I forgot to tell you about some of our adventures on our second day in London. And by “our” I mean my daughter Liz, son-in-law Peter, granddaughter Adeline, et moi.

After leaving our friend Mark at Lamb’s Conduit Street, we took one of those famous double-decker buses headed back to our hotel. I’m always afraid I’m going to fall either up or down the stairs, but the kids like the top, so I grab the railing and carry on. On our journey, I spied the Fortnum & Mason Store on Piccadilly, so we had to dash off.  I love that store!

I had never been all the way through this establishment, since the candies, teas, and biscuits (cookies) are on the ground floor and that is usually as far as I got, but this time I was determined to  go all the way to the top. We took the lift to the fourth floor and had a quick peek at the elegant Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. Fancy. And for a neat $150, you may enjoy an afternoon tea, complete with a glass of bubbly.  We did not partake, however.

On the third floor we discovered the distillery, where they make their own gin. There were free samples. Very tasty.

The second floor had a surprising assortment of clothing, jewelry, watches, and fragrances.  On the first floor we discovered teaware, dishes, and stationery.  I had no idea F&M had such diverse offerings.

We then walked down the famous Double Helix Staircase which was opened by His Majesty the King Charles III on November 19, 2025.  Fancy.

Back on the ground floor, we picked up some candy. Peter loves licorice all sorts and Turkish delight, Liz loves marzipan, Adeline and I love chocolate, and Fortnum and Mason has it all, in abundance.  While gobbling down our treats, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.  We wandered through the Burlington Arcade across the street, a covered row of high-end curated shops, but we just did some window shopping.  We exited and turned down New Bond Street and wandered past more luxury stores. 

We had passed the Ferragamo store when Liz and I were suddenly face-to-face with Scottish legend Rod Stewart. Yes, THE Rod Stewart. In the flesh. He looked very fit and tan, with amazingly smooth skin and hair of many shades of blonde standing up all over his 81-year-old head.  He walked past his Rolls Royce which was parked in the street and ducked into the Cartier store.  On a bit of a shopping spree, I guess.  Girls, he looks good for 81. I have a Reason to Believe he’s Forever Young. Every Picture Tells a Story, doesn’t it?

So that was our star sighting in London, my friends.  It was a pretty impressive one, right?