We took Saturday easy, slept in then headed to Harrod’s to get lost in. I have never seen such a prettier mall. I actually liked getting lost in it, and I hate malls with a passion, but the elevator areas were all different and elegantly decorated and the first floor had beautiful ceilings. I personally loved the first floor with all the food stalls. We ate the most expensive lunch at one of the lunch counters but, it was cool to sit there. I have to say the fashion was a bit drab though, all black and grey and very ugly, I don’t know what the designers were thinking this season, but I was unimpressed, I hope American stores don’t have those clothes when I get home, I love color. That evening we made our way across town to Brick Lane, home of the best Bangladesh food in London. You felt a bit like you were in Bangladesh with all the restaurants on the street trying to get you to eat at their place with drink and meals discounts, it was kind of fun to bargain for the best deal. We ended up eating at one of the Spicy joints on a corner (I didn’t even think to notice the name) because the people who had just exited said it was amazing and amazing it was, I didn’t know really what to expect but I loved the whole meal. On our way home I ran into the taxi that had an advertisement for Newport Beach California on the side, my friend Kristi said she had seen it earlier in the day and I was so excited to spot it dropping off people in front of my hotel, the Spanish customers and taxi driver thought I was crazy wanting to take a photo of it, but I was so excited I couldn’t explain in Spanish. About Spanish I have been fortunate to speak quite a bit of it here, the guy at my hotel front desk is from Spain and many people here speak it or are visiting from Spanish countries, so it’s been exciting to use it a bit and listen to conversations and understand.
Sunday we got up early and headed out on an Evans Evans tour of Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds, gorgeous. Blenheim Palace or the home of the current Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill was enormous and absolutely stunning, or at least the exterior and gardens, I am never really impressed with the insides of buildings, I normally like the exteriors more, we had a lovely walk inside and a better walk outside in the gardens. Our next stop was Burford in the Cotswolds for lunch; Burford was a quaint old stone town. Then it was off to Bourton-On-The-Water, which was also a small stone town with a river running through and much more charming and full of life. It looked like the perfect place to bring a picnic, put your feet in the river or just play (at least for kids). Our last stop was Bibury and Arlington Row which has the most picturesque row of Cotswold stone houses along a river bank. All the British rich want to move to the Cotswolds but, I don’t get it, you pay half a million pounds for a tiny stone home that you can’t change and some you can’t even hang a picture on the inside, I would rather have a home I can paint and do whatever I wanted to for much less money and more room. I guess I just don’t understand status and the rich. An interesting fact about the Cotswolds is that it literally means sheep grazing on the hills and they are known all over the world for the best wool, however; the Cotswold Lions (sheep) that create the finest wool came from the Romans and it was Italy and France who bought all the wool from England way back when, ironic. Another odd fact, Britain outlawed Blood Sports recently (hunting for fun, not for food) and they went so far to make a law that says if you kill an animal with your car it is illegal for you to pick it up and take home for dinner but they guy behind you can (odd).
Okay enough with the random facts, we had the most amazing Thai curry at The Churchill Arms Pub in Notting Hill, it was super spicy and awesome. The pub is famous for having the most flowers, the outside is covered with them and the entire ceiling and walls and floor space have potted plants, it was some the freshest air I’ve breathed in a long time. We felt the day complete by eating at the Churchill Arms after visiting his birthplace today and driving past his burial place.
I can say that I am having a great time over here with my mom, I am very glad we had the opportunity to do this trip, it’s been good for the both of us, and I am learning to relax and slow down and rubbing a bit off on her. After spending a whole day on tour with older American’s I felt so foreign and it was good, I felt like I enjoyed life more than just schedules and lists and titles. Off to Wales this week.
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