The announcement on the Tube is “The next stop is Knightsbridge. Alight here for Harrod’s.” To my surprise, the building is right here, just as I walk upstairs from the Underground station. It’s immense.
Harrod’s Façade
And then a glance down the road shows this lovely block of buildings, too:
Harrod’s Neighborhood
On the side of Harrod’s with the Underground entrance is a pedestrian mall with whole convoy of baby elephant statues.
Four More Baby Elephant Statues
All of this is just on the outside, but now it’s time to go in and see this famous store. And oh! It’s immense, with employees handing out maps and asking if you need directions to any departments. Of course I got lost immediately, ending up a full block away from where I’d entered, and still in the men’s section! I did finally make my way to the Egyptian Room and escalator.
Egyptian Room
Ceiling in Egyptian Room
Escalator Leading to Egyptian Room
{This is another one of those postings where not all of the photos are the best quality, mostly because I wasn’t supposed to be taking them and had to hurry before someone chastised me, which happened more than once. There are rooms you can photograph, and rooms you can’t. There are items in rooms that are okay to snap a shot of, and other items you get yelled at for trying to capture. And no way to tell which is which. So I just took photos of whatever I could, and braved getting yelled at. Also, for some reason, some of these photos refuse to be oriented vertically, even though on my desktop and in iPhoto they look fine. I don't know what's happening, but am more interested in getting this out to you than in debugging it.}
I go into the Luxury Room and see what I think are pretty silly looking Summer dresses that had fur collars. If it’s warm enough to have on a sleeveless, short dress, why would you need an integral fur collar?
Summer Dresses with Fur Collars
And I’d say every 3rd dress, coat, jacket, pants, and scarf is the color of this dress here.
Deep Salmon Is In This Year
Doesn’t matter who the designer is, Aramani or Donna Karan, Chanel or anyone else, this is the color of the season. If you don’t look good in this, or don’t particularly like it, you are plain out of luck. Oh, you could go to Tommy Hilfigger and get red/white/blue outfits, but that’s about your only other choice.
After the Luxury Room, I’m thrilled and amused to see the shoe departments. Now these people really know how to honor shoes! Check this out (this has me laughing so hard I have to hold my breath to calm down.)
Shoes On Display As If In A Museum
Shoe On A Throne
My friend Teresa adores shoes, and I so wish she could be here to see these on display like treasures. I look a bit more closely and then check the prices, and well, no wonder they’re considered treasures. They cost a king’s ransom!
Alexa Wagner Sandals
These sandals cost 512 GPB, which is equal to $749. I try to take photos of the Jimmy Choo shoes for Teresa, but an employee hurries over to tell me this is not allowed, at all. Sorry, T, I tried…
I use a completely different tactic when looking at things I thought my friend Maren would love to see. I ask the young man working in the silver settings department if he could tell me about a Danish tea set that I’m sure my friend would like. Would it be possible for me to take a few photos and make a few notes on my iPhone so that I might ask her if she’d like me to pick it up for her? Yes? Why thank you, that’s ever so kind. Here, Maren, is the tea set I will buy for you as soon as my Lotto winnings arrive in my checking account.
Georg Jensen’s Koppel Tea & Coffee Set
Just so you know, the 10,550 GBP that the coffee and teapots each cost is equal to $15,424.33.
Since the “may I photograph this item” ploy worked so well in the silver department, I use it again when I see a Saworski crystal iris I know my mother will like to see. Unfortunately the light in that department isn’t good and I can't get my closeup to work, so the image doesn’t do the little statue justice.
Crystal Iris
Now it’s time to make my way down to the Food Halls. I decide to take an elevator, as I’m getting tired and the escalators are far away. What a fantastic elevator!
Harrod’s Elevator
Okay, here’s my absolute favorite part. The food! (Jo Ann, I'm missing you; you would love this section!) There is a room dedicated to chacuterie, with meats of all kinds. One counter has hams and salamis from all over the world. Another has all kinds of meat pies, from traditional Cornish pork pasties to wild game pies. I buy two, which I eat later and find are quite tasty indeed. There’s also an entire counter full of terrines, patés and meat mousses. Yum!!
Chacuterie Room Offerings
Then there are all the prepared foods: Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, French and British. You can come into the store, get yourself a gourmet meal from 5 different continents’ cuisines, and go sit outside by the baby elephant statues to enjoy it. What a delight!
Prepared Foods From Different Cultures
There’s a room full of breads and baked goods, such as croissants, scones and crumpets. Another room is devoted to teas and coffees, and of course, there’s an entire hall dedicated to sweets. Here are ice cream vendors and walls of candy. There are at least 4 different chocolatiers; choosing which one to buy from is a massive problem. The only solution is to get a piece from each one! If you happen to like marzipan (which I don’t), then you’re in Heaven here, because there are at least 3 counters with nothing but almond paste treats. Here are some photos of my favorite ones.
Marzipan In the Shape of Vegetables and Fruit
This photo is for Teresa, because this counter has marzipan in the shape of shoes. I'm so excited by this display that I miss seeing the very large sign that says “No photos at this counter, Please” and am sharply reprimanded for ignoring it, which is why the photo is composed so poorly. But you get the idea. This candy is also art.
Marzipan Shoes
The sweets room has nuts and Turkish delight and toffee and just about every other kind of candy you can think of. It’s a delight just to wander around in there.
I bring home tastes of meat pies, patés, mousses and chocolate. My dinner is delicious, as is my lunch for the next few days. I will certainly be back to Harrod’s Food Halls to stock up on delicacies. What an experience!
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