During our trip to London, we stopped at Fortnum & Mason, where I fell in love with the Camellia White tea ware. I could not get it out of my head! Just like the cabbage ware for my brother’s baby shower, it was just meant to be. I love the way it plays with my “fancy” china – Anthropologie’s Old Havana line in mint. Perfection.
I started with my favorite, Microsoft Word, and laid out my ideas. The teal glasses are from Walmart’s line with Drew Barrymore, which are sadly out of stock. There are always options for teal/blue goblets online, or in my favorite place to search: Facebook Marketplace.
These placemats from World Market always help keep the place settings from feeling too feminine. I love a girly table, but just like in decor, there should be balance. The tablecloths are courtesy of TJ Maxx, and they have a subtle gold shimmer.
As you can see, my plan included white florals. But, alas, I could only get my hands on peach. That’s okay! Short of ordering in flowers online or from a florist, you just have to get what works the best. I used similar cut glass vases from Amazon.
The napkins are old Hobby Lobby, but these would be beautiful as well! I chose the darker teal napkin rings to compliment the goblets.
We had 14 for Thanksgiving last year, so we had two tables. I love hosting Thanksgiving, and am so grateful for time with family. And pumpkin pie 🙂
Day three was another busy one! We started with pastry and coffee from Victoria Station and headed off to The Tower of London! At this point, we were feeling really good about our ability to navigate public transport. They truly do make it easy.
Tower Bridge looks over the River Thames, and the Tower of London (or White Tower). This site, full of so much history, is really a must-see. There was a menagerie (where a woman had her hand bitten off by a wild lion), a prison, a chapel, and my favorite, the Crown Jewels.
To view the Crown Jewels, you walk into a dark building and into a room where spotlights dance on gold and silver and diamonds and rubies and emeralds and all else you can imagine. Step onto the moving sidewalk for a close, but not too close view of the suite of crowns and scepters. I, unashamedly, rode them forward and back five times. The Imperial State Crown was not on display, as it was being readied for the Coronation. Queen Victoria’s tiny diamond crown sparkles so much more than I imagined from just seeing photos. It was breathtaking.
Along the wall were solid gold coronation spoons, and salt cellars and punch bowls, and other items used for Coronation Banquets. Gaudy as they were, the craftmanship was very impressive. I’ll never forget the punch bowl with a serving ladle made to look like a conch shell.
On the grounds, there is a memorial made to those executed at the Tower of London, including Ann Boleyn.
We wandered through the other towers, where my favorite spot was the chapel for the Yeomen Warders (AKA “Beefeaters” or Royal Bodyguards). It was so beautiful! The Yeomen Warders still live there in little houses on the edges of the tower grounds. We had lunch in the New Armouries Cafe inside the Tower of London. It was a great spot to pick up grab and go sandwiches, soups and sweets, as well as a coffee for our next adventure.
As you may or may not know, my real job is being a nurse. Does one choose to be a nurse, or, just as in medicine or religious work, is one called to be a nurse. Any guesses on our next stop?
The Florence Nightingale Museum was one of my non-negotiables on this trip. What a treat to learn about the woman, who by God’s calling, left her privileged life and changed the face of nursing forever. She began the area of nursing research. She was why so many survived in her battlefield hospitals during the Crimean War, where more men died from infection than from actual war. She revolutionized the ideas of cleanliness, working with the emerging Germ Theory to create better outcomes for all her patients and staff. Clearly, this was a very meaningful stop for me on our great English adventure!
Our next stop was Floris London, the oldest English perfumery. They made perfumes for Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, just to name a few. They were also a favorite of Florence Nightingale. If it’s good enough for Florence and the Royal Family, it’s good enough for me! The shop was such a fun experience, and we were able to smell some of the fragrances made for the famous figures named above. They also have a design-your-own fragrance experience, but we did not have the time. We settled on our new signature scents (Tuberose in Silk for me, and Mulberry Fig for Austin), and headed out again.
Fortnum and Mason is another great, very English stop! We did not realize they also have a restaurant and Tea Room on site, and will have to visit again. But their selection of teas, cookies, candies and food items were amazing! We may have stocked up a little too much but how much is really too much? The tins make such great gifts!
And finally, what is a trip to London without visiting the famous Harrod’s? It was so large one can barely take it all in. The food hall was a delight with so many options! Who buys milk from Harrod’s?? Not us, but I guess someone does!
We had Italian food that night, and then back to the hotel to pack our things for our next leg of the trip! We walked just shy of 11 miles on Day 3. Be sure to pack good shoes!
The House on Ladd 