My feet hurt July 8, 2007

so yesterday, i had a long day of walking. i first took the tube - which is quite organized and fast - to notting hill for the portabello market. it was fun and interesting - really busy and crammed with people. it starts out first with antiques - including some vintage jewelry and bags - and then turns into produce, then clothes, etc. the best part was the antiques and the produce. i scored a few good things - jewelry of course (leyla, i found something for you) and took pictures of some of my favorites. upon entry, we came across this woman with 4 pomeranians - three of them were in a baby buggy and then the other one was on the shelf. he was so cute and reminded me of pablo, adrian's dog, that i got a picture snapped. we came across a whisky dispenser that was displayed with a bottle of wine. given how much wine we consume at home, that would be PERFECT for us. it was 80BP though so i am keeping my eye out for something a little less inflated. there was a section of watches - pocket watches, wristwatches, you name it - and in front of one of the shops was this odd looking mechanical old man that was supposed to demonstrate watch repair. it was charming and fit the area. we also came across this booth that was making paella - chicken and seafood, they cooked it in these gigantic skillets - i tried to get a good picture to show it - and, apparently, they were quite delicious. that's one of the great things about outdoor markets - the produce is inexpensive and locally grown and there is a lot of option to try unique and very flavorful food. after that, i headed back towards mayfair and then walked up marylebone high street into regent park. (one must avoid hyde park this weekend because the tour de france is messing up traffic big time). the park is unbelievable- so lush and perfectly manicured. and the birds/ducks/geese are gigantic. you can rent paddle and row boats which looked like a lot of fun. i will try that next time when i have a companion in the park...nothing would be sadder looking that me paddling along solo. today i think i am going to hit some museums, it's a beautiful day and i want to take advantage of the good walking weather. gina and jennifer would be proud as i actually purchased another pair of semi-flat shoes, they still hurt but i think are better for me.