Shop til you Drop

Saturday, November 13th
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Saturday started off with a much needed sleeping in.  After slowly waking up and getting ready, Lauren, Maggie and I departed Courtfield for our day out on the town.  We started our morning off at Portobello Market.  While I had not been yet (and had been dying to go), both Lauren and Maggie had already experienced it, so I was very grateful that they tagged along with me!  We were caught up in the crowds the minute we got off the tube at Notting Hill Gate; we followed the flow of foot traffic along vintage stores and cafes before reaching our final destination, Portobello Road.  The street, which runs nearly the entire length of Notting Hill south to north, is lined with booths selling everything from funky jewelry to antique lace and old school cameras.  We meandered all the way down the street, stopping at a few stands to admire silver rings and vintage books.  As we continued down, the stands slowly morphed from clothing and silver to fresh vegetables and breads.  There was any type of street food you could imagine, and as you may have guessed we were in absolute heaven!  By the time we reached the end of the road we were all starving, and as luck would have it we spotted a small corner shop called "Falafel King."  Bingo.  We all enjoyed delicious falafel and hummus pitas along with freshly squeezed lemonade that was the perfect accompaniment.  Happy and full, we decided to head to the nearest tube station and make our way to our next stop.
One New Change is the City of London's newest mall, only steps away from St. Paul's and, even more convenient, JP Morgan!  So when Lauren came back from one of her daily commutes and told us about this new locale, we knew we had to check it out.  We got off at Mansion House and made our way along Lauren's usual path to work (which is actually really cute! a lot of small pubs and restaurants we want to try) until we reached our destination.  This open air mall boasts some of our favorite stores, including H&M, Topshop and Banana Republic.  We browsed for a few hours stopping in all of our must sees, and may or even made a few purchases (shocking, I know)!  Without a doubt, the highlight was walking through the main center, looking up and seeing St. Paul's Cathedral perfectly framed by the walls of the building - it was such a beautiful sight!  After satiating our shopping craving, we realized how cold we were and headed back to Courtfield to relax for the afternoon.
When dinnertime rolled around, we decided we would make it a night out.  We settled on Damario's, a small Italian restaurant on Gloucester Road.  Apart from its amazing reviews, this spot also holds the title of being Princess Diana's favorite Italian restaurant.  She would bring William and Harry here all the time for dinner (since it's just a short walk from Kensington Palace...no big deal).  We ate downstairs in what is a cozy bar / disco (?).  Confusing combination, I know, but it was a cool atmosphere!  Lauren and I had amazing pizzas (might rival Pizza Express), while Maggie chose a baked pasta dish.  After dinner was finished, we strolled on over to Snog for an après-meal froyo - a great way to end a meal!
That night we met up with Allie and some other girls from Wake in Covent Garden, and from there we went out on the town.  Overall, a very fun London day!
      xo Carolyn