We arrived Monday at Northwood, (HMS Warrior) about 10 p.m. We planned to stay two nights in transient family quarters which at five pounds per night, per person, were dirt cheap. I don�t think you can even sleep under an overpass in London for that price. However, it�s kind of a scary place. We were greeted at the gate by a Royal Marine who pointed his little machine gun at the car and asked us who we were. We all had to go into the registration office while Bob signed us in. He told me before we got out of the car that I wasn�t to say anything while we were in there, as he didn�t want to have to go into the story of why his mother-in-law was a foreigner. I have been on a lot of Naval Bases in my time, both US & RN and security at Northwood was the tightest than I have ever seen.. It is the headquarters for NATO - U.K. and also there is a large communications center here. They are very serious about the security. The next morning after Bob went off to his meetings Jen and I walked up t the gate to catch a taxi to the Underground Station and upon leaving the guard at the gate told us politely, but seriously, that we should not have been walking around unescorted. Unescorted persons not in uniform or not displaying a proper pass seen walking around are subject to being shot on sight!)
Having survived leaving the base we then caught the Underground into London to Knightsbridge Station. We had made a plan the night before (a first for us) and had decided that we would visit Harrod�s, Fortnum & Masons, both of which I had never visited before, stroll around the shops if we had any time left and then meet Bob for dinner and take in a show. Harrod�s is right outside the Knightsbridge station so that�s where we started. The big annual sale was started the next day, but that wouldn�t have made much difference to me anyway. They had sale tags already on most of the merchandise and the sale prices were completely out of my price range. But I only wanted to come here to look anyway so I wasn�t disappointed, just amazed that anyone could afford to shop here ever! Jackets marked down from 990 pounds to the low, low price of 795. I don�t have a calculator handy here but multiply that number by $1.65 and you get the price in dollars. I did buy a couple of shopping bags that were the only things I saw in my price range.
Jenny got her nose all out of joint as we left because there was a large shrine built in the Foyer to Dodi and Diana. It really was in very bad taste, and as Jenny said things like that forever link the two of them in peoples minds and who is to say for sure that they planned to marry. Putting up this sort of thing gives Diana no say in the matter, and it�s just presumption. She has a point.
After Harrod�s and lunch it was on to Piccadilly Station and shopping for theater tickets. There were a lot of shows playing in London and we were caught up in massive indecision. After a great deal of twoing and froing between us and trying to second guess what Bob would like we settled on Soul Train.
Then it was onward to Fortnum & Mason�s. Now that�s a sight to see folks. The first thing you see as you approach is this large ornate clock on the front of the building. Every hour the Messers Fortnum and Mason come out and bow to each other. Inside the decor is pure Edwardian England, with wonderful crystal chandeliers, even in the powder room, and the gentlemen assistants on the sales floor are dressed in frock coats (the old-fashioned jackets with tails you saw at the Royal Wedding on the TV). They have a huge food hall with every kind of delicacy imaginable. In fact, Fortnum and Mason are grocers to the Queen. There are Chocolates to absolutely die for. More kinds of cheeses than I ever imagined existed, exotic tea, coffee�s, jams, marmalades, truffles, all that kind of stuff. Down stairs they have examples of their famous picnic hampers that you can purchase, prices ranging from 900 pounds down to a mere 120.
Up stairs is clothing and household goods. Again it makes you wonder about who shops in these kinds of places. Rich Arabs for sure as we saw lots (well not really lots, but some anyway) of women all wrapped up in whatever it�s called that they wrap themselves up in shopping. I got a laugh in the hat department. I had sat down for a minute to rest my poor feet on one of the round upholstered sofas that they scatter around for women to park their husbands on while they shop and there was a middle-aged lady trying on hats. She and her husband were carrying on a good-natured conversation in what sounded like German. She tried on this one hat that she appeared to like and her husband smiled at her and said something and she took it off and looked at the price tag. She sort of gasped, and said Mein Gott! She immediately put it down, snatched up her husband and left the hat department. I guess I�m not the only one who found the place a little pricey.
After finding out how the other half shopped, we took ourselves off to browse around the more affordable shops, bearing in mind that even if we did buy something we would have to drag it to the theater with us. That put a very effective halt to any shopping. At this point I�m not sure I have any money left anyway. Whatever I buy on the rest of this trip, I will purchase in Scotland.
We took to Underground again to Victoria Station to meet Bob. His meeting lasted much later than we had planned so Jen and I went to dinner without him. (Poor fellow). He finally made it with about 45 min to spare before the show started, and grabbed a quick Chinese take-away in the station.
Soul Train was playing in the Victoria Theater right across a huge and confusing intersection from the station. The show was a musical, tracing history of soul music. I didn�t recognize the names of anyone in it but who cared. The music was wonderful, the dancing inspired and we had great seats. A good time was had by all.
After the show, when we came outside, I swear there were as many people out on the streets and in the train station as there had been at noon. London is a very large, very dirty, very cosmopolitan city. It�s an exciting place to visit for the day, but I was grateful to get on the underground and leave it, even when it meant having to face the guys with the machine guns back at Northwood.
On Wednesday morning we left for the long drive back up to Scotland. I seem to be having a hard time staying in Scotland on this trip. We are going back down to England tomorrow night to visit my youngest British Granddaughter Claire and her cutie pie husband Darin in Lincolnshire over the weekend. We are going to try to check out Hadrian�s Wall on our way back Sunday. I am going to spend today trying to sort out my suitcases. What a mess!