Saturday, March 19
So this morning we were supposed to meet Heather and Mark at Piccadilly Square at 10am. Brittany and I got up a little late (our beds were surprisingly very comfortable), ate, and headed out there. We made it there around 15 minutes late and didn't see them anywhere. We waited around till just before 11, and then finally assumed that they had left without us. We made our way to the Portebello Market in Notting Hill, which was only on Saturdays and we heard from the bar staff that it was really cool. We walked out of the subway and followed some signs that led to the market. Along the way, we passed through some really cute row houses that were all pastel colors. Precious. We knew when we were about to arrive at the antique market, because all of the sudden the entire road was jam-packed with people and we could hardly move. There were tons of stands with all kinds of different things; old signs, jewelry, kitchenware, plus tons of stands with random other things. While wading through the human sea, Brit and I noticed this little old man who was walking with a cane and a dog on his shoulders. He walked around the market like that the entire time we where they, and the dog never tried to jump off. And I thought my purse was kind of heavy! After Brit found a cute little necklace at the market, we made our way back up the street to some other stores. One of the clothing stores that we passed had entire walls of old sewing machines as their decor. It was pretty cool actually. At some point while we were shopping, we got a delayed text from Heather and the group saying they wanted to meet at 11. That explains why no one was at the meeting place earlier. Waiting is starting to become a theme of the trip.
After the market, we went back to Camden to get food and go grocery shopping. First, we went to McDonalds (yay bad American fast food!) The McDonalds was actually a really nice one, and it had a orange-green-purple decor which I haven't seen in one before. We got our meals and went up to the second floor seating since the first floor was full. While we were eating and minding our own business, a fight between two guys started across the room. Not sure what they were arguing about, but I think one was an employee and he was escorted out. Behave boys, there are children around! After that we thought it might be wise to get the hell out of Dodge. Brit and I went to a small express grocery store to buy bread, fruit, and other things to make lunch with so we didn't have to pay for it most days. Best decision ever, because there's a 20% VAT tax on everything plus the horrible conversion rate from pounds to dollars was about to kill us. We dropped our goodies off at the hostel and then decided to head out to Trafalgar square for a bit. When we got off at our stop (which was a few blocks from the square) we happened upon a church and memorial/crypt. Being the nosy kids we are, we decided to wander down through the crypt. It was called St. Martin in the Fields and in the crypt was of course graves...with lunchroom tables over them. Whoever decided to combine a cafe with a graveyard is a creeper. I mean, I personally have never had the desire to eat a sandwich on top of a dead person but maybe that's just me. We explored some of the relics around there and a photography exhibit that was also in the building.
Next we were back on track for Trafalgar. The square is huge! There were a few fountains, some lion sculptures that people were climbing on, and a giant ship in a bottle on a pedestal! Pretty random, right? While Brit and I were there, we saw a guy balancing on a plank over a ball while juggling knives. He had quite the crowd till he finished and then asked for money. There was also a break dancing group showing off their skills which was pretty cool. During this time we got a text from Heather's friend, Robert, telling us to meet them at one of the tube stops (I don't remember which now) and we were going to hang out at Anosh's flat before getting dinner. We met up with them around 7, popped into a store to get some wine that wasn't as cheap or yummy as we are now used to, and headed over to his flat. The flat was really adorable. It was a studio, meaning the living room was also the bedroom plus a small kitchenette and bathroom. The windows opened out to a beautiful street with lots of white row houses like the one we were in. We all hung out, talked and watch the South Park movie (always a classic) and then headed to Anosh's favorite burger joint to finish off the night.
So this morning we were supposed to meet Heather and Mark at Piccadilly Square at 10am. Brittany and I got up a little late (our beds were surprisingly very comfortable), ate, and headed out there. We made it there around 15 minutes late and didn't see them anywhere. We waited around till just before 11, and then finally assumed that they had left without us. We made our way to the Portebello Market in Notting Hill, which was only on Saturdays and we heard from the bar staff that it was really cool. We walked out of the subway and followed some signs that led to the market. Along the way, we passed through some really cute row houses that were all pastel colors. Precious. We knew when we were about to arrive at the antique market, because all of the sudden the entire road was jam-packed with people and we could hardly move. There were tons of stands with all kinds of different things; old signs, jewelry, kitchenware, plus tons of stands with random other things. While wading through the human sea, Brit and I noticed this little old man who was walking with a cane and a dog on his shoulders. He walked around the market like that the entire time we where they, and the dog never tried to jump off. And I thought my purse was kind of heavy! After Brit found a cute little necklace at the market, we made our way back up the street to some other stores. One of the clothing stores that we passed had entire walls of old sewing machines as their decor. It was pretty cool actually. At some point while we were shopping, we got a delayed text from Heather and the group saying they wanted to meet at 11. That explains why no one was at the meeting place earlier. Waiting is starting to become a theme of the trip. 
Actually, the ship in the bottle on the pedestal isn't all that random. It is the HMS Victory, which was Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson's ship at the Battle of Trafalgar (that name seem familiar?) off the SW coast of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. The guy on top of the pedestal in your picture is Admiral Nelson.
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