Cubbies in London!

After Emily’s busy day on Friday (Highgate Cemetary, Victoria & Albert, and Tate Modern!), we slept in a bit (by my standards… sorry Em!) until 9AM on Saturday. Our first adventure of the day was Portobello Market. I had wanted to go for quite some time now, and I thought Emily would enjoy it as well, so we made our way to Gloucester Road en route to Notting Hill. Unfortunately, with the Circle Line closed for the weekend, due to “engineering work,” getting there was a bit more complicated than usual, having to head east before we could head west. Once we got there, however, it was a straight shot, following the crowds to the stall-lined street, with vintage and antique stores every where you looked. The jewelry selection was incredible, but a bit more expensive than I was anticipating, so unfortunately (or fortunately in my Dad’s opinion), I left empty handed. Emily, on the other hand, bought a beautiful ring (I should have got one too!), and an awesome Christmas gift for Matt. Although I doubt he has time (or desire) to read our blog, being big-man-on-campus and all, I will leave you all in suspense and keep the gift a mystery for now.
After we had seen enough rings and antiques to last us a while, we braved the cold and headed to Oxford Street for some lunch. I had raved to Emily about Pizza Express (promising her it wasn’t like Pizza Hut), so we found one right at the end of Regent Street, and of course, she wasn’t disappointed. I could eat their Padana pizza all day long.
After we were warmed up and refuelled, we headed to TopShop on Oxford Street, one of their flagship stores. It is HUGE, almost the size of a department store. It was also packed with girls and their male-companions being dragged behind. Fortunately, it was worth the crowds as Emily managed to find two cute tops (which were very “London”, in my opinion) to bring back to Cordoba in style. After TopShop, we made our way in and out of many different stores on Oxford Street before making the decision to head back to South Ken for afternoon tea (or a siesta, in Emily’s world!). But, of course, we needed something to go along with our tea, right? Cue Ben’s Cookies: the best cookies in London (if not the world!). We both couldn’t help ourselves, getting two each. We each got a Triple Chocolate (my favorite… to die for), Emily got a chocolate & praline, and I got a white chocolate & cranberry. All three varieties were incredible, and perfect with our cup o’ teas.
After a little downtime, we headed back out to Gloucester Road, this time with rain in our midst, and hopped on the District Line to Victoria Station. Our plan was to get Student Rush tickets for Billy Elliot; however, unfortunately, they don’t offer Student Rush, and the only tickets available were £60 each, or £50 for partial view. On a student’s budget, no thanks. We decided to venture around Victoria and find a place for dinner, ending up at the Traveller’s Pub (how appropriate!). The atmosphere felt very authentic, with no tourists in our midst (except for us of course…), and we enjoyed a lovely British meal. Actually, Emily wins for that one: steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes. Me, not so much: tomato soup, hummus, and chips (I couldn’t resist when I saw them behind the counter). I get credit for the chips though, right!?
Exhausted, we made our way back to Courtfield and called it a night; we want to wake up bright and early tomorrow so Emily can get the most of her last few hours in Londontown!
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Sunday morning we were up and at ‘em (no pun intended) by 8:30. Another market on my list, and one I thought Emily would also enjoy, we made the journey (about 10 stops) to Brick Lane in East London. We were probably the first people to arrive; the stalls not even set up yet and the food only in prep stages. Luckily, about 30 minutes after arriving, things started to pick up and we found a delicious fresh fruit cup stand (I’m in fruit withdrawal) and an incredible “beigel” shop. Emily had mentioned upon her arrival she had been craving one (the Spaniards know nothing of them), so I was happy to be able to satiate her hankering. I, of course, had to pick one up too, but at 20p, who could say no!? Only a few readers will appreciate this, but when we walked in, Emily correctly observed, “It smells like Stew Leonards in here!”. Spot on.
After our morning nosh, we ventured around the stalls, noting how bizarre some of them were (bras 3 for £2; Benefit mascara for £3; paper towels, anyone?). Strangely enough, they were all busy. Emily found a really cool neon orange knit hat, a beautiful necklace (I got a ring from the same woman!), and yet another awesome Christmas gift for Matty (he made out like a bandit this weekend!). Santa is going to be very good to him this year!
The food stalls are obviously the star of the Brick Lane Sunday market, with every type of Asian and Middle Eastern food you can imagine, all made authentic and fresh in front of you. We meandered by each and every one of them, salivating at the pad thai, curries, noodles, falafel, and even cupcakes and crepes! Unfortunately, since Emily had to leave a little before noon in order to catch her flight from Stanstead, none of the stalls were completely ready for the lunch time rush, but if the amount of time we spent meandering, gazing, and smelling the food is any indicator, we definitely got the full effect. Sadly, we walked back to the tube where Emily and I said our goodbyes; I am SO glad she was able to come and experience all that is Londontown with me and was thrilled she enjoyed her weekend; we will be reunited in December before we know it!
I spent the rest of my Sunday grocery shopping, doing laundry, cleaning, listening to Taylor Swift's new album (incredible), and catching up on Greys Anatomy online before vegging even more (if that's possible) for the rest of the night. Carolyn arrived home around nine, and I got to hear all about her Norwegian escapades! She even brought me back delicioussss Norwegian dark chocolate (she knows me too well!). Back to the weekly routine tomorrow!
Cheers, (after two weeks of constantly hearing it at work, this is my new signoff!)
LC