Festive Indulgence

I am always hopeful that my blog posts will be helpful offerings for readers but especially for relatives and friends, who are far from England.  Of course, I am most interested in keeping people informed about some of Laura-Clare's experiences.  And now that Advent is in full swing and Christmas is fast-approaching, I am even more inclined to chronicle some of our journey through the holiday season.  So now for a little bit of festive storytelling!

Laura-Clare and I set off on a big adventure to London!  Yep, just the two of us.  Trains, taxis, stroller, and our good 'ole fashioned feet carried us through the day.

We ventured to the Thatcham train station despite the slippery, ice-covered paths, and we loaded onto the train that fortunately took us directly to London Paddington with no changes (and only two brief stops). Laura-Clare gazed out at fast-passing trains, watched for cows, looked at houses, and struggled to keep her feet off of the lady in front of her.  Within about 50 minutes and only a couple of gentle kicks later, we arrived at Paddington Station.

We moved along hand-in-hand, as we followed the signs for taxis.  I had made a deliberate decision not to juggle the tube because our route would have required two changes.  So, we opted for the less cost effective means of travel (but no doubt more convenient and more comfortable).  Through the taxi windows, we watched as the city passed by, and Laura-Clare was most excited to see people riding on horseback on the streets along the way.  Once we crossed through Hyde Park, we arrived at our destination--Harrods.  It was time for a bit of seasonal browsing (notice I didn't say shopping).

We ventured into the world of over-the-top consumerism and festive, holiday excess, but I must admit that several times along the way, even amidst the Juicy Couture, Godiva, Thomas the Train, and Wedgwood, I quietly hummed "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

So, to offer my disclaimer, yes, I do understand that Harrods in Advent says nothing about Jesus.  I do understand that shiny, shimmery green, white, and red aren't heralds of the good news.  But, at the same time, I do also understand the joyful language of chocolate and much more in the life of a two year old!  And the language of chocolate in the Food Hall of Harrods speaks volumes.  This is where it began.

We entered the chocolate shop.  We looked wide-eyed into the chocolate cases:  milk, dark, white, bars, truffles, hollow, solid, assorted, mixed, decorated, cream-filled, nut-covered, bagged, boxed, on-a-stick, wrapped, organic, fair trade, sweet, bitter, mint, orange, and sugar-free.  How could we resist?

We walked away with just enough--a dark chocolate Godiva bar for Daddy, a milk chocolate teddy bear (to be eaten by the two year old immediately), and a penguin-shaped milk chocolate character (to be nibbled on by the two year old throughout the entire day).  Obviously, this was not a day full of healthy food boundaries.  So, I just this once will blame my lack of parental discipline and positive influence on something else--the yummy temptations of Harrods!

After having completed our chocolate escapades, we continued through the maze of indulgences to feast our eyes on the other rooms filled with candy, ice cream, cheese, tea and coffee, cakes, exotic fruit and veg, and yes Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  Then, we were off to the Harrods "Toy Kingdom" where Laura-Clare walked around rather aimlessly yet mesmerized.  It was wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor toys in this kingdom of sorts.  And really Laura-Clare didn't know which way to turn first.

After the toy extravaganza was said and done, we had to break for lunch.  We certainly needed our sustanence for the journey.  We found a very kid friendly restaurant in the bounds of Harrods where Laura-Clare enjoyed another indulgence of her very own--food and cartoons simultaneously!!  She watched her fair share of Bugs Bunny before she loaded up with her chocolate penguin and fell asleep.

This was my chance to explore beyond the chocolate and the toys and the candy.  I made my way straight for the china and crystal rooms.  I always have a good laugh at myself when I think about how much I love china and crystal and all the bits and bobs that go with them when, after all, I am not the most proficient cook in the kitchen.  Nonetheless, I browsed along every aisle of the breakables while the toddler slept.  No curious hands.  No running feet.  No mommy heart palpitations.  Just peace and quiet and fancy dinnerware (for a whole hour).

Then, in the post-dinnerware, post-nap part of the adventure, we realized that there was very little that we hadn't seen except the ice cream!  So, we feasted on our final two scoop, strawberry and vanilla, indulgence, and this yummy treat would close out our day.  We had eaten our fill. We had window shopped the day away.  We had lived the festive Harrods adventure.

So, we exited London the same way we entered, but this time with memories of adventure and experiences of festive indulgence in tow.