It’s been almost 15 years since we had been so London so when it appeared that we had a few days between a Royal Scotsman train trip in Scotland and a commitment to meet up with friends in Paris, we decided to pop into London town for a couple of days.

First thing.  Top priority.  Head to the food court at Harrods.  It’s as amazing as I remember.  Decorative painting and tiles.  Vast arrays of beautiful displays of good things to eat.  A sense of history–keeping foodies happy for decades.

After browsing all the connecting spaces, we settled into an Oyster bar for Mussels and Lobster Bisque.  How fun it was to sit in the corner and watch the many people in this part of the food hall.  My guess is that half were tourists, judging from the number of cameras being pointed in every which direction.

I also enjoyed meandering the fashion floors.  I loved seeing the elegant displays and the many video screens showing fashion shows.  The Egyptian Escalator was fun as always and I was quite amused and intrigued with the Jazz Age promotion going on.

 Harrods was hyping the new version of the Great Gatsby that had come out when we were in London.  The store windows, martini promotions and in-store displays all reflecting the clothing and accessories of the 1920s, and very elegantly I might add.  Even the rugs in the entryways reflected the theme.

 I love this store, almost as much as Bon Marche’ in Paris.  Both are examples of retailing in the grand Department Store tradition.  Truly Shopping as an Experience not a chore.