L. D3 (A Day Late)

London, Day 3, Tuesday. 
If the whole of London was out yesterday to see the Queen's Guard (or whatever was going on at Buckingham Palace), today, the entire tourist population of London was at the British Museum, or so it seemed. Who knew that the Christmas holiday season is a busy tourist season in London. We heard a lot of Italian and French, some English, both British and American, but no German. Wherever we went today, it was elbow to elbow with the crowds of happy travelers and locals.
The British Museum was another art overload experience. But what amazing art/artifacts they have. Here the plunder (sorry to our Brit friends) of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Assyria, and Greece are on display. But it was wonderful being able to see all of this in one spot. The highlights are the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, large busts from Egypt, winged Lions from Assyria, and much more. We had lunch at the Court Restaurant in the museum. I had a wonderful pappardella with venison ragout. Frank had a just OK sesame salmon.
After a quick stop at our hotel, we next ventured to Harrods for more mingling with the tourists and locals. Crowded it was, especially the food hall, which was an experience in itself. What would you like... they have it. The chocolate section was so busy, we had trouble making our way to the next room. But I am not complaining about spending time around so much chocolate. 
Dinner tonight was at The Narrow, a Gordon Ramsey gastro-pub in the Docklands area of East London. So, check off one more star chef from the list. The "pub" sits directly on the Thames, in a non-touristy area, with very little commercial activity. As expected, the food was very good, although the service was a little slower that even we like. I think Mr. Ramsey needs to tighten up the ship just a touch, just like he does on TV for other restaurants. I ordered Rump of lamb and confit shoulder, creamed celeriac, potato cake with mint sauce , very yummy. Frank had Glazed pheasant breast, braised red cabbage, prunes and granny smith apple. This too was very good, as were the appetizers and desserts. 
We had an interesting ride back to the hotel, but that is a story for another day.