Pretending to be Lady Mary Crawley... Tea at the Ritz!

| Puttin' on (Tea at) the Ritz! |

2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry

Tuesday, March 10

Logistics: 

1. The Tube from Stockwell Station to Green Park Station on the Victoria Line
2. The Tube home from Green Park Station to Brixton Station on the Victoria Line

(9:32 AM) I just saw the most adorable thing on the BBC news: after reporting a story about a four-year-old girl being told off by a policeman for riding her bike on a certain path, the two anchors behind the desk (who usually don't make any comments on stories) were practically shaking their heads and seemed to be in disbelief that this would happen. Yep, we're definitely in England. :)

The Palm Court at the Ritz.

(4:57 PM) We are definitely walking in the world of the most elegantly fashionable here in Picadilly. I feel as if I can fit in, yet at the same time I feel like a total imposter, and I am terrified of committing some unforgivable social blunder. :) It was rather overwhelming when we first sat down at our table in the Palm Court of the Ritz. I was trying to act and think the way Lady Mary Crawley would, which helped slightly, but mostly made me feel how different my world is from hers... At least it made it much more fun!

The waiters pull your chairs out for you, pour and refill your tea cup for you and are always vigilantly, yet discreetly, checking on you to make sure you want for nothing. I feel like Lady Mary would basically ignore them when they're refilling her cup, but Mom and I always went silent until they finished. :) The entire experience is a literal feast for the senses, especially the eyes and the taste buds. The room is is a light, airy Edwardian display of white, gold and pink opulence, with a large opaque glass ceiling and mirrors nearly covering three sides of the room.

So much opulence! It's like being on a Downton Abbey set. :)

We had a very obliging waiter, who took our photo several times to make sure it looked right.

The lovely china.

The centerpiece is an eight-foot tall flower arrangement with dozens of roses. The tables have cream colored cloths and napkins, and the chairs are the color of clotted cream. The tea things are all silver, along with the utensils, and the tea cups and plates have a simple blue flower pattern scattered all over.

The waiters were all very courteous, being very obliging in taking peoples' pictures. The live pianist was a feast for the ear, and we were particularly delighted when we heard two of our favorites: 'La Vie en Rose' and 'Unforgettable.' The whole experience couldn't be be more conducive to spoiling spoiling a person. :) It was another moment where I felt I had been dropped into a fictional and historical world - the world of the debutante.

The never-ending dessert and sandwiches.

Pretending to be the Crawley family. ;)

Shopping in Fortnum and Mason and Hatchard's felt the same to me. Fortnum and Mason still looks just like I think Selfridge's did when it first opened in 1909. It seems to sell only the finest. We wandered around accessories where we saw the smartest looking hats. What I wanted most was a pair of the softest, reddest leather gloves. Alas, they cost 80 pounds! They reminded me of the gloves Harry Selfridge bought for Agnes in the very first episode of 'Mr. Selfridge.' :)

The sparkling Fortnum and Mason department store, established in 1707.

We now smell of a most sparkling, refreshing perfume that we were allowed to sample as we left accessories. I keep thinking, "Where is that fancy smell coming from? Oh yeah, it's us!" :) The tea china and silver section is really stunning, as well as the ground floor where the tea and chocolates are. I almost gave up on getting any, but we found the very tea blend I had ordered at the Ritz! So we decided I had to get it. :) It is called Russian Caravan, a blend of Lapsang Souchong and Darjeeling. I felt so smart with my little sea-green Fortum and Mason bag on my arm as we walked around Picadilly. :)

The most elegant department store I have ever seen.

One of the lovely tea displays in Fortnum and Mason.

We walked through the Burlington Arcade. There was a sort of guard wearing a short cape and a hat, looking as if he'd stepped out of a Poirot episode. There were several stores with dazzling jewelry, and some with vintage styles, including watches and pens. As we turned right and down the street we passed Ede and Ravenscroft - my graduation gown tailors! Then we turned right again down Sackville Street and stumbled upon a little antique market in St. James Church yard. We just happened to be here on a Tuesday, the only day the market is there. I almost got a little Wedgewood box, but it wasn't a thing I especially wanted, so I decided to save our money. :)

The posh Burlington Arcade.

The jaw-dropping London section in Hatchard's. Can I have them all?

