We slept in crazy late yesterday. It was awesome. Erin was meeting us at 10am. I didn’t get up until 9. I slept for TWELVE HOURS. Cool.
Seeing Erin was really fun. She brought her daughter Lily, who is five. Lily is really cute. And she talks with a British accent. I finally got to hear someone speak with a British accent! No one in London has one. I’ve been really disappointed. People are either American, or they’re not speaking English at all. Anyway, Erin took us to a little coffee house for some really tasty pastries. (Sorry, Lauren – I didn’t take a picture of them.) Afterward, we went to Bond Street to look at some posh stores. It was fun. Lily started wearing out, so we parted ways. They went home to watch some SpongeBob Squarepants. Denis and I went to a fancy department store called Harrods.
It was a beautifully sunny day, so I wanted to go to Kew Gardens. I have seen pictures of their legendary glasshouse and wanted to see it for myself. A short tube ride later, we were there!
But wait! That wasn’t the giant glasshouse. D’oh! The giant glasshouse was further into the gardens. THIS was the giant glasshouse:
The sign said it was the largest in the world for a while. Even though that’s not true anymore, it can still claim the title of “Largest Victorian Glasshouse in the World”.
Of course there was a palace on the grounds. And of course there was an extra charge to tour it. So of course we didn’t go in.
When we got a bite to eat at at restaurant in the gardens, I noticed a tree in a cage. Why would they cage a tree?
It was caged for its own protection. It was one of the first wollemi pines to be planted outside its native Australia. That made it very desirable. Desirable enough to steal.
Speaking of cages, it’s still early spring here, so a lot of things aren’t leafed-out yet. That made this wisteria vine look like a cool cage.
On the way out, I saw this water fountain. I wasn’t thirsty, but I had to push the button anyway. I thought it was a weird design. Would you want to drink the water that was squirting out of a man’s mouth? Eeww…
We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the hotel and got some roasted chicken for dinner. It was very tasty and very cheap. We were done with dinner and watching TV by 7pm. It was kind of early to call it quits for the day, but Denis has something planned for today that he’s not telling me about. I’m anxious to see what it is, but he won’t tell me until we’re there. What could it be?
You’re going to meet the royal family! That must be it!
Erin and her daughter are cute as buttons, and Erin looks just the same – only with longer hair. Was it tough talking to Lily and feeling like she was so much smarter than you, purely because of her accent?
Maybe he’s taking you back to Harrods for high tea! That would be SO cool – if you can squeeze that in one day, it’s worth the few schillings (I underestimate, I’m sure) they charge for it. They offer a large enough selection, you really don’t need another evening meal afterward. Seriously! Just my two farthings about the whole thing…
Dang, you’re gonna need a new pair of teacher shoes when you return with all the getting around you’re doing!
LOVE all the pictures! And you know they had those same water fountains in Italy…what’s up with that? But I thought it was a lion’s head…which somehow seems better than a human head.
I got Mom’s teapot and cups at Harrod’s. And then found a picture in People magazine of the Queen drinking tea from the same pattern cup. Very cool. Er. Bloody cool.
Erin looks great. I find that a little disgusting. 😉 You know I love you Erin.