On my walk to The Ritz, I passed lots of parking spaces with plug in capability. And FYI, if you want a good cup of coffee, you have to go Italian. Caffe Nero is my personal choice here and in Ireland.

I also passed many neighborhood book stores and bakeries. Geez, why don’t we have more of these? So, everyday I will be adding some pictures of these great bookstores and bakeries. I promise to only have one sweet per day!

I walked passed Harrods and a bit passed The Ritz because I wanted to stop in at Fortnum & Mason. I wanted to buy some tea for Mike. I had really wanted to have high tea here, but they are booked until after Christmas!

Fortnum & Mason below,

So today’s journey had me on foot and taking advantage of The London Underground, their rapid transit system. I love taking public transportation along my travels. It gives me a sense of real, local life.

I made it back to the hotel. Another great day; a tad drizzly, but great. I don’t know why I don’t bring some kind of hair gel on my trips. My hair tames pretty easily—I’m buying hair product tomorrow!

PS My HP, Paris friend is sick and couldn’t make it. So, my first week of this trip and my last week will be solo. All the other weeks I have family or friends joining me.

PPS Some local nuances and similarities,

• The London Underground = rapid transit system
• Sitting for an exam = taking an exam (overheard some students)
• I’m going to scoot off = goodbye/see you later
• I don’t think they say cheerio anymore—or so I have been told.
• Bloody = incredulous or anger
• Boot = car trunk (I had no idea what my taxi driver was talking about)
• Smarmy = untrustworthy or scheming
• Cheeky = impolite
• Bollywood = umbrella (it drizzled today, so I heard a lot)
• Whinge = moan, complain (I overheard some talking about Prince Harry and they kept saying that he is a whinger)
• Daft cow = silly or stupid person
• Splash out = spending significant money on a particular item (trying not to do this!)
• British people still seems a tad more reserved to me.
• Brits say, have = we say, take
• Word pronunciation is different.
• Driving on the left! Makes me crazy. So, they drive on the left, kinda walk on the left, but all the Underground escalator signs say to stand on the right—go figure. 🤦‍♀️😏
• They have lots of American brands: Starbucks, Ray-Ban, Gap, Aveda, Hallmark, Nike and North Face — I’ve seen these so far.

Well, that’s about it for me this evening. Go Phillies!!

PPPS My digs for the next few days below. It’s nice. South Kensington has lots of elegant properties, semi-pedestrianised roads, lots of shops and cafes and on the Piccadilly Underground line—it’s pink on most maps. Creating a Parisian feel (getting me ready for my next stop!).