{"id":696,"date":"2017-07-05T10:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T10:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/05\/sale-shopping-at-harrods-east-end-street-art-tour-dinner-with-friends-in-chelsea\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:49","slug":"sale-shopping-at-harrods-east-end-street-art-tour-dinner-with-friends-in-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/05\/sale-shopping-at-harrods-east-end-street-art-tour-dinner-with-friends-in-chelsea\/","title":{"rendered":"Sale Shopping at Harrods, East End Street Art Tour, Dinner with Friends in Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nThursday, June 29, 207:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nLondon\u2014Doing This and That and Meeting Old Friends at
\nEvery Turn.<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>Another dawn saw us rise to greet another dry day. A
\nquick call during breakfast with my old friend from Bombay, Firdaus, who also
\nhappens to be visiting London at this time, meant that our morning plans were
\nsorted. But first things first.  <\/span>We had
\nshopping to do and Harrods <\/i>was the
\npace to go! Yes, Harrods!<\/i> Not that we
\ncan afford their astronomical prices in normal times. But during their sales, I
\nhave managed to pick up really great bargains and I wished to try my luck. My
\nusual buys from Harrods<\/i> in the past
\nhave been candles, soaps and body lotions\u2014and this time too, I hoped to get a
\nfew lucky goodies.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nSale Shopping at Harrods:<\/i><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>We took a bus to Knightsbridge from right outside our
\ndigs and sailed away into the store almost as soon as it opened. A few
\ninquiries led us to the departments where I had hoped to find the items I had
\nin mind. But I drew a blank.  <\/span>There was
\nnothing I could find this time. However, I was delighted to show Shahnaz the
\ntourist attractions that the store affords: the memorial to Dodi Al-Fayed and
\nDiana in the basement which comprise life-sized sculptures of the two of them,
\nportrait pictures and a diamond ring that some believe was an engagement ring
\n(although most people doubt the veracity of this claim). I also marched Shahnaz
\nthrough the appetizing Food Halls where I go, not so much to buy, as to ogle at
\nthe displays and to marvel at the ceramic vignettes and Victorian tiles on the
\nwall. The 19th<\/sup> century d\u00e9cor in these rooms never fails to thrill me
\nand Shahnaz was equally enthralled. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Of course, you cannot get to Harrods<\/i> Food Halls and not buy something to eat. I chose the most
\nscrumptious-looking almond croissant that was gigantic in size and thickly
\nsprinkled with flaked toasted almonds and icing sugar. Shahnaz got a more
\nOriental meal consisting of spring rolls. I had my treat wrapped carefully and
\nhoped to find a nice place where I could sit down and really enjoy it as almond
\ncroissants are one of my very favorite things in the world to eat.       <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTube to South Bank to meet Firdaus:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>With little time to spare, we hurried off to meet our
\nfriend Firdaus at Vinopolis<\/i> on the
\nSouth Bank of the Thames as that was where he intended to be this morning. We
\ngot off far too early and ended up taking a bus to get to the Thames bank from
\nwhere we walked briskly past the National Theater, the Tate Gallery, the Globe
\nTheater, etc. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nBorough Market, George Inn and Lunching on Roast Hog
\nSandwiches:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Eventually, we met up with Firdaus at the ruins of
\nWinchester Cathedral which was once occupied by the horribly corrupt bishops of
\nWinchester. Firdaus and I had a fond reunion\u2014we go back more than thirty years
\nto our first stint in Oxford. He happened to be with a friend named Kamal, a
\nlovely Parsi lady also visiting from Bombay. It was not long before we wound
\nour way to Borough Market which none of them had seen and, before you know it,
\nwe were scouring the stalls and being tempted by the many tasters laid out for
\nour sampling pleasure. From sweet nectarines and white peaches to jams and
\npreserves, from cheese to olive oil, from smoked mackerel pate to olives, from sourdough
\nbread to brownies–we were simply plied with every treat and goodie you could
\nimagine. As we were both carrying lunch, I did not intend to buy any at the
\nmarket. But Shahnaz was as tempted by the offerings as were Firdaus and Kamal
\nwho decided to buy the roast hog sandwiches that were served in ciabatta bread
\nwith rocket and apple sauce. Before that, we had taken a slight detour to the
\nGeorge Inn so that I could show Shahnaz the last of the old galleried coaching
\ninns in London (now managed by the National Trust)\u2014which is still a fine
\nhostelry. But they chose to eat at Borough Market\u2014so we turned back.   <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It turns out that Kamal is a very small eater. She merely
\ntook two bites of her sandwich and passed the whole thing to me. And thus it
\nturned out that I left my almond croissant untouched and feasted on her lunch
\ninstead! And quite good it was too! The market was buzzing. The recent London
\nBridge shooting which had led to the closure of the market seems to have
\nhappened far in the past\u2014so quickly has the area bounced back. Shahnaz was
\nsimply delighted that I brought her to this place and simply could not get over
