The next day, Saturday, we woke up and headed to Portobello Road, with its famous market. I was fortunate to be able to go as the market only occurs on Saturdays, and so we joined a great deal of other deal-seekers and tourists as we made our way down the street.
It was a gorgeous day. There wasn't a cloud in sight and it was cool but just warm enough to not get chilled. I was a little disappointed by the Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam. This, however, made up for it. The market stretched on and on for at least a mile, probably more, and there was almost every sort of item imaginable.
At the beginning were all types of antiques; it was hard to get a feel for just how large the place was because behind many of the street stalls were actual stores, many of them multiple-storied and with long hallways filled to the brim with trinkets. There were typical antique stores here, but some specialty stalls too. Two of my favorites featured vintage sporting goods and antique maps. I thought about buying a map, but couldn't find one that I was exceptionally fond of and so contented myself with "just looking" instead. After all, that costs less, as a salesman in Italy had reminded me a few weeks ago.
After several blocks the antique vendors petered out and the market transitioned to more conventional wares. There were a good many booths for jewelry, t-shirts, and hard-to-find novels, as well as leather goods and the occasional random guy selling things like electro CD's. This section of the market ended with a large number of food vendors. Unlike Amsterdam, these folks mostly sold food that had already been cooked; this was definitely an improvement over the raw fish odor that pervaded the former market. Ashley recommended a booth selling spicy chicken burgers. They were of a German style, pretty cheap, and very good.
The market died down - and died off - after the food area, for all that was left were flea market type vendors who weren't able to obtain a stall in the nicer areas of the market. Other than this, the market was really a fine experience. I was amazed at the mind-blowing array of so many different things all in close proximity: everything from old telescopes, clocks, rings, toy soldiers, a plethora of necklaces and more was displayed here. I have been to several street markets, a few estate sales, and have more than had my fill of garage sales. The Portobello Road Market, however, trumped them all.
We had done quite a bit already, and it was only just past noon! From Portobello Road we took a bus to St. Paul's. It was a fairly long ride and I was thankful to find a bathroom once I got off (too much information?) There was an admission fee to go inside so we only stayed a few minutes walking around its perimeter. It was very pretty and definitely a landmark. From there, we walked on the pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge across the Thames. It had a nice view of the city and I was able to see the iconic London Bridge to the East. I have found that i really like bridges. The bridge ended at the Tate Modern Gallery. Like almost all of London's museums, this one was free. Perhaps they feel a tinge of guilt for having "acquisitioned" so many treasures from other nations, or maybe they want to attract more tourists. Either way, I wasn't going to complain.
We didn't spent too much time at the Tate Modern. As expected, it was filled with a lot of pieces that we thought were rather questionably labeled as "art." I was, however, interested with a floating staircase that was made from fabric but very realistic.
After leaving the Tate Museum not much inspired, we walked along the South Bank of the Thames. This was much more inspiring. The weather was still every bit as beautiful as before, and we joined a crowd of Londoners who had the same idea of enjoying the afternoon there. There was a main sidewalk dotted with benches (most all of them full) and we walked all the way to one of London's newer attractions, The London Eye. At the base of this giant ferris wheel was a skatepark as well as a temporary street festival, with young musicians, food, and booths with (more) knick-knacks. Also, there was a group of aspiring teenage hip-hop dancers who were talented but even more enthusiastic and so we spent a little while watching them.
Ashley's family had planned to be in London for their own vacation and so we had arranged to meet them that evening at Carluccio's, an Italian restaurant. We took the tube from the London Eye to the restaurant and met the Underwoods for a nice dinner. I think her family really enjoyed seeing her again, and I too was glad to be able to meet up with them.
After dinner we parted ways: I was determined not to let Topshop get the best of me and so Ashley and I went back for a redemption round while the rest of her family checked out another department store. This time was a 100 percent improvement. The very first pair of jeans I tried on were an excellent fit, and Ashley bought me a sharp-looking shirt to go with it. I really like it and it made for a very nice early birthday present.
From Topshop we took a short walk to one of London's biggest department stores, Selfridge's. It was almost closing time and so I didn't have much time to take it in but the little I did see was amazing. They had an entire bottom floor devoted to food, and several additional floors of men's, women's, and children's clothing. I was awed, to say the least.
After going with Ashley to take her luggage to the hotel where she would be staying with her family, I headed back to the hostel and crawled into bed.
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