I did the unthinkable. It's the day after Christmas, and I decided to brave the biggest shopping mall in Europe in order to take advantage of the great sales that have been advertised. To say the place was mobbed would be an understatement.
As I walked into the mall, my foot was run over by a mother pushing a pram with her toddler inside. "So sorry", she said to me in a voice laced with an accent that sound vaguely Russian. "No problem," I responded. I continued on as I searched for a suitable hat to wear to replace the ski hat I've been donning since losing my hunter's cap three weeks ago. "Are the hats part of the sale too?", I asked the salesperson in front of me. 'Yes, of course. Everything in the store.", she replied with an accent showing a possibly German heritage, maybe Scandanavian.
I continued on into Pal Zileri. It's a men's store with stylish clothing that is often a bit garish, but when they get it right they really get it right. I was being pursued endlessly by a zealous salesperson who encouraged me to try on everything I touched. "The sizes are European," he divulged in a manner slightly annoying for stating the obvious. Given that it's an Italian label, I had assumed that the salesperson's dark manicured look was of Southern Italian or Sicilian extraction. However, his accent made me think that he might be middle-eastern in origin. I left the store with nothing wondering if I would come back for a slightly over-styled sweater. Of course, I didn't go back for it.
Finally, I went to the top of the mall to take a look at the cinema for future reference. 'Can I help you with anything?", asked the attendant who looked like she might have been from China or Indonesia but who spoke with a decidedly Southeast London accent. "Just looking," I explained a bit embarrassed about being in a cinema without really wanting to see a film.
I had gone shopping in West London but ended up taking a trip around the world.
London, I love you.
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