Portobello Road, Notting Hill, and Friends
When I first got my placement and learned that I would be in a small village not too far from London, I was absolutely thrilled. I hoped I could get to London often, but I was glad I wasn't going to be right inside the city. So far, my first thoughts have been right! I love being in a little village where people become more familiar and everything is in walking distance, but I am loving the opportunity to go to London on the weekends and explore the city. It truly is a magical city and I've really enjoyed getting to experience it - not just running around checking things off the tourist guide.
I spent Friday night and Saturday with Stephanie, a new-found friend and fellow-Fulbrighter. It was great to catch up on school and experiences so far as we work through similar adventures in teaching and living overseas.
Saturday morning we ventured up to Notting Hill. We had planned to meet up with a tour walk through the neighborhood, but due to some out-of-work tube lines, we did not make it in time, but we ended up being thankful for that so that we could more easily move at our own pace through the market streets.
Did you ever seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks? The 1971 musical with Angela Lansbury? I know, it is a rare one, and an odd one for me to even mention, but in the movie, while in search for a few pages to a magical book, they go to Portobello Road market since it has everything you could want. As with most musicals, the song was in my head for years and when I came upon a tour through Portobello Road Market, I became incredibly excited - it is actually a real thing!
There were thousands of people shopping up and down the street where just about everything was on sale! There were tourist booths with shirts, scarves, hats and bags, as well as antique booths with silver tea pots, ancient coins, cameras, and books (including some Jane Austen books printed in the 1880s which were hundreds of pounds each). There were booths of clothes, crafts, jewelry, and letters from old printing presses. Along the way there were performers singing on the street and delicious baked goods tempting us along our walk.
Portobello Road winds right through the streets of Notting Hill and were it not for Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, I wouldn't know that this little part of London existed, but thanks to them, I know a lot about this great little spot. We found the Travel Book Store, or the spot that was once the filming location of the book store and is currently a shoe store. The famed "blue door" where Hugh Grant lived in the film was also close-by. Well, we believe it was the door as other people were also there taking photos. If not, it was still a lovely door!
Since Stephanie and I were not able to make the "London Walks" tour that morning, we were determined to make one that afternoon! We made it to Westminister Tube Station and were bombarded with noises upon our exit as the streets around Parliament were full of protestors. What were they protesting? We were never quite sure, as there were all sorts of groups marching together. Thousands and thousands of people marched the streets expressing their frustration with the government. Because of the protest, the Harry Potter tour was able to continue, but we were not able to see all of the sights. Inside the tube station, we saw where Harry Potter took Mr. Weasley through the underground. We saw one of the entrances to the Ministry of Magic (no, we did not flush ourselves down any toilets) and we saw a road of shops that was believed to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley. Our tour guide was wonderful - very energetic, theatrical and very knowledgable, sharing all sorts of London facts along the way!
After departing our tour, we set off to purchase cheap tickets and ended up continuing our Harry Potter day as we bought tickets to see "Our Boys" which starred Matthew Lewis who played Neville Longbottom in all of the Harry Potter films. We had some time to spare, so we made the most of an afternoon with no rain in London and walked through Chinatown, Soho and Covent Gardens.
It was an absolute pleasure to be with them today - a great way to end my weekend in London. I'm thankful to be so close to such an incredible, vibrant city full of life and energy, but I'm also glad to return to my quiet village home where life seems so much simpler.
I spent Friday night and Saturday with Stephanie, a new-found friend and fellow-Fulbrighter. It was great to catch up on school and experiences so far as we work through similar adventures in teaching and living overseas.
Saturday morning we ventured up to Notting Hill. We had planned to meet up with a tour walk through the neighborhood, but due to some out-of-work tube lines, we did not make it in time, but we ended up being thankful for that so that we could more easily move at our own pace through the market streets.
Did you ever seen Bedknobs and Broomsticks? The 1971 musical with Angela Lansbury? I know, it is a rare one, and an odd one for me to even mention, but in the movie, while in search for a few pages to a magical book, they go to Portobello Road market since it has everything you could want. As with most musicals, the song was in my head for years and when I came upon a tour through Portobello Road Market, I became incredibly excited - it is actually a real thing!
There were thousands of people shopping up and down the street where just about everything was on sale! There were tourist booths with shirts, scarves, hats and bags, as well as antique booths with silver tea pots, ancient coins, cameras, and books (including some Jane Austen books printed in the 1880s which were hundreds of pounds each). There were booths of clothes, crafts, jewelry, and letters from old printing presses. Along the way there were performers singing on the street and delicious baked goods tempting us along our walk.
Portobello Road winds right through the streets of Notting Hill and were it not for Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, I wouldn't know that this little part of London existed, but thanks to them, I know a lot about this great little spot. We found the Travel Book Store, or the spot that was once the filming location of the book store and is currently a shoe store. The famed "blue door" where Hugh Grant lived in the film was also close-by. Well, we believe it was the door as other people were also there taking photos. If not, it was still a lovely door!
Since Stephanie and I were not able to make the "London Walks" tour that morning, we were determined to make one that afternoon! We made it to Westminister Tube Station and were bombarded with noises upon our exit as the streets around Parliament were full of protestors. What were they protesting? We were never quite sure, as there were all sorts of groups marching together. Thousands and thousands of people marched the streets expressing their frustration with the government. Because of the protest, the Harry Potter tour was able to continue, but we were not able to see all of the sights. Inside the tube station, we saw where Harry Potter took Mr. Weasley through the underground. We saw one of the entrances to the Ministry of Magic (no, we did not flush ourselves down any toilets) and we saw a road of shops that was believed to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley. Our tour guide was wonderful - very energetic, theatrical and very knowledgable, sharing all sorts of London facts along the way!
After departing our tour, we set off to purchase cheap tickets and ended up continuing our Harry Potter day as we bought tickets to see "Our Boys" which starred Matthew Lewis who played Neville Longbottom in all of the Harry Potter films. We had some time to spare, so we made the most of an afternoon with no rain in London and walked through Chinatown, Soho and Covent Gardens.
About fifteen years ago, a new couple came to our small town Methodist Church and become very involved with our youth group, a group that got just about as much of my time as I could spare. I enjoyed their company, their guidance and energy. Who knew that a relationship that started so many years ago, could have ties that would have us meeting in London years down the road?
Ronnie and Teresa's daughter moved to London almost thirteen years ago, fell in love and is now a happily married mother of two British citizen. Ronnie and Teresa come over about once a year to visit, and I was thrilled that I had the opportunity to meet up with them while they were visiting. We all went to church together in a gorgeous old church where the acoustics sharpened the sounds of the organ and dozen-member choir to perfection.
We strolled home through Hyde Park as the two little ones chased squirrels and pigeons through the fallen yellow leaves. There was even an American football practice going on - complete with helmets, shoulder pads and a variety of US team logos on shirts and hats.
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