Portobello Market Madness

If you're living in or visiting London, you have to experience Portobello Market at least once.  Rex and I walked up to Notting Hill last weekend for breakfast (we found a great breakfast place called "Mike's" that makes great Eggs Benedict!) and decided to walk back down Portobello Road.  

The crowds on Saturdays are massive - sometimes it's even hard to walk amongst them. But today I decided I was in the mood to do some people watching and browsing.

Portobello Road is know for it's multi-colored houses and pretty window boxes.  Remember the moving "Notting Hill" with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts?  It takes place in picturesque Notting Hill.

I'm not so sure that "chic" describes this street but someone thinks it does.

There's entertainment at every turn, including the musical variety.  This guy was quite a character and loved dressing up for the part.  Mostly he would just sit there and pose - forget strumming the guitar!  You'd think he was from a different era but his Bart Simpson tie gives it away.

I could have listened to this guy playing the harp all day.

This is one of my favorite tiny little shops, "Books for Cooks."

Every kind of cookbook you could imagine is crammed onto the shelves.

including intriguing titles such as this one.  I think I should create one called, "Eat, Drink, Eat"!  I love cookbooks so I couldn't resist buying one

representing one of my favorite places in London, The Hummingbird Bakery.  Hmmm..., I've never, ever been much of a baker in my life but this book has inspired me.  How about the red velvet cupcakes (my absolute favorite), the double chocolate cookies or the banana cream pie?  Better to leave the last one to my Mom - because she does it best!

They have a little restaurant in the back where I met a friend once for lunch.  It was charming and delicious.  They offer cooking classes, too.

The Spice Shop is a new discovery for me - so colorful and aromatic, we couldn't resist going in.

As we perused the shelves of every spice imaginable, we spotted a jar of Skippy peanut butter. The owner smiled in embarrassment!  

Pretty peppers.

I have no excuse for not making exotic spicy food with this selection.

And onward to the fresh food stalls

where stall after stall offers an array of brightly colored fresh fruit and vegetables.

Or, if you haven't had your lunch yet, you can just eat your way all the way up the road.  The good smells coming from this chicken were tempting

and the fresh pastries and desserts were abundant.

If I hadn't just had breakfast, I might have indulged in an almond-filled croissant.

Maybe I need to start checking out the "fascinators" for next year's Royal Ascot, though these look more fallish with their dark feathers.  Besides, remember next year, I'm going for the big, colorful hat!

There are leather bags for sale,

Russian hats and military gear,

and warm Scottish hats and scarves.

If you're into antique silver, you're in the right place.  There are countless stores along the way that sell everything from eating utensils to full tea sets.  And to make sure your silver is authentic, you'll need

 a magnifying glass to check the English silver hallmarks that indicate the age of the silver piece and where it was made.

Ready for afternoon tea?

These cups aren't antique but they may be worth something - someday!

Here, you can toot your own horn or

play a board game on these beautiful antique sets.

Can't forget about the costume jewelry.

There's a gem in there somewhere. (Wouldn't this picture make a great jigsaw puzzle?)

Not a bad buy on the scarves - that's about US$10 each if you buy 3!  

You can get the latest in watch fashion - the ceramic ones - in almost every color.

This vintage dress would look just right on someone here next summer or 

maybe you're in need of something for a costume party.

Nothing much interesting in this window - except the black cat sunning himself.  Not for sale.

Buy a bag to hold all your bargains.

There's a sign for every purpose but it seems to me that the "hippies" are a little discriminated against and

these road signs make nice souvenirs to take home.

This one left me with a twinkle in me eye as I left the Portobello Market on that fine Saturday!

East London by Bicycle

The dicey September London weather held out for a group of us that went bicycling throughout East London.  Our nine miles began in the Banksy Tunnel,  a tunnel "authorized" for graffiti so those who have a mad desire to paint on street walls can do so here without being arrested.  Periodically, the walls are whitewashed so that a brand new canvas is available for budding artists. (Banksy is a well-known British graffiti artist.) 

Now, I don't suppose you were thinking that a group of us just went out on our own bicycling through East London!  No way for me - I'd be scared to death I'd get run over by a double-decker bus.  This is Chris, our very patient and knowledgeable guide from Breakaway Bicycles, who expertly guided us through off-the-beaten track streets and alleyways of what was once a darker, seedier part of London.

The Monument was designed in the 1600s by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666.  In the mid-1800s, a cage was built around the top because there were several suicides that took place - in fact, even more suicides than there were official deaths from the fire, which was only five.

This is the ultra modern Lloyds of London, otherwise called "the inside out" building.  They insure, amongst other things, Mariah Carey's legs and Tom Jones' chest hairs!  What could possibly happen to the latter?!

I love the juxtaposition of the "Gherkin," the modern building in the background against the old church in the foreground.

Pedaling on, we reached Leadenhall Market, which has been a marketplace since the 14th century.  For Harry Potter fans, some of the filming was done here - this is where Harry bought his magic wand.

The butcher used to display his products on these meat hooks.  It makes me think of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

Spitalfield's Market is an old Victorian Market and now is a great market for just about anything - from antiques to art to high fashion.  But no shopping for us today as we continued our journey to

Brick Lane, where supposedly the best curry houses in London are.  Over the last few hundred years, Brick Lane has been called home by many immigrants and is now home to a large Bangladeshi community.

Legend has it that Mary Kelly, Jack the Ripper's final victim, walked out of The Ten Bells in the early hours of morning in 1888.  The next morning, her mutilated body was discovered across the road.  They say the pub is haunted......  But, not a pint for us this morning as we had more places to discover like 

the Whitechapel Bell Foundry - the oldest manufacturer in England.  It dates back to 1570 and has been in business since then.  It's famous for the iconic Big Ben in London and for the Liberty Bell in America.  In 1976, some Americans protested and in jest, requested that the Liberty Bell be returned to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry because it had a crack in it.  The Foundry said they would accept the return but only if it was in it's original packaging!

These canals used to link the massive docks of the River Thames to big cities north of London.  Now, there are quiet, peaceful paths along the canals for walkers and cyclists like us.

St. Katherine's Docks is now a leisure area boasting a marina, housing and this pub, The Dicken's Inn.

Just a short rest before crossing the Tower Bridge to the south side of the River Thames.

Along the river, we passed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and, after returning our bicycles, ended up at

The Anchor & Hope pub for a well-deserved lunch!