Because we didn’t have anywhere to be the next morning, we slept. Til 10am. Something I would only be able to do 5 time zones away, obviously! So we slept and took our time getting ready. The main things on the agenda for the day were afternoon tea at 1:00 and then we had an early pre-theater dinner before a show that night.
Afternoon tea was wonderful. I’ve now landed on a new favorite place in London to do this and it’s Brown’s Hotel. Having made the rounds on afternoon tea spots—Claridge’s, The Savoy, The Goring, The Wolseley, The Ritz, a few others—Brown’s is my best. It’s not flashy or overly fancy but it’s beautiful and gracious and even cozy—and so British-feeling. The walls have this gorgeous wood paneling and they have comfy seats and sofas and fabulous service and silver teapots AND the most perfect scone I have ever beheld. I went a year ago to Brown’s for the first time when I was here with Walker and Mamie and there was no question where we’d go on this trip.
After tea, we had a few hours to spare before dinner and the show so we split up. I made a beeline for Liberty and Dean headed over to go to the Churchill War Rooms. Of course, I left it until the last possible minute to leave Liberty and still get back in time to get ready for dinner—and then it was raining and I had to buy an umbrella before leaving Liberty. Literally EVERY time I come to London I buy an umbrella. Never fails.
And then our evening turned a little bit disappointing when we found out five minutes before walking out that we did not, in fact, have a dinner reservation at Rules (I cancelled it and intended to make a new one but did not and my brain forgot all of that). We got lucky and snagged an early table at Hawksmoor Seven Dials and it ended up being a great dinner—one of Dean’s favorites from the trip. Then we headed over to The Garrick Theater for the much anticipated Kenneth Branagh production of “Romeo and Juliet” with the leads played by Lily James (Lady Rose of Downton & the new Cinderella) and Richard Madden (also from Cinderella). We had great seats and I’d planned way ahead and booked it almost as soon as I knew we were doing the trip. And we got in line to get our tickets at Will Call only to find out as we were standing in line that the show had to be cancelled for the night. CANCELLED!! Apparently Richard Madden AND his understudy were both ill or hurt (independently) and both on doctor’s orders not to go on that night. Could not believe it. “Disappointed” does not even cut it. They refunded us and offered us tickets to two other plays that we’d never heard of and I felt a tantrum arise. Our last night in London and no chance for redemption.
We could’ve just walked around or headed back to the hotel. But it was our last night in London and this was not how I had pictured everything playing out. In the biggest knee-jerk reaction possible, we walked out onto the street and I saw a poster for “Showboat.” Since Dean had already seen Wicked and Matilda, in the heat of the moment it was the only thing that sounded like something we’d both enjoy (even though I’d never seen Showboat). So we HOOFED it—power-walking in footwear not designed for power-walking. Got to the theater at 7:38 (show started at 7:30), box office curtain closed. I knocked on the window and said “please” and a man reluctantly opened his curtain. After telling our sad story, he sold us tickets and they took us in at the next opportunity. The theatre was about 70% full (on a Friday night) and I don’t know precisely what made us leave at intermission—but probably a combination of being in London and seeing a show about the Old South and with American accents + the slave overtones amid all the turmoil lately in the US + one sweet lady who was obviously British but trying (and failing) to hold her “Southern” accent = meh. Just didn’t want to spend our last night sitting through something we weren’t enjoying. Incidentally, I’m typing this on the terrace of our little hotel room in Paris and there’s a pigeon somewhere above me as I’m writing that is literally cooing to the tune of “Old Man River, he just keeps rolling…along.” I promise you.
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Ahhh…the tiered tea tray. One of the most comforting and beautiful sights I know.
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Close-up of the sweets portion which included a stack of three macarons—lemon, orange and the babiest little lime on top.
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The aforementioned most perfect scones possible. Apparently Brown’s offers a cooking class every now and then where they teach you to make the scones. But I’ve read blogs detailing the disappointment of the scones not turning out right once you’re in your own kitchen on American soil with different flours and oven specifications, etc. So for now, I’ll just come to Brown’s whenever I’m in London and buy them here.
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I would like to take a moment to appreciate Dean. He could act all weird and manly about coming to afternoon tea but he has, over the years, come to love it. And he knows the truth which is that he will be fed very well at afternoon tea. More finger sandwiches, please. It’s just an experience you don’t want to miss, especially in London.
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Just a few pictures in appreciation of Brown’s. Wood, silver, cozy seating, gracious service and piano music. He played lots of Gershwin and sweet little songs that made me feel like I’d escaped the crazy world of today and traded it in for a simpler, slower and more elegant time. Mmmm…. I took a video of the moment just so I could revisit it later so if I ever can figure out how to load a video onto this thing, I’ll add it.
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Little Victoria Sponge cakes that they give you after you’re done with the finger sandwiches, scones, and desserts. As if. We got ours to go!
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Liberty, Liberty, Liberty. The last time I was in London I tried to have a moment here and it didn’t actually go over with Walker and Mamie in tow. They lasted about 15 minutes. So I relished being able to have a proper browse and be all leisurely about it this time.
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This is my "every time I come to London I buy an umbrella" face. Gorgeous Liberty fabrics!!
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Not pictured: the Showboat debacle. Walked back to our hotel and cozied up at the American Bar in the Stafford. Fabulous place to have a nightcap and re-label the night as “special.”
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