My final week in London...for now.

I've returned to the English countryside for a few days before my six-week trip throughout Europe and Israel, and I'm in a very relaxed state. London is a bit hectic and loud, which I do enjoy, but once you step off the train in the country, the city grit washes right off and you can breathe a bit deeper. My final few days in London were wonderful -- I had a beauty night with the girls before they left for Italy. Hair was curled and nails were painted. I'm going to miss them dearly but will hopefully see the family again in December when I return to London for a few weeks.

I returned to Kensington Gardens on Monday before visiting Kensington Palace. I may have a slight obsession with the foliage here...

I've visited many of London's parks but Kensington Gardens is by far my favorite. There's a serenity that exists for me here, especially when a dog gallops by to retrieve a ball. That just elevates my happiness ;)

Kensington Palace, the former home of Queen Victoria and Princess Diana, is currently the home of Prince William and Princess Katherine, and their new little bundle of course. My favorite exhibits included "Victoria Revealed" and  "Fashion Rules: Dress from the collections of HM The Queen, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales." Five rooms of elegant dress displays explore how these women reflected the style and trends of the day, negotiating the rules of dressing fashionably with the "rules" of a royal wardrobe.

Queen Elizabeth wore this dress for the opening of the New Zealand Parliament in 1963. Such a visually stunning dress and a tiny waist! The bodice is embroidered with pearls, beads, diamanté and sequins.

Queen Elizabeth wore this dress for a dinner at the German Embassy in 1958.

This brightly colored, short, A-line dress and coat is in keeping with formal fashions of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Queen Elizabeth wore it for the Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1972. Its simple, single-color design ensured that the Queen was visible in the large crowds that gathered and the fur trim added warmth for the open coach ride.

As you entered the 1960s room that portrayed Princess Margaret's fashions, one of the walls displayed this quote from the April 1966 issue of TIME Magazine:

"London is switched on...the city is alive with birds (girls) and beatles, buzzing with minicars and telly stars, pulsing with half a dozen veins of excitement. The guards now change at Buckingham Palace to a Lennon and McCartney tune..."

A "royal rebel" in the fashion world, Princess Margaret was at the forefront of fashion and style in the 1960s and 1970s. I actually hadn't seen many photos of her prior to this - she was gorgeous! 

In the 1970s she spent a lot of time at her Caribbean residence on the island of Mustique and wore this caftan to an island party in 1976. The second picture shows her in the dress.

The final room was filled with several of Princess Diana's dresses from the 1980s. This one in particular caught my eye. Princess Diana wore it for a dinner given by the President of Greece in 1986. Again another very slim waistline.

My other favorite exhibit was "Victoria Revealed." Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in 1918 and grew up alone with her mother Victoria, the Duchess of Kent (her father, the Duke of Kent, passed away one year after Victoria'a birth).

This was her basinet from her nursery:

She became Queen at just 18 and held her first Privy Council meeting in the Palace's Red Saloon:

Wearing this dress:

She fell in love with her cousin, Prince Albert, and SHE proposed to HIM! They married in 1940 and this was her wedding dress. This isn't a miniature version -- she was only 4'9".

On the way out, I snapped me near the gardens

And the infamous Golden Gates, where members of the public streamed to lay flowers immediately following the death of Princess Diana. 

This is what the gates looked in August 1997:

Before I show a few pics from my quick visit to Harrod's, I wanted to mention a travel tip. I've become an expert at traveling in style while on a budget - scope out the fancy hotels along your route prior to departing for the day. You can really freshen up in style! I know it sounds crazy, but after walking for hours in the nasty weather, I've been able to clean up nicely in these fancy bathrooms before going on a date or meeting friends (I usually stayed out all day since my flat was a bit out of town). I highly recommend the Savoy, Mandarin Oriental and The Langham, where Lady Gaga was staying during my bathroom visit (the huge paparazzi cluster gave me a second look when I walked out of the hotel, probably thinking I was Monica or something).

Here's me in front of Harrod's:

Cake professionals:

For my dad:

For my mom (Lladro's "Elegant Foxtrot"):

Lasly, I'll end with this -- you can't go far in this country without being charged for something. Every grocery store charges for plastic bags, and the main train stations charge to use the toilet. Yeah, it gets old (30p = $.48). Makes me appreciate America's free toilets.

That's all for now...next stop - Paris! xx jack