Harrods is possibly the most interesting department store in the world. Most department stores that I have been in the States and in Korea have a sort of uniform feel to them. When you see one floor you can sort of expect something similar on all the other floors in terms of lighting or decoration. So it’s hard to feel lost inside a department store or a mall, but that’s exactly how I felt inside of Harrods. It was wonderful to find one surprise after another in this interesting combination of different moods and themes in one place!
I think part of what adds the unique atmosphere of Harrods is the lighting. Sometimes it’s dark but with a great vibe! Other times it’s just as bright as any other department store. Then there’s the texture of materials that the lights are set in that create the most interesting reflections and shadows.
There were a good bit of Egyptian motif decoration around the escalators which I found fascinating. The only times I’ve seen something like this are in an exhibition or Las Vegas so I was pretty surprised to see this play out in a department store. It makes all the other department stores I’ve been to seem practically boring!
There were two memorials for Diana, princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed in Harrods. One is the bronze statue in the center of this photo, and the other is a pyramid which holds a wineglass and an engagement ring. I later happened upon the memorial at Pont de l’Alma while wandering in Paris a few days later. It gave me a chance to think about those that have passed away and how we remember them.
This was something I perceived to be a British thing. I don’t recall ever seeing riding equipment in department stores in the States or in Korea. Of course, I haven’t been to all the department stores in either country so this is not for certain. In any case, I found it to be rather interesting!
There was a restaurant that had a terrace with a nice view of the area so I asked if I could go out and take a quick picture. This photo shows something about the England that I am constantly fascinated by: there are rows and blocks of similar looking buildings! This was something I noticed while I was flying into Heathrow, and also on the train to Windsor Castle. Perhaps there are places like this in the States and God knows all the apartments look the same in Korea, but for some reason I find it fascinating to see them all kind of arranged together in an orderly sort of way. I asked an English friend if this ever causes any confusion. It seems to me that it would be easy to forget which house out of the row of similar looking houses is yours. The answer was that this hadn’t ever been a problem because they are in fact different. So if you look closely there are differences in the subtle details. Maybe they can be considered something like snowflakes; all similar but no one snowflake the same as another!
I didn’t really spend much time looking at the prices as I was not really there to shop for anything, but I hear and suspect it is on the expensive side. I think it is still a very interesting place to go in and experience with lots of eye candy! The only downside of my experience at Harrods is that I was asked to carry my backpack around in my hand. Luckily I wasn’t carrying my tripod that day, but it was still rather uncomfortable carrying a backpack around as if it was a briefcase; it’s just not a natural thing to do! It’s called “back” pack for a reason! I think I sort of slung it over one shoulder and was only told to take it off two or three times near the ground floor. It felt odd in that carrying a backpack in hand wouldn’t deter a determined thief, nor would it make me look any less like a tourist. So for me, the whole idea was rather impractical. What do you think?
