Harrods

In addition to our visit to the Tower of London, we visited world famous Harrod's department store. To get there we had to master the London 'Underground' (aka subway, aka "The Tube") which is really very simple and easy. We bought all day passes and just hopped on and off as we needed to. The only 'gotcha' was that certain stations were PACKED and you were reminded that Europeans have a different since of personal space than do we Americans.

Harrods is one of the largest department stores in the world, seven floors, over a million square feet, 330 departments, 5,000 on staff, and 28 restaurants. On busy days they say that about 300,000 customers shop there. That seems high, while we were there I saw no more than about 298, 000. The outside is adorned in lights, 11,000+ light bulbs light the place up making it look Christmas-y, but it looks that way year round.

They sell everything (Here's a test, name 330 things that could be departments in a department store. See what I mean? They sell EVERYTHING! Plus they have one department in which you can hire a personal shopper.) but seem to lean toward the high end stuff. Any famous fashion name you've heard of (and many, many, many I haven't) are represented there. We couldn't find them, but they actually sell fully functional cars built for children. For example, there is a little Hummer there.

The place was founded in 1834 by a Brit but is now owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he is the father of Dodi Al Fayed the guy killed in the car wreck with Princess Diana. At the bottom of one of the escalators is a little shrine (pictured) to the two of them. Apparently Mohamed thinks the British royals had them killed because Dodi was about to propose to the 'rumored to be' pregnant Diana. Recent tests have indicated they didn't think she was pregnant. But the display shows the pictures of them, and in front of the picture a glass pyramid that contains a wine glass they shared they day they died, and the engagement ring he purchased for her just prior to the 'accident.' Kuh-Reepy!!!!

They have several escalators, one known as The Eqyptian Escalator which is really over the top, with marble everything and manequins in little balconies over looking the escalators. As you can see in one of the pix, there is a giant King Tut looking statue that John & Brittay posed in front of. They don't have bathrooms, they have 'Luxury Facilities for Ladies and Gentlemen' complete with attendants. In the toy section they had people demonstrating some of the toys, we saw an employee doing some really good magic tricks and another doing awesome tricks with a yo-yo. We successfully navigated the store without buying a thing. I was very proud of that.

It was neat to have been there, but not some place we'll go back to I don't think.