Today we left the flat around 9am to go to Portobello Market. We didn't have class on Wednesday like we normally do because we were supposed to go to the market on our own. Going on a Saturday is supposed to be much better than a weekday so we all decided we would rather do that. The other girls wanted to go later in the day but I went at 9 with Mary because she offered to show us around.
I really liked the area around the market. Notting Hill is so quaint and such a cute part of the city. I loved the typical buildings where each apartment was a different color. We walked past all of the shops that were before the market on Portobello Road. They all looked like something I would like but some of them weren't even open yet. Then we stumbled upon the market and started walking through it.
I didn't know all that much about the market before coming here. Mary told us it was the largest and 2 miles long! As a group, we walked past all of the stands that were general merchandise until we got to the food. When we got to the food, we decided to split up. I didn't really want any of the food so I turned around and took my time walking back in the direction we had come from. This time I got to pay more attention to the stalls and particularly the stores on the side of the market. The market had everything from tea sets to antique jewelry to furs. You name it and they probably had it. I mostly looked at the stalls with costume jewelry. There was so much to look at, it was a little overwhemling. Anna was right when she said you have to go with something in mind to look for because if you don't, you won't be able to focus on anything. That's exactly what happened. I wasn't sure what to expect and I didn't have anything in particular to look for so I was just kind of roaming around. Before I left, I did get a small canvas bag. It says The Notting Hill Shopping Bag on one side and the other side has cupcakes on it. It's recyclable and was designed by school children in the Notting Hill area.
The market itself was fun to experience and I'm glad I went. However, most of the stalls are cluttered and that makes it hard to look. The stores on the side lining the market were very small and didn't have much merchandise. I did like going into a couple of those, though. On my way out, I stopped at some of the boutiques that I had been eyeing on our way in. They were all open now so I went in several of them. Some were higher scale than the others and you could tell a huge difference by the store design. The cheaper ones were cluttered and packed full. You could barely move once you were inside. The nicer ones were more spaced out and their window displays were more deliberate. One store I went into was completely jewelry and it was covered from floor to ceiling of glass cases full of jewelry. It was really busy and everyone inside had trouble moving, it was so backed up. Overall, I really enjoyed Portobello. I can see some similarities between this market and the others but this one had more antiques and unique items that can't be found everywhere.
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