Keeping up with the Joneses

So recently I had another birthday – 21 again :o) YAY!

We decided to take the day off work, and relax doing London activities.
So in keeping with this idea, we started off with a couple of hours of relaxing in the sun at the park – yay for a spring birthday (and surprisingly sunny weather) versus my usual NZ autumn, rainy birthday. We then got all dolled up, and headed for a very posh high tea at the Dorchester. The Dorchester is on Park Lane (for any of you who have played Monopoly), so it is very swanky, with doormen wearing top hats and tails :o)

Outside the Dorchester

It was a fantastic experience – we really felt like upper class society, sipping an unlimited supply of superior quality tea, and being treated to cut sandwiches of various flavours, and then French cakes and finishing off the whole experience with scones with jam and cream! We were so full when we left we basically rolled out the door. What was really funny though, was seeing the type of people who were also dining there, on a weekday. One extremely posh lady in her 50s (who had either aged really well, or could afford copious amounts of botox and plastic surgery), sitting beside us seemed to know all of the waiting staff by name, and was asking them funny questions like “When you see me come through the door do you a) Think Oh no not her again, b) Run in the other direction, c) Think, yay her again? And the very tactful waiter said option e)! And the lady goes, but there was no e) option – precisely lady! He is not exactly going to go with option a) if he wants to keep his job is he!

Bev looking mighty pleased with himself - look at those delicious French cakes!

Me dying to crack into the scones with jam and cream, mmmmm!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the Green Park area (very close to Lizzy and Philips house), Bev showed me where his work is and we had a look at some really cute shops specifically for rich people, such as the real version of Rodd and Gunn – where guys actually go to buy their jumpers, check shirts and pants for game shooting. There was also a specialist shop for cigar smokers, where the only thing in the shop was cigars! How do these shops survive!

We then grabbed a quick dinner at a westernised asian restaurant (but delicious) called DimT with a superb view of Tower Bridge (slightly better view than I can get from my works office window)

The view of Tower Bridge from the restaurant

and then we went to the Globe Theatre to see Romeo and Juliet. I have wanted to go to the Globe since arriving so it was so cool to finally go, and we really loved the performance, it was really well done and just the atmosphere was really cool. I can just imagine what it must have been like in Shakespeare’s time. One of the funniest things was that Friar Lawerence was played by a kiwi guy - Rawiri Paratene who was in Whale Rider, and who was on Play School when I was little - awesome! Kiwis are taking over the world little by little!

The Globe Theatre

An excellent day out on all accounts!