I'm glad I did, because the book we chose at Hatchard's was eleven pounds. We looked for what seemed like an hour, trying not to spend too much money. :) But it was so fun! They are officially appointed by HRH as booksellers, and have the best British and London history sections I've ever seen! One book I thought of getting was Scone With the Wind by Miss Victoria Sponge, a collection of literary inspired recipes. There were things like "Woopie Pies and Prejudice" and "Mansfield Tart" - it looked hilarious! But a more useful, and even more fitting book for the purpose of this trip was what we at last took out in that little green bag: Walking Literary London. :) And now we're resting our feet in a Caffé Nero across the street.

(10:35 PM) We're making an "early" night of it, which means that when we got to the southbound Victoria platform at the Green Park Station to go back home we were in the middle of rush-hour commuting... We let two trains go past before finally getting on because they were literally packed. But at least the bathrooms weren't - which I mention because Mom and I did something rather ingenious - though now I think of it, probably not that original. We both managed to squeeze through the turnstile where you had to pay to get into the ladies' room, for we consider it rather an injustice to charge people for such a thing.

After the crush to get out of Brixton Station (which reportedly lasts from 7-9 AM and 5:30-7:30 PM), we walked straight to the little flower stand just outside so I could at last get some daffodils and tulips. :) They only cost 3.50 in all! And they look quite cheerful on the sitting room table. They are my graduation flowers - the graduation that is at last tomorrow...

Oh, I must record our delicious dinner of sausage, grilled peppers and onions and mashed potatoes. :)




© 2015 Anna Morton

Traveling Savvy in London - Part One

London is a spectacular city, absolutely stuffed to the gills with history and culture, and when you go, you will want to get as much out of your time and energy as possible! So, in no particular order, here are the most useful tips I have picked up while traveling in England's capital.

 Always, always carry a Tube map.

One of our Tube maps, our Oyster cards and some spare cash.

The Tube is London's efficient and easy-to-use transportation system, which, combined with the famous red London buses, can get a person practically anywhere they want to be within the London and greater London area. But there is no way anyone, especially on their first trip to London, will remember which Tube lines go where and where they stop! This means it is imperative to have a Tube map handy, ready to pull out at a moment's notice when you are deciding how to get anywhere.

Tube maps are of course available in every Tube station for free, which is an excellent option for any traveler. Small pop-out maps are available for sale online and in bookstores, and some travel books include a copy of the Tube map. In this day and age it would also be possible to find an image online and print it out, or to download an image onto your smartphone or tablet.

However you choose to do it, just have one! It is a time- and sanity-saver.

Travel using an Oyster Card.
 Using an Oyster Card is a fabulously easy way to travel around London. The Oyster Card is simply a card that you load with money at any Tube station, then scan whenever you get on the Tube or a bus. It is also a money-saver because it caps the fare amount that you can spend during any one day.

The only catch is that you must order it before you leave on your trip because it is not available to purchase once you arrive in England. It can be ordered online here: Visitor Oyster Card - Transport for London. We have simply kept our cards from our first trip to London, reusing them each time we have gone back, with no difficulties at all.

Look up closing times before you go anywhere.

I have found out the hard way that many museums and attractions close at 5:00 PM, so I highly recommend looking up closing times before going out to your chosen destination. If you have wifi where you are staying then simply go on TripAdvisor to obtain the hours of the place you would like to visit. Many guidebooks also have opening and closing times, but those are liable to change, so I would still advise looking them up online.


If you can go the extra mile and write the times down, that is also very helpful, since it can be difficult to remember what closes when.

Selfies in Selfridge's and Peacocks in the National Gallery

| The stunning National Gallery during the day. |

2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry

Monday, March 9

Logistics: 

1. The Tube from Stockwell Station to Charing Cross Station on the Northern Line
2. Walk to Trafalgar Square and up The Strand
3. The Tube from Chancery Lane Station to Oxford Circus Station on the Central Line
4. The Tube home from Oxford Circus Station to Brixton Station on the Victoria Line

Selfies in Selfridge's!

(8:24 PM) We have at last made it to the most historical department store in existence: The one and only Selfridge's! It is far more fascinating after having seen the dazzling TV series by ITV. It is quite as dazzling a century later, although in a 21st century way. We are in Dolly's Tea Room on the lower ground floor, which is situated next to the tea counter, where I almost expect to see Gordon Selfridge appear - as he works there on the TV show. :) It is stocked with a myriad of brightly colored tins from Mariage Fréres in Paris. It is really, truly dazzling! It makes one feel quite fashionable - or perhaps one feels they become more fashionable by simply being here. :) I think Harry Selfridge would be pleased.

