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English beat that is London Aha! It so happened that I had an entire day free ahead of me before my flight from Heathrow at 915pm. A Sunday at that. And in London, not a very favourite city with me because of the weather which is so extreme or dreary

Faced with 2 choices – laze around in the hotel, paying minimal extra for late check out. Or make the most of the day by being outdoors and enjoying London. Of course I chose the later. It was a glorious sunny day, bright and cheerful, light fluffy clouds flitted lightly and the world beckoned.

I had a light breakfast of fruit and cereal, and decided in my mind that while I am going to spend time here in the city it will be haute and not massy. So, Tita picked me from the hotel at 10am, my baggage was nicely locked in the boot of her car, and we were now hands free, baggage free.

Tita’s surprise for me was the appointment she had taken in advance, she knew the marketing head of this fantastic spa in Mandarin Hotel, Hyde Park, so we headed straight for a snappy consultation and I was ready for the Life-dance routine that the spa offered.

Jane, the therapist assigned to me, informed me that the Life-dance ritual was based on Ayurveda but was modified to get the most out of one session. I confessed to overwork and exhaustion and sound sleep and was led to this heavenly smelling room which was obviously made with Rip Van Winkle in mind. The soothing colours, the fragrant candles, the gentle lamp lights and the soft bed with flowers strewn all around made me sleepy instantly. A combine of hot stones and soothing milk cleansers massaged with gentle strokes did me in for the next couple of hours. I was asleep for over two hours and when I finally surfaced they got me invigorating honey blended coconut water with mint, refreshing!

One of the nicest things of wrapping up at the Mandarin was being right in the middle of the shopping district. The sales were on, Jimmy Choos caught my fancy so I strolled in looking for something simple and stunning, but did not get my feet size. All sizes surprisingly were for large feet. So along the road was Harrods, where we made our next stop and here I bought a couple of beautiful gifts for family and a lovely red tote for Tita who was happy with my thank you We walked out armed with bags in tow, and headed in to Gerard Darrel for a beautiful cream silver trench, my favourite piece from this trip.

We then headed to a café and slurped my way through a lovely soup and salad and a huge gelato sundae, and then walked a mile to shed it off. Having rested and having consumed high energy stuff, the day came to a close and we made our way to Heathrow I felt a twinge of sadness (UK is not my favourite destination) for a beautiful day had come to a close. Purse and heart lighter, I stepped into my flight, watched a movie, ate some short eats and slipped into my i-pod dreaming of home and my own bed on landing:)
Posted by Mee at 12:42 Little Miss said...

Hi there Mee, have rejoined planet earth recently and been reading up on your adventures. Would have REALLY LOVED to have seen you. Harrods does yummy crêpes. Will give you a heads up of life this side of the world soon. Neelu said...

Perfect....! What a lovely day Mee. Mee said...

little miss - leave me ur email id, I don't know how to get in touch with you:(, will wait for ur long email and update, its been ages! trust all well?:) any trip to India in the near future? Arpana Kumar said...

Hmmm. I am certainly green:)) 
Mee! London is so cool and chic. Why don't you like that city? runa said...

O man! When an unexpected day off happens and there is no plan for the day, it can be such a bonus. Am glad you got time out Mee. And you did spend it well:) melinda said...

Lon-don, my college city:) I have fond memories of the place, the people and also my friends there. But alone the city can get ruthless and lonely too. Last few months in London had become a torture for me. Am glad am outta there now. ashish said...

Sunny bright day in London is a pure treat! Glad for you:) 
I bought a brand new Jimmy Choos and am so so so happy with them, kinda simply and classy, am waiting for the rains to vanish then will wear them at a party soon:) RavneetSingh said...

I look forward to coming home after all this travel. I miss home. And more importantly start confusing airports and hotels and cities.I need a break from travel myself! 
This english beat sounded like fun Mee!:) Glad u had time out to do your own thing. High time I'd say!:) gita said...

Hey Meeee! U are eating healthy I say! Or was it just a freak day here in London?:) I hope yu are eating a bIG meal for breakfast and using that energy for the day?:) sanjiv said...

Hey love the day spent in luxury Mee, well deserved indeed. As far as London is concerned I think its a very vibrant but cold city. Weather wise and people wise. Always good to have friends to hang out with, there. 
Mee, LOndon just started its Olympic run up and the flag was unfurled thr - a historic moment for them am sure. Its a busy city alright, giant and megapolis, awake 24/7. I prefer my city to be active on weekdays and go a bit easy n relaxed ovr the wkends, glad you had a good time there. 
Lil miss -how are you? Have you cracked your travel to India yet? Yea had them crepes thr, tho must admit the ones in Paris on a cold wintry day are much nicer:)

Neelu - purrfect twas:)

Arpana - did u do the remote beaches of Maharashtra? Tell me abt ur trip pls:)

Jimmy - no offense thr, just that its too cold and the sun is always playing hide n seek thr!

Runa :)

Mel - you sound like Mee nw hehehe

Ash - certainly was:) - tho seems so distant now

Anon - jimmy choos! Wow:)

RS - the world weary traveler doth complain alot hehhee:)

Shell, Mikey - ty:)

Gits - am trying my best:(

Sanjiv - so true! ALLEX said...

Hi.... great experience ..... u must be relaxed i feel Venuraj Janakarajan said...

Sounds like a swell experience. Cuckoo said...

Hmmm... London is not my favourite place as well. But shopping ? Yeah, anyday anytime anywhere.. :D