Sunday 15 November 2009

Capping off a GREAT weekend in the Smoke with the girls...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond - what a FANTASTIC weekend! So today, we popped out of bed around 10 AM (mercifully, no hangover to speak of). After showering, we rolled over to the Prince Regent, where we had a staple of Britsh cuisine - the Full English Breakfast.

Despite less than fabulous service and decent (at best) coffee, we had a GREAT brekkie. 5 pounds gets you the following:

1. Enough toast to feed the Red Army (white or brown - your choice)

2. A monster cut of black pudding (think haggas)
3. A good slab of rasher (country ham)

4. 2 eggs (always fried - no options here, folks)

5. A sauteed portobello mushroom (garlic, salt, and oil, baby)

6. More bread (and did I mention enough butter to kill a small horse?)

7. Beans (good for your heart...)

8. A wicked good cut of Cumberland Sausage

9. Ploughman's mash (mashed potatoes filled with veggies and butter)

10. A big ole' slice of tomato (Grainger County style)

It was DELICIOUS, and we left quite full. After that, given that the sun was FINALLY shining, we rolled over to Hyde Park Corner, where we had a great walk through all the monuments of Hyde Park and St. James Park, including Wellington's Arch and all the war memorials.

We wandered past Buckingham Palace and into St. James Park, where we were treated to a wonderful waterfowl display, including lots of loons, mallard ducks, swans, and even some ginormous pelicans - wicked cool. What was NOT cool, however, were all these MORONS feeding squirrels all over the place, encouraging the squirrels to jump on top of them and practially eat peanuts out of their hands. I could almost see the rabies moving around...I felt like I was watching the opening 5 minutes of "28 Days Later."

At the end of St. James Park, we saw a military presentation by the Cavalry Brigade. There were all these kids dressed in red capes like the Volturi, and I kept waiting for Edward to burst out of the shadows. All kidding aside, it was very interesting, as the band led a processional of veterans and their families.

We then rolled over to Cafe Nero for a coffee, where we tried the Amaretto Latte. It was just nice to sit for a bit and rest our dogs. Then it was over to Harrod's, where we were treated to a FANTASTIC window display (yeah, go ahead, say it - Sam - you are REALLY gay). This year's theme was commemorating the 70th annivesary of "The Wizard of Oz," and the window displays loosely followed the story, all the while showcasing tons of items for sale inside. Some of the displays were really clever - such as this one showcasing that all the witch (or should I say Elphaba) really ever wanted was Dorothy's stylish shoes.

We trolled around the food court as well (honestly, you have to see it to believe it) before stopping to get a hug from Maxwell (the Harrod's bear) on the way out.

We then rolled back to the flat, where muffin puffin is set to soon deliver a bottle of Tempranillo (Spanish red) before we set out to find dinner somewhere (most likely at a Turkish joint down the way).

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny




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