Are you ready for more of London?! During our time in London we made our way to many boroughs. It was amazing to see how different each area is. The pastel and white colored row houses in Notting Hill provide a much different atmosphere than the graffiti art covered streets of Brick Lane and East London. Buckingham Palace, with its golden accents and immaculate flower garden is nothing like the theatre district.
One morning we made it to the Churchill War Rooms before they opened, made it through the museum and over to Buckingham palace to see the changing of the guards at 11am. We didn’t get a great spot for the changing of the guards, but Churchill War Rooms was one of our favorite things so it wasn’t a big deal. We saw the guards marching and trading places and chatted with a local British man near us who attends the ceremony about 3 times a week and has done so for years and years. He explained where all of the guards were coming from and going, what they did during the trade-off behind the palace gate and the significance of the ceremony. No need for a tour guide when you have local experts :) P.S. If you are going to London, definitely go to Churchill War Rooms – it was a favorite among many in our group.
Jumping across the park, we also spent some time walking around Notting Hill and Portobello Market. The houses were so pretty, bumped up next to each other with greens and window boxes. Some of the streets were filled with white and black houses, while others embraced multicolored pastels, a different color on each home. Notting Hill was much more calm than the main areas of central London and it was nice to be out of the hustle-bustle for a while where we could still enjoy the views and culture of the city.
When I studied abroad in college, I met one of my roommates in London, where she was studying. She was a wonderful tour guide and knew the city so well I never had to look at a map. In addition to the main attractions, she took me to places she knew I would like. One of those places was Daunt Books. I probably would not have discovered the bookstore on my own, but I loved the quaint bookstore and the cute surrounding area. We went back when we were there this summer and it is just as great as I remembered. Green walls and wooden railings, books from floor to ceiling for three floors, wonderful books and beautiful book jackets. Marylebone has wonderful shops, great restaurants and, like Notting Hill, is a quieter part of London. Even after two trips it is one of the areas I would visit again and again.
And now for an area I will always recommend to everyone, one of my favorite parts of London – Borough Market. Markets are my favorite parts of many cities but this one is the best I have ever visited. The well-known food market is filled with mountains of vibrant produce, rows and rows of delicious treats and hot food stands with enough variety to please anyone. Even meats, cheeses, eggs, mustards and flowers fill the many stalls of the covered market. There are options for everyone and it is worth going just to see the extent and variety of the market. Eek, I want to go back!
As we were leaving the market, my mom pointed out a chalkboard sign with the heading “Before I die….” We jumped right in and joined the many locals and visitors who had signed their goals and ambitions in multicolored chalk ahead of us. In a city rich with diversity, the chalkboard and the many sentiments it held seemed like a fitting way to end the visit to a market that mirrored so much of that variety.
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