Snapshots
“Dunking does of course come with a level of risk. You don’t want to leave your biscuit in the tea for too long, as otherwise, the tea might take full ownership of it.”
Inside the department store Fortnum & Mason on Monday, Jan 9.
Practically perfect in every way (Mary Poppins too).
You’re a wizard Harry, and a thumping good one I'd wager, once you train up a little.
The ODEON theater in Leicester Square where the Harry Potter films premiered.
Look closely and you’ll see the Caped Crusader on the roof of the theater!
Stepped inside Pret A Manger for a quick bite and found a dime.
British Museum on Tuesday, Jan 10
Such symmetry
Copy of Rosetta Stone
A recovered temple.
If you watched the TV series Mr Selridge with Jeremy Piven, this is the actual store in London. It is massive on a scale that is hard to describe; this one store is literally the size of an entire shopping mall. It’s actually overwhelming to walk through and, essentially, if you’re not a millionaire, don’t even bother. A gigantic store, all disappointingly inaccessible to all but the very wealthy.
Amanda bought Spare by Prince Harry from Hatchard’s—booksellers since 1797. On Wednesday morning (Jan 11) she bought the book and quickly hid it in her new Kensington Palace canvas book bag, for fear of being stoned by the Brits.
She exposed the book briefly before entering the door to our apartment. We made it!
Despite the book purchase, we were still able to get near the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace
The gates at Buckingham Palace. If the Union Jack is flying above Buckingham Palace, as it is here, the King is not in residence. When the King is at the Palace, the Royal Standard flies. Likewise, when he goes to Parliament, the Royal Standard flies from Victoria Tower.
Harrods department store is massive on the same scale as Selfridge & Co. Sadly, I found the extravagant display of wealth in both stores extremely off-putting.
The only enjoyable part of Harrods were the food halls. Harrods is every bit as snooty as Selfridge & Co, but the array of high-quality foods was stunning.
Here is the truffle and artichoke sandwich on olive bread (shockingly only £12) from Harrods. While the store was generally a temple of vapid consumerism, the sandwich was truly an experience!
On the viewing platform at the Wellington Arch looking down Constitution Hill toward Buckingham Palace on Thursday, Jan 12. The Shard and London Eye are just visible to the left and the top of the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is poking up on the right.
Despite the sign, I still hit my head!
The stairwell down from the top of the Wellington Arch.
The Wellington Arch is also known as the Constitution Arch or the Green Park Arch. From its construction (1826–1830) the arch stood in a different location nearby; it was moved to its current site in 1882–1883. Marble Arch is its compliment.
The arch originally had a colossal statue with Duke Wellington on his horse. The statue was widely considered to be oversized for the arch and was hugely unpopular.
The Duke was removed and eventually replaced in 1912 by Peace Descending on the Quadriga of War—a bronze quadriga (an ancient four-horse chariot) ridden by the Goddess of Victory Nike.
We’ve passed St James’s Church Piccadilly several times and finally decided to go inside. Initially its seems very plain, but closer inspection reveals an ornate and understated beauty.
You may recall the stained glass window and alter from Anthony and Edwina's wedding during the deeply disappointing session 2 of Bridgerton .
Lighting a candle for Keith and Nita.
The stunning organ. The image gets a little dark toward the top, but the detail is simply amazing.
This is Great Newport Street in Covent Garden. During the opening scenes of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, three death eaters descend from the sky and fly past Trafalgar Square, up Charing Cross Road, and blast through this gate and into Diagon Alley, where they kidnap Mr Ollivander.
We tried to enter Diagon Alley, but I guess no muggles are allowed. Just up the road is where the West End play of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on stage.
The building is gorgeous.
We were tempted to attend, but the tickets were steep.
💷 💷 💷 💷 💷
Music shops on the famous Denmark Street in Soho.
Pretty clever.
Amazing door adornment.
We randomly turned down a street because it looked beautiful and then we turned down a tiny alley because we saw a Lamb and Flag logo. Amazing choices because they led us to the Lamb and Flag pub, which claims to be the oldest in Covent Garden and allegedly frequented by Charles Dickens.
This sign is on the slanted roof of the narrow alleyway that leads to the scene of an attack on the poet John Dryden in 1679 by thugs hired by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, with whom he had a long-standing conflict
The ambiance inside seems little changed from days of old—an exceptionally atmospheric interior!
Warm mulled cider with spiced rum.
Hi Dad!!
Random beautiful architecture is everywhere you look.
The glorious marble interior of Australia House became the interior for Gringotts, the wizards bank run by goblins in the Harry Potter films. You cannot go inside, but by briefly looking through the glass doors, you can see the magnificent crystal chandeliers that are a prominent feature of the Gringotts banking hall in the films.
“Well, there's your money, Harry, Gringotts, the wizard bank. Aint no safer place, not one, 'xcept, perhaps, Hogwarts.”
- Hagrid
