Tea at the Ritz

I love London. I truly do.  While there are so many things I love about London, one of my favorite things is the ritual of tea.  Recently, we stayed at the Ritz Hotel in London, which is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed in.  The hotel just exudes elegance, the kind that instantly makes you feel like sitting up straight (something, unfortunately, I rarely do) or walking tall from the moment you enter its doors.  They do absolutely everything right there, even a simple cup of tea. I would describe myself usually as an avid coffee drinker.  It would never even cross my mind to order a cup of tea.  But tea at the Ritz Hotel changed all of that for me.  Perhaps it was the silver tea pot, the delicate china, the paper thin lemon wedges, the silver tea strainer.  Quite different from the hot paper cup and tea bag we are served here; in London, you sit until your tea is steeped in the pot, and then you strain it into a tea cup and and finally you get to enjoy it.  And, to tell you the truth, that ritual makes all the difference in the world. 

So every morning (and sometimes even in the afternoon) I would order a pot of tea to be delivered to our room.  And I would sit in front of the marble fireplace, looking up at the antique chandelier,  or the gilded mirror, calmly sipping the most wonderful cup of tea.  I know some people would prefer to have tea in the restaurant at the Ritz, which is also very nice.  But the room was so beautiful, and I really enjoyed relishing it in the quiet of my room.  Kind of like my own private Alice in Wonderland moment, minus the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.  And now, upon returning home, I am a tea convert, complete with my own tea strainer and tea pot.