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London
Sights to See
Harrods Department Store
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Much of London,
for most tourists anyway, is the historical stuff.
After all, the
city abounds in ancient
buildings and centuries old monuments. A walk down almost any street
invokes thoughts of historical events and great works of fiction...and
fact. The city teems with palaces and works of art from
the ages.
On the other hand, Harrods, even while its origins are from
over 150 years ago, is as up-to-date as the latest computer...which it
will be happy to sell you for a very high price indeed!
What many consider the world's greatest department store was
established on its current
site in 1849 by Charles
Henry Harrod, a wholesale grocer. Harrod's son Charles Digby
rapidly grew the business and by 1880 employed 100 staff.
Never one to be bowed by setbacks, not even a highly devastating fire
in 1883,
Harrods went on to make all its Christmas deliveries in that year and
many since. Whether it was flying fresh fish to Alfred Hitchcock or
embalming
the body of Sigmund Freud,
the store that promises "Everything
to Everybody
Everywhere" never fails to deliver as promised...or
expected.
For the most part, much of the architectural additions - including
terracotta tiles and Art
Nouveau windows topped with a baroque dome - can still be
seen by a
careful observer. What you won't see at today's Harrods, however, is
the original Winnie-the-Pooh.
A.A. Milne
took that home for his son, Christopher
Robin.
Throughout the decades Harrods has housed, among other services and
sections, a funeral service, a lending
library, and has even sold airplanes and elephants. As difficult as
that may be to comprehend, today, the selection is
possibly larger. The expansion began when the Fayed family
acquired the House of
Fraser Group (and thereby Harrods) for £615
million
($1.1 billion) in 1985. Another £300 million investment for
refurbishment has brought the department store to its current peak.
For those hoping not merely to buy - but to experience - may find, on
any given day, opera singers performing at the top of the Egyptian
Escalators or a future star serving at one of the
counters. Pierce
Brosnan once worked in the pharmacy and the original Darth Vader was at
one time a
fitness consultant in the sports department.
While your "assistant" is booking some theater tickets for you, why not
have a facial in the
salon or relax at the Irish spa? When you're done with that, visit Donatella
Versace to discuss a new perfume.
But for those who simply do want to shop...there's no better word
than...Wow!
In these seven floors, which once housed the world's first escalator,
can be
found 4.5 acres of... well, just about everything you can need...or
simply want. Thanks to the 12,000
lightbulbs you'll have no difficulty seeing it either. Even if all you
want is
a humble drink of cool water, you can have a sip drawn from one of the
under-the'site artesian
wells, the deepest of which is 489 ft, or 149 m.
At Harrods, you can purchase any of over 300 varieties of cheese or
have a
unique chocolate drink, such as an Italian "suckao" available
from the Chocolate Bar.
You can even purchase your own custom-made Madame
Tussaud's waxwork - for a paltry
£250,000 ($442,000). If you happen to be
on a budget, you can bid for the £20,000 ($35,000) 24-karat
gold Lindt bunny.
On the way out, since you probably haven't any money left, just do the
tourist thing and take a look at the
extraordinary chandeliers or the specialized jewelry. But be sure to
bring your ear plugs and elbow pads. Harrods is not only home to a
million square feet of merchandise, but hordes of shoppers and visitors
from every corner of the world.
Getting to Harrods is simple as it is easily accessible via the tube
(the London Underground
subway system). Just exit at the Knightsbridge
station.
London
Sights to See
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