Shopping at Harrods

We got a late start, my fault; I dithered around a bit, on the internet messaging home and that sort of thing. Breakfast is served in our hotel from 7am ‘til 10am and by the time I was ready to leave the room we had missed it! I was starting to dislike this place, even when the cause of my displeasure was my own fault. Small lift, narrow corridors with two fire doors between the tiny lift and our room, overheated, small cramped room and now we’d missed breakfast! Bah, humbug! Let’s go shopping!

I wanted to visit Harrods just because it’s Harrods and an icon in the shopping world, which is quite strange considering I don’t really like shopping. Michael worked out what train we needed to catch and where we had to change, our destination was Knightsbridge and from Paddington, we needed to change at Piccadilly Circus. We stopped at a local little shop for a light breakfast, they were just starting up and didn’t have much on offer but the bloke was very sweet and I was in dire need of a cuppa plus I didn’t have the heart to walk out, so we settled for a cup of tea and a warm croissant with nothing on it!!

Down at the underground it was Michael’s turn to dither as he oriented himself to this particular station and the train line that runs through it. Once sorted we were on the way, I quite like train travel in England, it’s a bit of a puzzle working out where you have to change and which exit you have to follow to your next train, but there are plenty of signs around and some monopoly-familiar names as well as some just plain strange names, for example Elephant and Castle or Cockfosters, where do they get these names? I’m sure there’s a historical explanation!

Coming out of the underground, this was our first view of Harrods

looking down one side of the store

inside Harrods the architectural detail was quite beautiful, this little delight was in a doorway between two sections

Little Harrods souvenir teddies

Harrods is quite amazing; it obviously caters to the well-heeled but also unashamedly taps into the tourist trade, with dedicated spaces to selling Harrods paraphernalia and with their sale on it was full of ordinary folk out for a bargain, us included. A visit to the food hall is an experience not to be missed. The sheer size is grand but the selection of delicacies on offer is mind boggling. Photos, of course, were mandatory. It’s not just the food that is out of this world but the setting itself oozes luxury, there are sculptures and mosaics on walls and ceilings and the staff are very polite and call you ‘Madame’ or ‘Sir’ without the slightest trace of a smirk. Even when you are making the most insignificant purchase, you are made to feel like your custom is of the utmost importance.

My oh my will you look at all this glorious food!!

Tiled walls were just beautiful

part of the cheese display

Meats, hams and sausages

Hams, pastramies and cured meats

Hanging cheeses in the fromagerie

The sweets, cakes and chocolate department

I only saw the 'no photography' sign on the chocolate  counter after I'd taken this shot, oops, too late!!!

A range of teas, you can buy pre-packed or by weight.

Even the ceilings are magnifently decorated

Foodie sculptures, this one was in the seafood department

The perfume and beauty area is decorated in a 20’s style with Egyptian theme, pillars carved with hieroglyphs and huge statues of Pharaohs even the lighting is of the style. I snapped away unselfconsciously expect a tap on the shoulder at any minute telling me to stop taking photos but it just didn’t happen.

the ceiling light in the perfumery/beauty department there was a real Egyptian theme.......

the theme ran over two floors

I felt like I was in a museum rather than a store

the Egyptian theme had an Art Deco feel to it as can be seen in these lights that followed the stairs down to the ground floor

 We bought some tea to bring home and some pate to try and some marzipan fruit, that you buy by the piece at 5.95 pound per 100g it is quite expensive, but it is oh so tempting. We really just ogled at the other things, it was too difficult to choose. I did pick up a Harrods card while we were there, which allows me to claim back the VAT back at the airport on our way home!

"Ello, ello, ello, what re you up to laddie?"

"I'm just checking out the teddies officer!"

"They're all taller than me!!! Do you think he'll fit in the hand luggage"

 It was about 2pm and we needed to find somewhere to eat, there are plenty of places in the foodhall but all were busy so we left Harrods and looked for somewhere to grab a feed. There’s not too many pubs around Harrods but I did find a luggage shop having a sale and we picked up a nice little bag on wheels that will go as hand luggage or checked through with our bigger bags, I decided we will need something for the overflow and we were able to consolidate our Harrods purchases into it too. We found a sandwich bar and had lunch. It was time to head back to the underground for the trip home before we hit the rush hour crowds. As we approached Harrods, there was a flash of light then a single loud crash of thunder and then it rained, big fat isolated drops at first but then the skies just opened and out came the brollies as people rushed for cover under the Harrods awnings.

I'd just stopped to take a photo of this Rolls Royce when the first drops of rain started to fall

then it came pelting down, I was a little nervous about going into the underground in case we got flooded out!!

 We were almost at the underground but I was a little nervous about heading down in this rain, does the underground ever flood???? Oh bugger! I just did not want to go down there, but with Michael’s reassurance that ‘it would never flood down there’ and the Brits obvious disregard for the perceived danger I just followed the crowd. When we emerged at Paddington Station the skies were clearing and the contrasts in the clouds looked quite spectacular. We went home to unload our shopping and have a cuppa and some Harrods pate and watched the news to see what’s been happening in Queensland before going out to the local fish and chip shop, where you sit at tables and the bloke waits on the table if you are eating in, for tea.

This is what greeted us when we came out of the underground at Paddington, the dark clouds were moving away fairly quickly my fears were obviously ungrounded.

the other end of the street was already clear and the sky was very pretty.

 We were almost at the underground but I was a little nervous about heading down in this rain, does the underground ever flood???? Oh bugger! I just did not want to go down there, but with Michael’s reassurance that ‘it would never flood down there’ and the Brits obvious disregard for the perceived danger I just followed the crowd. When we emerged at Paddington Station the skies were clearing and the contrasts in the clouds looked quite spectacular. We went home to unload our shopping and have a cuppa and some Harrods pate and watched the news to see what’s been happening in Queensland before going out to the local fish and chip shop, where you sit at tables and the bloke waits on the table if you are eating in, for tea.