Portobello Market

The movie Nottinghill has made that neighborhood and Portobello Market famous, I have heard for weeks that I need to go.  Parts of the market are open everyday but on Saturdays everything is open.  The Barrister and I left Oxford early so that we could go when we got back to the city.  For the second day in a row it was sunny and considerably warm by London standards.  The market is overwhelming and crowded.  Stands and stores spill into the street selling antiques, art, jewlery, fresh food, and anything you can imagine.  Just incase anyone was worried they wouldn't find that special pair of Mind the Gap boxers, fear not there are a few tourist stands.  I can't really think of a market in the US to compare it to.  I loved it, you could spend a day there and still not see everything it has to offer.  The antiques were the most fascinating: old cameras, Nazi war uniforms, first edition novels, lace, sewing machines, boxes, and silver were just some of the hundreds of stands.  It's one of those few places where you don't mind pushing through a crowd or waiting in line to see an item that caught your eye.  It was busy, exciting, and smelled like every kind of ethnic food imaginable.  Any of my vistors to London will be forced to go with me!