After breakfast, we head out to find Portobella Market. It's a neat market Mark heard about from the internet and travel channel. We walked and walked and couldn't exactly find it. We came across what we thought was it, but all the stores were closed. Mark had read that we needed to get there by 8 am. It was sort of a dreary morning and it was a little after 9 when we found the street. We think it may have opened at 8am on the weekends, and 10 am on weekdays. We decided to keep walking and head to Harrod's and the free Natural History Museum we had read about.
It started to rain on our way to the underground, so we popped in a tourist shop and bought an "I Love London" umbrella, stamps for all our postcards and Mark let me buy three new pashmina's. I was very excited. I picked yellow, gray and turquoise. They were 3 for 5 pounds - much cheaper than in the US. About the only thing cheaper in London than in the US!
We got to Harrod's just before 10 am, when it opened. We took a tourist pic outside and they unlocked the doors to open. There were people standing outside waiting to be let in. We looked briefly through cosmetics and then went upstairs to look at clothes. We passed the shoes and Mark sat while I looked at some of the most expensive shoes I have every seen. They had Jimmy Choo's there. I was too scared to pick them up even. We left right after that. I felt very out of place there and it wasn't much fun looking at things you can never buy and never probably want to buy.
We headed on to the Natural History Museum. There was a large line but it moved very fast. The ouside of the building was beautiful. A lot of intricate detail. One of the kinds thought all museums should be free, so not only was the museum an old castle, it was also free.
We looked at the dinosaurs and human biology exhibits. It was very interesting and the exhibits were huge and very hands on. Mark and I actually got separated for a few minutes in the human biology exhibit. I was very nervous and panicky. We discussed a plan in case we ever got separated from each other (no cell phones with us). After about 15 minutes of being separated from each other, we would go to the entrance of wherever we were. After waiting there for another 30 minutes or so, we would head back to the hotel. We decided on going back to the hotel because sometimes some of the places we were at didn't have obvious entrances and sometimes Mark and I think very different than the other one and may not be at what we think is the same entrance. We also decided that I would stay in one place and Mark would walk around looking for me.
After the museum, we decided to head towards the Ritz to have tea. Our tour guide from the bus tour said there was a very good tea place right next to the Ritz called "something Valerie". He said afternoon tea at the Ritz was 40 pounds/person! Yikes! We took the underground to the station nearest the Ritz and found a nearby pub for lunch. We never should have gone there, because it wasn't very good and we had tea, scones and a milkshake at our afternoon tea.
We had lunch and went on to find Patisserie Valerie, which ended up being a chain and was in many different parts of London, so we actually didn't need to go all the way to the Ritz. It was ok though, because we didn't have much planned for the afternoon. I ordered peach mango tea and two scones with clotted cream. Mark got a milkshake. It was his second milkshake in London and both were liquid, like chocolate milk (that is about our only complaint for London!). I shared a scone with Mark. You put butter, then jam and then clotted cream on it. It is wonderful! I tried litle sections with apricot, boysenberry, and strawberry jam!
After tea, we went to the hotel. Since it was rainy, we grabbed our laundry and walked a block to a laundromat to do it. It only took about 45 minutes, but costs 3 pounds/load and 1 pound to dry. We did two loads. I accidentally put 4 pounds in the machine and it wouldn't give us our extra pound back, so we ended up paying 9 pounds to do our laundry! Approximately $15 - expensive laundry!
It was pouring down rain so we relaxed in our hotel room with our window open listening to the sounds of London. The town doesn't stop even when it rains.
We got ready and planned to meet Amanda Hawrylic (my friend from high school) for dinner and drinks. She told us to meet her just outside the Oxford Circus tube stop at 6:30 on the corner of little Argyle St. by a street vendor that either sold pancakes or corn. Sounded simple, but it wasn't. There was a little Argyle St and an Argyle St. Also all the vendors were closed, so we couldn't tell what each one even sold. There were two different corners she could have been talking about, so Mark stood on one and I walked around in a square to the other one. Mark was on the lookout for her, even thought he had never met her! Luckily, I found her at the other corner! We went back to get Mark. She wanted to take us to a restaurant called Dim Sum, which we had seen but were hesitant to try. There was another restaurant that was indian food. We were also too scared to try that was well, so she took us to one that had a little bit of everything. It was perfect. We drank, ate and chatted the night away. It was nice to catch up with her!
Mark was annoyed about the way the two of us planned to meet. He said this is what happens when girls plan something. He thought it was silly we were meeting at a moveable vendor and not a permanent store.
Here are somethings that are different in London:
- They drive on the opposite side of the road
- Steering wheels are on the opposite side as well
- Strollers are called buggys
- Bars are called pubs
- Apartments are called flats
- The subway is called the underground or tube
- French fries are called chips
- Vacation is called holiday instead.
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