London Markets

I know I'm a bit behind with my posts, but I'll do my best to catch you up to speed. This weekend has been a pretty good one! Saturday afternoon I met up with Beth and we walked to the Portobello Road Market in Nottinghill. The street was lined with stands of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the smell of food cooking was in the air. As we moved farther down, there were shops and stands filled with antiques and vintage clothing. It seemed to go on forever! I loved it! There was just so much to take in and see and smell. So for a good while Beth and I strolled all around snacking on pretzels, and before leaving we picked up some fruits and veggies to go with dinner that night. We had a lovely evening as well. Josh made burgers and his famous mac and cheese.

On Sunday Beth took me to East side of London that is considered the more artsy part of town. We walked over to Columbia Road where every Sunday there is a beautiful flower market. The flower stands are all lined up along the curb, and behind them are some very cool shops - vintage clothes, cupcakes (and of course we got some!), antiques, etc. Before leaving we got some flowers, which have really helped to make my room seem more like home. I really enjoyed this market!

After Columbia Road market, we walked over to Spitalfield's market. This one was very cool as well. There were hundreds of stands with great clothes and antiques. I think I'll be going back again next weekend to go shopping! For a while it seems like a big garage sale, with people sitting on the sidewalk with all their things to sell. Then it transitions to a covered market full of stands. I think this area is also known for it's Bangladeshi food and restaurants. It all looked really good! Oh, and I learned later that Spitalfields is the area where some of Jack the Ripper's victims were killed! Good little piece of history for you.

I think that the markets are one of my favorite things about this city. Every weekend you can visit these markets and have such a great time. There's so much to take in! You can get your groceries, get lunch, hear music, see and buy original art or some antiques ALL in the same place. It's a great way to get out and do something fun without stress. However, if you're a bit claustrophobic then prepare yourself because the crowds can be rather large. Anyway, I love London markets!

Well now we've finished our weekend of market hopping, and I'm back at the dorm just chilling out. Some friends and I plan to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate the fact that classes are FINALLY starting tomorrow!

More later. Take care :)