We left for London Christmas night. We arrived on Amanda's Birthday- Happy Birthday to you!! The UK Border Immigration growled at my three month entry, but with my powers of persuasion and the empowering label professor ( the agent stated that title 20x in 20 different where, when, why questions), I got the multiple stamps!
We found the best London neighborhood - Kensington. Our small residential hotel, Park Grand London Kensington is only a block from the London Tube, at Earl's Court on a small main street of coffee shops, banks and pubs (....and a Nanos, too, Sara:)). Thank you Sara - Abbey Car was a total miracle for us - Heathrow directly to our wonderfully small residential hotel.
It's Boxing Day - so we wanted to be with the London residents doing what Londoners do on Boxing Day, shop together on Oxford Circus, Regents Street, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square - today is all about the CONSUMER. So we quickly assimilated into the proper role and found - SELFRIDGES & Co, SELFRIDGES.com and their ubiquitous yellow bags that every Londoner carries on Boxing Day. It's like Macy's with an accent.
We found a friendly taxi driver who took us through the shopping areas and gave us a true London narrative on Boxing Day and all he felt we needed to know. First, there are London cameras EVERYWHERE! Everywhere!! EVERYWHERE!!! And second, not to worry, the 'Romanians are removed' immediately as they are the pickpockets. Third, he told us to look at the people on the sidewalks, just in this area alone are plainclothes police everywhere as well as men in black suits and ties wearing tags, SECURITY. Our east London accented taxi driver told us, "We want you to come back to London, so we remove immediately the 'Romanians'. "But keep a good eye on yourself, he warned us, "in case others try as well". Fourth, " We wait to shop for gifts
after Christmas because you can get a better price and save a lot. In fact, we are eating at my mother in laws tonight", he reported. "She cooks everything so dry, that's why I am eating my roll now, I don't tell her, but I can't eat her food at dinner." So it's Boxing night the exchange of gifts occur.
As the taxi crept slowly through Oxford Street to what the driver thought was the perfect spot for us, we saw hundreds and hundreds of people, shoulder to shoulder on narrow sidewalks passing Forever 21, Ambercrombie & Fitch, The Body Shop, and many, many USA brand stores. Everyone carried many purchases with the store name brandished on every bag. And as we entered Selfridges, dozens of men in black suits tagged with security smiled at me saying, 'welcome to London'. Rich and I apparently look very much USA in a crowd of London Boxers. Rich was wearing Chicago White Sox hat, that may have been the tip as well.
The London tube is very easy. We went to find St. James Park, Green Park, found Bird Cage Walk. We found Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye with hardly a Brit in view. We listened to the chimes of Westminster at noon and Big Ben's strong bong at one. It is all international tourists. London iconic sites are a thrill to discover. And it was awesome to turn for a picture at Buckingham Palace gate and spontaneously find Big Ben boldly standing in the short distance - just there! So cool!
We stopped in a pub for hot mulled wine and a beer. WE ARE IN LONDON! Thanks, Ben for your advice, we keep saying exactly that, "We are in London!!!!!!!!"
Back to Kensington to chill and a bite to eat. Chelsea, neighborhood next to Kensington, played big football game (soccer to you Americans we were reminded), tonight. Every pub in this little neighborhood packed with the winners and the losers tonight with a large police and Bobbie presence, for extra security we were told. It's Boxing Day, a Bank Holiday they remind us. So not much is opened. It is only the pubs that are opened in order to celebrate the football win!
Tomorrow, Churchill War Rooms part of the Imperial War Museums. Thank you Luke and Nicole, will be interesting event in London.
