Unfortunately, it was a terrible weather day - reminded me of last year actually while I was here for the wettest summer month in history. The day started out unassuming, a little overcast but that's just how it gets in London. To get my day started, I headed over to Terre D'Oc, which has all these candles, incense, etc., that are made in Provence, France - you can't find their stuff in the US and they have the best products I have encountered (I hate cheap candles and incense, it's like burning glade candles or spraying febreeze. ) Lucky for me they were having a sale so the weak dollar didn't totally kill me.
I headed over to the tube for Portobello market, once I arrived, it started to mist. It's always best to go to the markets early to avoid the crowds, however, by the time I got there, it was 12 noon so it was packed. I wasn't too worried about it as I wasn't planning on spending a lot of time there, knew exactly what I wanted so would be done in an hour. My visit focus was a gift for W, pashmina shawls and maybe something from one of the Moroccan dealers. I scored on all three - got the greatest Moroccan slippers - I will have to take a picture of them. Then the downpour happened - and it was cold, just absolutely miserable - it's not easy to navigate through a crowd in the rain with umbrellas. I got the hell out of there and headed over to the British Museum. Not the best idea either.
Many of you know how much I hate people - and this was probably the worst two things one can do on a Saturday - it's just mobbed with tourists. In fact, I think the entire country of Japan was there with their cameras, it was hard to get around so I just focused on the things I wanted to see. Unfortunately, some wings were closed and with it being so crowded, I didn't make it to everything. I had already seen the Rosetta Stone and most of their Egyptian collection before, so I was able to skip that this time. My favorite was the Asian and Roman collections. This statue below made me laugh because it reminded me of Chloe and Ella when they beg for food like little goats.
And this lady had dark brown hair but was using a fake blonde hairpiece in her hair. I couldn't stop staring.
I walked home from the museum up Oxford Street - which is a mess in itself, but I had to return the hideous bathing suit I bought at the Gap for our trip to Bath. By the time I got home, I think I clocked in a few miles, was soaked through and through and just felt icky. The tube was disgusting - what made me really get grossed out were these people sitting on the stairs in the tube. Those of you in Chicago/NY - just imagine sitting on the stairs in the subway after rain and hundreds of people dragged mud through.Obviously, not the best day to go through the park, not such a big deal but I was hoping to spend more time there - next time!
I was supposed to grab dinner with my friend M but I couldn't get in touch with her. I decided to head over to the Villandry on my own and have dinner in the bar. The Villandry is just a few steps away from my flat and is one of my favorite places ever. It's sort of hard to describe - it's incredibly charming and loftlike - a gourmet foodshop/restaurant. On one side you can grab fresh baked breads and pastries, yogurts, juice, crackers, wine, candies, etc. In the middle is a section of long tables that can be communal where you can sit and enjoy a sandwich or cheese and some coffee. In the back is a upscale restaurant with large windows along the street. On the other side is a smaller restaurant - more casual with a bar. That's where I decided to go for dinner - it's nice and dark, with candles, incredibly comfortable. To my pleasant surprise, there was a jazz trio playing that night with a female singer. It was the perfect end to my day - I had a glass of wine, a great burger and sat and enjoyed the music. If they had a fire going in the fireplace I think I would have stayed there all night long. http://www.villandry.com/index.htm
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