\nthe variety of eats and the generosity of the vendors. Overall, we had a lovely
\nreunion. It was such a pleasure to see Firdaus again and to meet Kamal.  <\/span>I suggested that they should not miss a visit
\nto adjoining Southwark Cathedral, the oldest church in the city. And I was glad
\nto see them take my advice as we parted company.   <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTube to Aldgate East to Whitechapel Gallery for East
\nEnd Street Art Tour:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>Shahnaz and I then hurried off to the Borough Tube
\nstation to catch a train that would take us to Aldgate East in the East End of
\nLondon for the next item on our agenda: another Free guided tour of the Street
\nArt and Graffiti of the East End. Our meeting point was outside Whitechapel
\nGallery on Whitechapel Road and we were astonished to find a huge crowd of
\nyoung people surrounding our guide who happened to be from Vancouver, Canada,
\nand had a distinct Canadian accent. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The tour wound its way through the East End taking in all
\nthe street art that has flourished in this area ever since the king pin of
\nstreet artists Banksy made the area his base. On this tour too, I learned a lot
\nabout the artists and their intentions. This tour was more up my alley than the
\nalternative music tour we had taken yesterday. We learned about paste-ups and
\nother forms of protest for basically that is what street art is all about. By
\nthe end of it, I have to admit that I found I could not relate to any of it and
\ndid not find it appealing at all. In fact, I cannot tell the difference between
\nstreet art and graffiti and for the most part, I think of these efforts as
\ndefacement of public property and a very ugly, unaesthetic use of space! The
\nmost striking items I found were those of the black women done by an artist
\ncalled Drelph. And that was it. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>By the time the tour which lasted almost two hours had
\nwound its way into Brick Lane and the mosque there, Shahnaz and I were drooping
\nwith fatigue. It was time for us to pull out of it, for sure.     <\/span> <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nDark Sugars<\/span><\/i><\/b> on Brick
\nLane for hot chocolate and truffles:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>It took no arm-twisting at all to get us into a coffee
\nshop we passed called Dark Sugars<\/i>
\nwhere the aroma of chocolate wafting out of the place was much too enticing. And
\nso it as that we armed ourselves with Hazelnut Praline Hot Chocolate and free
\nsample orange caramel truffles that were being distributed at the cashier and
\nsank down to enjoy our treat. Finally I had the chance to sink my teeth into my
\nalmond croissant\u2014I had waited ages to enjoy it and I have to say that it tasted
\nlike manna from heaven. Fortified well with our sustenance, we found our way
\nback to the Tube station.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nShort Detours in the East End\u2014Spitalfields Market and
\nChrist Church, Spitalfields:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Attempting to make our way back to the Tube station, we
\nmade a few detours as I wanted to introduce Shahnaz to Spitalfields Market, one
\nof the most colorful in the city. She loved its antiquity as well as its
\ninteresting wares\u2014vintage jewelry, vintage silverware. But there was no time to
\nwaste as we had to return home quickly to change and get ready for our dinner
\nappointment. En route<\/i>, we also
\nstopped to admire the handiwork of architect Nicholas Hawksmoor at Christ
\nChurch, Spitalfields. As the best-known pupil of Sir Christopher Wren,
\nHawksmoor has built some fine London churches but this one with its towering
\nDoric pillars that support an arched portico is a particular favorite of mine.
\nNeedless to say, Shahnaz loved it too.  <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nDinner with Cynthia and Aidan<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>Our day ended in Chelsea with my friend Cynthia who
\nhad invited the two of us over to her place for dinner. Sadly, her husband
\nBishop Michael had another engagement, but we were very pleased to find their
\nson, Aidan, at home. He joined us for dinner and conversation before nipping
\noff for a walk with a friend.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It is always a great joy to see Cynthia whom I refer to
\nas my \u2018sister\u2019 in London.  <\/span>She had cooked
\nus a lovely meal: rice with chicken curry, steamed broccoli and carrots and
\ngarlic naan For desert, we had fresh strawberries with vanilla ice-cream. Such
\na tasty meal\u2014made more special by the affection with which Cynthia cooked our
\nmeal and the warmth of her hospitality. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>We did not stay long at Cynthia\u2019s as we\u2019d had a very long
\nday. We found a bus really quickly that took us directly back to our lodgings
\nfrom Chelsea and it was there that we bedded down very quickly for the
\nnight.   <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n              Until tomorrow, cheerio.  <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thursday, June 29, 207: London\u2014Doing This and That and Meeting Old Friends at Every Turn.             Another dawn saw us rise to greet another dry day. A quick call during breakfast with my old friend from Bombay, Firdaus, who also happens to be visiting London at this time, meant that our morning plans were sorted.… <\/p>\n

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