We have been staying in a flat just a few blocks off the Thames River in Southwark. It is in a newly revamped area of London that use to house warehouses that are now gentrified into shops and resturants with flats on the upper level.
We found our flat through the website AirB&B. It is owned by a wonderful man, Marius, who has been extremely communicative and met us at the flat when we arrived on Christmas eve. It is very modern with all the amenities of home including a washer and dryer.
We had decided, in the planning of is trip that we wanted to experience London in two different ways. First in a new ultra urban environment, close to the river and then in a more traditional neighborhood of London.
After New Year the crowds started thinning, tourist leaving the area.
We took a cab from our flat in Southwark to the next flat which is in the prestigious neighborhood, Sloane Square. This one we found on the internet at the VRBO site.
The cab driver decided to take a route that the changing of the guard follows so the sidewalks were crowded with people waiting to see the guard.
I took the opportunity to practice my Rose Festival Queen wave and waved to the crowds along the parade route. Who knows? Celebrities are in abundance in London and someone seeing me wave might have thought “is that someone we should know?”
We arrived at our next flat and luckily had beed forewarned that there was brick work being done to the exterior because our building was wrapped in scaffolding, but is a beautiful street in a beautiful area just 1/2 block from the tube and bus. That street is Kings Road and houses some elegant upper end shops, notably Burberry.
This flat is entirely the opposite of our former flat, decorated with heavy window coverings, 12 foot ceiling, original woodwork and huge single pane windows.
Only the kitchen has had any modernization.
It is early enough that we set out to discover of new surrounding. While we were staying blocks from the London Bridge and the London Tower we tried to focus on that area of thr city. This new area is a quick walk to Westminster and Buckingham Palace. We have saved exploring it until we got moved closer.
We came upon The Albert Bridge. This bridge is so old and can not withstand the weight of the guard marching across it that there is a sign instructing them to break step as crossing the bridge.
With still more beautiful, but different, views of the Thames River.
And back to Harrod’s. The sidewalks are negotiable now that the crowds have thinned and we can see more of the surroundings and are less concerned with crushing crowds making it impossible to concentrate on anything other than staying in step as to not be crushed in the throng of people.
This icon of London was formerly owned by Mohamed Al Fayed, the father of Dodi Fayed, who was Princess Diana’s boyfriend, killed with her in the car crash in Paris in 1997.
There is a tribute, installed by his father, now moved within the store, but kept intact, along with a condolance book for visitors to write in.
The tribute has on display their photos, a wineglass, purportedly from their last dinner together and an engagement ring that Dodi is said to have purchased the day before they were killed in the crash.
There is also a bronze statue of the two of them releasing an albatross.
Now we can see the interior of the store and the departments that have made them world famous.
And the structure.
And without the crowds blocking our view, we can see the magnificent window displays.
There is still so much to see and do….tomorrow.
