The Prize – 10 March 2012

Continuing our Faberge egg hunt, we tackled Piccadilly and Mayfair; these two elite areas were great to rediscover. Not only were the eggs hidden in unexpectedly quaint alley-ways like Avery Row, there were several in the foyers of grand hotels such as The Mayfair and Claridges. We felt totally out of place in our 20 year old faithful 'Fairydown' walking jackets and sturdy shoes, walking through the front doors of these places. The Ritz and the Dorchester had an egg directly outside them.

Mayfair and Piccadilly are also home to many exclusive shopping areas. There were eggs in the Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly Arcade, New Bond Street and Fortum & Masons. It was a great tour of the area.

When we discovered that Faberge themselves were in the heart of Mayfair, that was a must to visit. As we admired the expensive eggs and works of art in the windows, we were invited in to see the winning prize the specially commissioned Diamond Jubilee Faberge Egg. After asking if we were participating in the competition, the manager offered to remove the half kilo, jewelled golden egg from it's case and let us both hold it. I imagine this will be the only time we get to hold half a kilo of solid gold!

The other unexpected treat in the day was stumbling on a Banksy in Mayfair. We saw the painting high upon the side of a building in a back street, and were convinced this could be a Banksy. Checking on the web later confirmed it is one in a new series of paintings he has recently carried out in this rather different area of London.

So, after rediscovering places like Savile Row and Berkeley Square (no nightingales though) and lunch in a very picturesque pub in the lovely Victorian Mount Street, we felt as if we were definitely mixing with the rich and famous, as we saw more Rolls Royces & Bentleys today, than we have ever previously seen in one day!