London: Just your typical tea and scones type of girl...

Where does Queen Liz buy her royal groceries? http://www.fortnumandmason.com/ {Go ahead and check out their website to experience absolute dumbfoundedness by exorbitant prices; it's quite fun}

Every spot of tea and crumb of scone is well worth the $10.

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December 23, 2006

We went to the Filipino church today near Hyde Park and Marble Arch in London. We also went to legendary Fortnum-Mason's 300 year-old gourmet grocers for traditional afternoon tea and scones. Joy and I wandered luxury chocolate shops where a box of four ran for about £50 = $100!! A little out of our budget. We are now enjoying a night out on the city bustling through the city with the locals who are wrapping up their last minute shopping at Picadilly Circus and famous Oxford Street. I think we're going to save our shopping for Prague and after-Christmas sales. Tomorrow we'll see Buckingham, catch some shopping at Spittlefield's outdoor market, and attend the Christmas Eve service at Westminster Abbey.

Excerpt from Joy's Travel Blog:

Repost: London
Just an update...since we are in London during low tourist season, we haven't seen many Americans in the city at all. Today we went with my aunt to church on Church street in the Lebanese part of the city. I'm not really reminded of my citizenship until people run up to me, begging me to say certain words because of my distinct and somewhat un-sophisticated American accent.How do you say "really" in American? Can you please say "teacher"? "Pants?" "Work?" "Cookie"? It drives me insane.

It's bitterly cold here. I haven't seen the sun in four days and my fingers are threatening to fall off due to frost bite. The sun rises before we're awake and sets early afternoon so we're limited to what we can see and do. When I was packing for this trip, I swore that I would look somewhat stylish, throwing in cashmere sweaters and cute tops for going out. The British are so good at looking exceptionally and effortlessly stylish in their warm clothing. Military-style jackets seem to be all the rage here, and so are boots tucked into jeans, pashmina scarves (tied strategically around their necks), and thick tights. I, on the other hand, have decided to choose comfort and warmth over style and look like the frumpy tourist because I have decided to wear everything in my suitcase at ONE time. Notice, I'm wearing the same thing in EVERY picture...

Jess and I are so tired after a long day, but find ourselves at an internet cafe off Covent (-ant?) Garden at 9:00 PM on a Saturday, trying to figure out what to do while avoiding the local male population who are deprived of ditzy American female tourists...