rainy day of London sightseeing.
Thus fortified, onward to Fortnum's we went - and OH MY I had no idea! I'm not an enthusiastic shopper, but I'd love to look in every corner of this amazing store. Since the day was getting late, we only had time to browse the impressive selections in the gourmet food hall on the ground floor. I wanted to buy sooooooo many items! We restrained ourselves, but I can tell you that our little sample box of chocolates are most delicious 😋.
Earlier in the day we had taken the train from Bicester to London; spent an hour at the Covent Garden Apple store fruitlessly trying to bring my MacBook back to life; joined a sparse crowd of tourists to see the Tower of London; and walked across Tower Bridge.
The Tower of London in the center of the city is one of the nation's oldest castles. Lots of bad things happened there in centuries past, while today it houses the crown jewels which we saw up close. (No photography of the crown jewels is allowed - below is a stock image.) I wonder when the Royal Family will replace that cruelly-produced ermine lining on all their crowns?
I want to thank Robin, the photographer for most of these photos. During this London visit, my iPhone (i.e. my camera) stayed at the Apple store getting its battery replaced. I thought I might as well take advantage of our trip to London - there aren't any Apple stores near Oxford!
A day of London sightseeing takes us 11-12 hours with commuting time; but we've enjoyed each of our visits so much! As I've been writing this, Robin and I finally reached a decision on where to spend our Thanksgiving break. We'd discussed various options from Botswana to Greece. But lucky us, we've decided to spend six whole days in...London! Thanks for reading.
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Looks beautiful and the food looks yummy!!!!
I was just going to say superb photography! Hope you returned to Oxford with your phone in hand.
Have never been to Fortnum's and now have added it to my list. You've even piqued my curiosity about the Tower, which I steadfastly refused to see in September!