Selfridge's looking fabulous at night.

Four of Selfridge's six floors...

 (10:30 PM) Back home again safely! We left the flat around 12:30 today and took a brisk walk in the cold to Stockwell Station. Once again I was reminded of why people wear scarves here: it is not simply to be fashionable, it is a necessity. It was overcast all day without even a peep of sunlight and with a chilling wind until just after dark, when it strangely became warmer - which oddly happens nearly every day after dark. I cannot explain English weather. But I have learned to trust the weather people on TV! They have been proved to be accurate every day so far, which gives me hope that tomorrow will be more Spring-like!

Trafalgar Square in the light of day.

Costa coffee in Waterstone's.

Lunch at the Trafalgar Waterstones was nice - I should say "the lunch we brought to Waterstones," since we only bought a coffee. It was a mocha, and the barista had put a heart on the top made out of cocoa. :)

We finished just in time to miss going into the Banqueting House on Whitehall, and had spent just enough money to be unable to afford the Churchill War Rooms, so we just turned around to finish looking in the National Gallery. 

Some of the lovely government buildings along Whitehall.

We still had the 17th century to see: all the Rubens, Carvaggios, Rembrandts and Van Dycks. I enjoyed all the Claude Lorrains, whose landscape paintings evoked the feeling of "the sublime" that was so eloquently described by Edmund Burke and that had inspired the Gothic romance novel of Jane Austen's youth.

Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba by Claude Lorrain

An understated portrait by Rembrandt of an old man drawn as the Apostle Paul was my favorite of his work hanging in the gallery.

My favorite Rembrandt.

But to my eyes the most impressive of those 17th century canvases belonged in the Van Dyck room. Wow. It is no wonder why Charles I hired him! The pride as well as the centerpiece of the room was the king himself on horseback. That painting must have been ten feet tall!

Charles I on Horseback by Anthony Van Dyck

Lady Elizabeth Thimbelby and her Sister by Anthony Van Dyck

My favorite of Van Dyck's, though, was of John Stuart and his jaunty younger brother who was quite the peacock. John looks pretty unaware of his own impressive appearance, looking like a fashion plate with all of his lace and golden silk. But his brother has a look on his face as if he's saying, "Oh, I'm sorry. You just caught me in the middle of being fabulous." :) I love it.

Lord John Stuart and his brother, Lord Bernard Stuart by Anthony Van Dyck (Or: Peacocks in the National Gallery)

The Royal Courts of Justice located on The Strand.

Not much happened on our walk to Oxford Street, besides us going in a totally different direction than we were supposed to, and being kindly helped in going the right way by an observant man on the street. I am more convinced every day we're here that the English reserve is exaggerated. He was one of the friendliest people I've ever encountered! We found the Chancery Lane Station and took a very brisk walk to Selfridge's, arriving by 8:13! I was quite relieved! Although my mistake reminded me of the quote: "Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure." So I stopped fretting and remembered to enjoy myself - we were walking around London, after all. :)

London: Not a Shabby Way to Spend a Sunday

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at,

But a manner of traveling."

| Margaret Lee Runbeck |

St. James's Park bursting into bloom.

Going to church at C.H. Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle.

 2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry

  Sunday, March 8

Logistics: 

1. The 415 bus to the Elephant and Castle stop
2. The 59 bus to Brixton Tube station
3. The Tube from Brixton to Victoria station on the Victoria Line, then to St. James's Park station on the District Line

(10:30 PM) We made it to the Metropolitan Tabernacle during the first hymn. We were directed to the balcony, and took our seats in the old wooden pews. They were rather narrow, and I was amused by imagining Victorian ladies attempting to walk along them with their poofy, full skirts, especially since I could barely fit in my 21st-century garb. :) There was a lot Scripture read, and we got to sing some very traditional hymns by people like Isaac Watts and John Newton. Doctor Peter Masters spoke on Romans 2, and it was refreshing to hear that when all our works are judged, as Christians, we will be rewarded for Christ's righteousness imputed to us when we believed.

Walking to St. James's Park through Queen Anne's Gate.

As we were looking at their flyers and tracts a young man introduced himself to us. He turned out to be very sweet as well as seeming very wise, and he gave us his testimony: having been going to the church since he was born he's what's known as a "Tab Baby," but he really didn't understand the truth of what he was hearing there until he was fifteen. It is so refreshing to be around like-minded people, and just to have some meaningful human contact after jostling around with strangers for the last four days!


