It's...it's like being back in America!

Yesterday, I heard that Woolworth's had been put into receivership. Not cool - where else am I supposed to get cheap stuff? So, this afternoon after my Egyptology class, I headed down to the one on the high street. I needed cheap bed linens for when my family comes for Christmas (my parents are staying in a hotel room that I booked for them, but I have to keep David in my dorm room) and I wanted to try Pic 'n' Mix, since it's supposed to be the highlight of British Woolworth's.

I got to the high street, and discovered that it was completely blocked off. Apparently, there was some sort of bomb scare - I heard that there was a briefcase left unattended, but I'm not really clear on the details. Apparently, they were taking this very seriously - they had cordoned off the part of the high street that I needed to go through. (To be fair, the city did have an actual bombing earlier this year. My mom does not know this, and no one should tell her.) I stood around for a while and watched, as most people do. The bomb scare was very American, but the scene itself was so overwhelmingly British that I was fascinated.

Everyone just stood. They talked quietly among themselves and occasionally craned their necks over the barrier. No one shouted or pushed. Eventually, they got bored and walked away, and other people took their place. Some kids accidentally snapped the barrier tape ("Oh, my God, it was you, Sam!" "No it weren't!") and no one proceeded forward through it. The police wandered around but didn't make any loudspeaker announcements, and everyone behaved themselves. It was the weirdest thing I've seen so far.

I took pictures, but sadly I cannot post them, because there's a very distinctive piece of public art on that section of the high street.

Eventually, I, too, got bored and wandered on to Woolworths, using side streets. I got my sheets, some tinsel garlands and LED Christmas lights, and some Pic 'n' Mix. (Pic 'n' Mix is amazing. I'm sorry I'm only discovering it now. I will have to make as many trips as I possibly can before a Tesco replaces the Woolworth's.) Then, I went home. I haven't heard any explosions, so I assume the high street is safe.