The Brits can be so stiff sometimes

Finally in the UK, we went for a nice stroll and walked into Harvey Nichols. We were expecting the usual department store bussle, but the place was eerily quiet. The numerous staff stood stone-faced, hands by their sides, waiting for customers.

We headed upstairs to the food hall, yapping away loudly and generally being all American. Arriving there, something felt spooky and 'off.' The staff and the customers now were standing very still, not talking to each other, staring into space. We kept walking past them, wondering aloud what was going on. It felt like stumbling into Madam Troussaud's, or a Zombie video game.

And then, just when the realization of what was happening struck us, the intercom announced "Thank you for respecting two minutes of silence for the victims of the London bombings."

We darted red-faced into the Tea aisle. :)