Of course, we went out to do some more jostling once we left, and came home to throw our lunch

together before heading to St. James's Park. I felt so smart sitting there on that bench while eating a lunch we had made ourselves that included chicken we had cooked ourselves. :)

Enjoying a very green St. James's Park.

Sitting there with my hands nearly freezing solid took away some of my pleasure in our intelligence... But once my gloves were back on my admiration returned, unabated.

Springtime crocuses in St. James's Park.

What a walk of pleasant surprises as well as expectations we had! St. James's Park was beginning to burst into bloom! We saw lavender and white crocuses, pink blossoms and daffodils galore. The view on either end of the lake was breathtaking - if you love historic London architecture, anyway. But the 18th century landscaping would be lovely to any eye. There was Buckingham Palace on one end and the back of the Horse Guards buildings on the other, framed by willowy trees and bushes that still look Autumnal with their brown and gold leaves.

A view of Buckingham Palace from the bridge over the lake in St. James's Park.

Selfies in St. James's.

It was cloudy, but just before we left the park the sun burst through the clouds right above the horizon, alighting everything with a glorious sunset blaze.

A view of the backs of the Horse Guards buildings over the lake at St. James's Park.

We then began our walk from Walking Jane Austen's London by Louise Allen. There were lots of kids in the park, chatting adorably. The cutest was a little boy who was calling out, "Mum, Mum, this is how I do it." I couldn't see him, but the sound was adorable enough. :) I loved hearing and seeing the parents just be parents, as normal as can be - only with accents. :)

We saw so many things I have only heard about as we went on our first Jane Austen walk: St. James's

St. James's Palace

Palace, Jermyn Street and Picadilly! It was splendidly surreal to stand in front of what used to be Almack's Assembly Rooms. It is simply called Almack House now, but I could still imagine all the trembling heroines of Georgette Heyer's Regency novels walking down that street, dressed as stylishly and trained as thoroughly as possible to be accepted by Almack's formidable patronesses - and then I realized that the same ordeal had truly been experienced by real young ladies of the Regency.

Almack House

White's Club - or the building where it used to be - was almost as thrilling to see, only it was the young men I was sympathizing with this time, having to face the scrutiny of "The Beau" himself. :) I am sure those poor fellows were checking the folds of their cravats as they walked up the steps.

Where White's Gentleman's Club used to be during the Regency.

 We found the Beau himself - that is, Beau Brummell - fittingly, on Jermyn Street amidst the most fashionable, posh, elegant and expensive tailors, hat makers and shoe makers. I actually gasped as I suddenly beheld him standing literally in a spotlight at the end of a most dashing row of shops in the Jermyn Arcade.

The statue of Beau Brummell, the man who revolutionized men's fashion during the Regency.

Selfie with the Beau.

Hatchard's Bookshop, founded in 1797.

We also found Hatchard's Bookshop - all four floors of it - situated on Picadilly, and admired its mouth-watering English history and London sections. And then, you know, we just happened to stumble upon The Ritz... It felt like I had been dropped into a world where books and history come to life right in front of my eyes! All that would improve it would be if I could be there in costume.

The Georgette Heyer section at Hatchard's. I want them all!

The last sight we found was Henry Austen's bank, a place where Jane Austen herself would have once walked. It was an unreal day.

Where's Jane Austen's brother Henry used to have a bank.

Watching 'Poldark'!

Tonight, to my great surprise and excitement, 'Poldark' premiered on BBC1! Boy, does Aidan Turner have the most twinkly smile. :) His whole face looks so happy! So far, I like it.



© 2015 Anna Morton

For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose

For All the Tea in China, by Sarah Rose

Calling all tea drinkers and history lovers! Just how did tea take the world by storm? Sarah Rose gives readers the fascinating answer to this question, beginning with the story of the tea trade between England and China. She has brought to light a little-known area of the past that has had an important impact on the entire world, as well as chalking her book full of enlightening historical background.

She structures the book around the mission of Robert Fortune, hired by the East India Trading Company to discover the secrets of tea in China so that Britain could grow their own tea and have greater control over its trade in their empire. Fortune came from a lower-class background in Scotland, learning about plants simply by hands-on experience. He had a talent for cultivating exotic plants such as orchids, and this work was brought to the attention of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1843 and they approached him with a proposal to take a trip to China with the purpose of collecting rare oriental botanical specimens. He would be going deep into inland China, further than any westerner had gone since Marco Polo, surrounded by possible dangers and many unknowns.

