I did a little shopping on Friday with my friend, Marta. It was my reward for working hard on my essay all week. Actually the working hard didn't last ALL week as I had planned: Thursday was a bust due to the aforementioned insomnia. But, the first half of the week went well anyway, so I went shopping. We got an early start since the main shopping areas are insane in the afternoon. We started on Regent Street and went to the huge toys tore, Hamley's, because Marta had to buy her niece and nephew presents. It reminded me of FAO Schwartz in Chicago (and NYC). Since they closed their doors a few years ago, I don't think there's an equivalent in the US anymore. We also walked through Carnaby Street, which I had not done before. Quaint.


The highlight of the day was Harrods. Neither of us had been there yet, so we were looking forward to seeing what the hype is all about. Plus, we thought it would be nice to see the Christmas decorations. (I actually wanted to see the Santa 'Grotto' because it's apparently quite elaborate--I was picturing in my mind the Santa setup in "A Christmas Story". We found Father Christmas Land, but the big man was behind closed doors; tickets were necessary to get in!)
Wow! What a store! It's huge! A person can spend all day there wandering about, getting lost. Of course, neither of us bought anything since it's pretty pricey. We did partake of lattes and scones with clotted cream in the cafe though. I could have eaten a full meal somewhere else for the price I paid, but no matter--it was a one time thing.
It's pretty funny to observe shoppers at Harrods. Granted we were tourists too, but at least we TRIED to blend in and be discrete. There were a couple of ladies in the cafe at a table near us who were picking up the centerpiece, turning it over, examining it--please! How obvious can you be?!? On the other hand, pretty much everyone in the store is a tourist, so there's no sense trying to disguise one's true identity. I should have just taken a picture of my coffee and scone as I was tempted to do. Instead, I took a picture of the building from the street.


During a couple of other downtown outings recently, I was happy to find a couple of Christmas trees that were nicer than the sad-looking one on display at Covent Garden.

This one is at Trafalgar Square. It's from Norway. Every year Oslo gives London a tree in gratitude for assistance during WWII. A thoughtful gesture.


On Sunday I went to the Evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral. The tree in the courtyard nearby was very lovely as well. Not big or anything, but tastefully decorated.
This concludes my expert critique of Christmas trees in London.