The Fun Continues...

I am currently sitting at Heathrow airport waiting for my flight back to JFK. (Though I’m not going to post this until I get back to Brooklyn—$10/hour for wireless at the airport is too expensive for my blood.) Katie’s flight went out an hour before mine and it was strange but crazy fun to hug her goodbye in London and say “see you in Newtown.”

The last few days have been amazing (sites, food and weather!)



We switched hotels on Saturday morning, moving from St. James to South Kensington. Unfortunately the District and Circle lines were closed for the 2nd straight weekend creating public transport chaos, but we eventually got to the new hotel and then headed right out to Portabello Road Market. What a place—stands and stores with antiques, food, new stuff, junk, clothes, jewelry and wall-to-wall people stretch for at least a mile.


We bought a few things, but the most fun find was a falafel shop that claims to be the store where Hugh Grant bought his OJ right before he runs into Julia Roberts in the movie Notting Hill. (If only we had actually run into Hugh Grant—now that would have been a really fun find!)








Undecided as to what we should do on Saturday night, Katie suggested we try our luck at last minute tickets for a play. The first ticket booth we asked about Wicked and Mary Poppins only had Wicked for 70 pounds/ticket ($140.) The second stand had orchestra tickets for Wicked for 35 pounds/ticket. Were the tickets legit? We were nervous but optimistic. Indeed they were real and I can say without doubt that Wicked is my new favorite play! Kerry Ellis, the actress who played the young Wicked Witch of the West has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard!

A late-night pizza with cheese mash(ed potatoes), peas, scallions and Tabasco sauce finished off the evening—Delicious!

We had had so much fun at Portabello Road that we decided to visit another market on Sunday morning. Ah, if only I had had $1000 to spend on cool finds! Packed with people and stands of unique clothes, jewelry furniture and food, the Spitalfields Market is located in an old Victorian warehouse that looks like it is being slowly restored. We almost left empty handed after needing cash and seeing the line for the ATM-- seriously, there were 20 people in front of us—where are all the ATMs in London? Isn’t the city a banking mecca of the world? Anyway, being the feisty and determined young ladies that we are, we persevered to the front of the line; I then purchased a short wool jacket that is worn like a kimono and Katie got a pink necklace made from a nut that is described as vegetable ivory.

Stop number two was the Tower of London.








First the positive—the property is spectacular and the tour with the beefeater was fascinating (who doesn’t love a good “drawn and quartered” story?)









Now the beef-- we were both thoroughly disappointed with the Crown Jewels. The crowns, orbs and scepters were gorgeous, but where were the necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, etc…?

Dinner found us at Café de Mario, an Italian restaurant in South Kensington with decent food, but an even better history. Apparently Princess Diana and the boys used to eat there. There is now a giant painting of The Princess and Mario in the restaurant and a pizza named after her.