His trip yielded many exotic additions to the Royal Gardens at Kew in London, so several years later in 1847 the the East India Trading Company sent Fortune back to China with the unprecedented and secret mission of collecting green and black tea plants and seeds, and to learn the secrets of Chinese tea making in the finest tea-growing provinces of China.

Rose accounts the difficulties and delights Fortune experienced along the way, and interspersed throughout the story are brief histories of various cultural influences such as the East India Company itself, the opium trade, the traditional Chinese tea making processes, and many more. As the end of Fortune's adventure draws near it is difficult to put the book down - would his dangerous mission be a success or would all the tea plants he had collected die before they could reach their destination? Who knew that talking about tea could be so interesting!

If someone is interested in history, especially British history, this book will be a goldmine of information. If someone would just like some entertaining reading that will be educational at the same time, I would recommend giving this book a try.

I hope you will find as much enjoyment in reading For All the Tea in China as I have (while drinking a cup of tea, of course)!


© 2015 Anna Morton

Tea and Shopping in Chiswick

"One's destination is never a place. But a new way of seeing things."

Henry Miller

My ridiculously delicious salted caramel cupcake at Drink Me Eat Me.

The Underground!

 2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry

 Saturday, March 7

Logistics: 

1. Tube to Chiswick (Ravenscourt Park Station) on the District line toward Ealing Broadway
2. Turn left, then right on the high street to find Drink Me Eat Me

Drink Me Eat Me tea shop in Chiswick.

(12:53 PM) My tea smells like roses! Black tea + roses = an unfailingly lovely combination. We found Drink Me Eat Me quite easily, it's right on the main street a couple of blocks from the station. [Click the link for reviews on TripAdvisor.] It's decorated in a whimsical shabby chic style, and the people working there are friendly and laid back. They seemed to be friends with some people who were having a birthday party here for their little girl, who was dressed as Elsa from 'Frozen' - I shouldn't be surprised that 'Frozen' is everywhere. :)

(1:59 PM) Looking out of the window down the high street is so pleasant. There are mostly brick buildings: one is a school, one is a tiny Italian restaurant, one is an old house, and lots of them are coffee shops or just shops in general.

Chiswick High Street

(12:41 AM) Hehe. Mom's umbrella she bought a few hours ago is already falling apart. :) First the very top came off and then the velcro on the closing strap. It was from Poundland, so we don't exactly feel ripped off. Mine, however, is in perfect condition. So far. I'm afraid one creditable gust of wind shall do away with both of them entirely.

We walked up King Street to Chiswick, but apart from being the picture-perfect 21st century English town with its mix of old, quaint and new, it afforded us no help in expanding our wardrobe, unless we wished to spend ten pounds on a hat. So we we hopped on a bus to wander down the street in the opposite direction from Drink Me Eat Me. The younger of the two ladies working there informed us that there were a number of less posh stores and charity shops that way.

Lunch at Drink Me Eat Me

 She was sweet. When she heard we were going up to Yorkshire she lit up. :) She's from Sheffield and moved down here to London only six months ago. She seems to love it up there, and said that in the Peak District on a nice day you'll have the best walk of your life. As we left she told us to say "hi" to Sheffield from her. :)

We had delicious brioche quiche with salad, I had rose petal black tea, Mom had Earl Grey, and for dessert I had (after much deliberation) a salted caramel cupcake and Mom had carrot cake - made by their Californian chef! :) The owner (I think) was there and he's American, as well! So he and Mom talked about being an American in London and what the English people he met seemed to think of Americans. Opinion seemed to be divided between appreciating our friendliness and thinking we can be a bit overly-familiar in being so friendly. :)

The first of many Mother-Daughter tea dates.

While we found cheaper prices when looking in the less posh stores, we still could not find any additions to our wardrobes until we wandered into Primark as a last resort. When we walked out we each had a scarf, and I found some flats for four pounds and a top for just under four. We also stopped at a grocery store and got supplies for our future meals. We decided on sausage, potatoes and grilled veggies for tonight's dinner. A total win. It was delicious! We also got to watch 'Foyle' and 'Lewis' while we cooked and ate dinner.

Mom's amazing carrot cake.

I cooked my first object in a Celsius oven... It has been an adventure, but one with a happy ending because I think the chicken is at last done - as am I!

Our ingenious dinner.

© 2015 Anna Morton