the famed london markets
Friday, November 4 - London
To appease something I recalled from childhood, today I sought out Portobello Road. It took many maps, and a thorough use of the underground Tube system, but I found it, and it was as the song says, 'Street where the riches of ages are stowed...'. Twisting and turning, Portobello road has gathered one of the most enjoyable open-air markets I have seen in all my travels. Fruits sellers, olive vendors, freshly baked breads, bolts of cloth, antiques, household supplies, tee-shirts, lingerie, books, records, soups, signs, and 'anything and everything a chap can unload, is sold off the barrel on Portobello Road.'.
From one shady looking cockney chap, I was able to pry away two great condition books from the 1790's. So, yes, it's all here. Of course now I have to lug around two 215 year old books, but it's my vice, what can I say.
I also went to the Elephant and Cross Market. Speaking of shady - this is where you'll find things that are so obviously hot you have to be careful the guys with the billy-clubs aren't watching. It was fun though, just don't keep your eye off your neighbor's sticky hands.
And then there was Trafalgar Square. True to the name, it is a square, but in this case a gigantic one. Dominating the center of the Square is a huge obilisk that holds a statue atop so far away I had no idea who it was supposed to be. Trafalgar himself? I'll have to look it up. Around the base of the spire, there were 4 ebony lions, each the size of a suburban truck. The rest of the area was well laid out with several huge fountains, views of Big Ben in the distance, and at the square's head was the National Art Gallery, which I took several hours to explore. I'll have a review of the museum at a later date for those who have any interest in that sort of thing. It was fantastic.
I leave London tomorrow. Should be an exciting trip. Will update this site again when I am established there. Could get a little wild.
- C
To appease something I recalled from childhood, today I sought out Portobello Road. It took many maps, and a thorough use of the underground Tube system, but I found it, and it was as the song says, 'Street where the riches of ages are stowed...'. Twisting and turning, Portobello road has gathered one of the most enjoyable open-air markets I have seen in all my travels. Fruits sellers, olive vendors, freshly baked breads, bolts of cloth, antiques, household supplies, tee-shirts, lingerie, books, records, soups, signs, and 'anything and everything a chap can unload, is sold off the barrel on Portobello Road.'.
From one shady looking cockney chap, I was able to pry away two great condition books from the 1790's. So, yes, it's all here. Of course now I have to lug around two 215 year old books, but it's my vice, what can I say.
I also went to the Elephant and Cross Market. Speaking of shady - this is where you'll find things that are so obviously hot you have to be careful the guys with the billy-clubs aren't watching. It was fun though, just don't keep your eye off your neighbor's sticky hands.
And then there was Trafalgar Square. True to the name, it is a square, but in this case a gigantic one. Dominating the center of the Square is a huge obilisk that holds a statue atop so far away I had no idea who it was supposed to be. Trafalgar himself? I'll have to look it up. Around the base of the spire, there were 4 ebony lions, each the size of a suburban truck. The rest of the area was well laid out with several huge fountains, views of Big Ben in the distance, and at the square's head was the National Art Gallery, which I took several hours to explore. I'll have a review of the museum at a later date for those who have any interest in that sort of thing. It was fantastic.
I leave London tomorrow. Should be an exciting trip. Will update this site again when I am established there. Could get a little wild.
- C
posted by Caleb Jordan Schulz @ 4:35 AM
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