To market, to market...

The last couple of weekend, Josh and I have spent our Saturdays at a few of the many open air markets in London.  Each one is unique in its own way and all have been a treat to discover.  Last Saturday, we made our way to the Portobello Market in Notting Hill.  The Portobello market was insanely busy, with people everywhere.  A lot of the stalls were dedicated to antiques, such as silver, dishes and maps.  Farther on down the road, the market turned into fresh fruits and veggies, and even farther down were stalls selling sample clothing, surplus military gear and cell phone accessories.  There really is a little bit of something for everyone.

Portobello Market in Notting Hill, London.

Fruit and veg stand at the Portobello Market.

Josh and I did not go away empty handed.  Josh scored a cheap cover and screen protector for his Iphone and I bought a cute green dress for 5 pounds!  After spending a couple hours wandering the market, Josh and I decided to head to one of the many free museums in London, the Science Museum.  On the way there, we skirted the west end of Hyde park, and came across this monument.

Albert Memorial.

It is the Albert memorial, built by Queen Victoria.  It was pretty impressive up close, all gilded and shiny in the sun.  From there we continued on to the museum.  Dad and Sam would LOVE the Science Museum, a place I imagine I will drop them off while Mom, Amanda and I go shopping.  Ha ha!  It really was an interesting museum, with a floor dedicated to flight and another floor dedicated to the space program. 

The Antoinette, a distance world record holder in 1909.

It is strange the stuff you learn, that should probably already been known.  I had no clue that Stephan Hawking wasn't American.  I guess it is the synthesizer that gives him an American accent, but truly, he is British. 

After the Science Museum, Josh and I continued to walk around the Kensington area.  We were looking for a place to have dinner when we came across a huge Catholic Church, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  It is the second largest Catholic church in London.  We noticed that mass time was at 6:00, so we headed off to dinner and came back in time for mass.

The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Side view of the church.

The church was huge inside, very impressive.  We couldn't take photos inside, so if you come visit us in London, we will have to take you for a visit, because it was amazing.  The mass was a typical Catholic mass, but they had a boys choir singing the hymns and that made the whole experience magical.  We wandered around all the little alcoves after mass and then headed home.

This Saturday, Josh and I set out to explore south of the river.  First we stopped by "The Monument", which is a tall monument in memory of the Great Fire of London.  There are 311 spiral steps up to the top and a great view of the London skyline. 

The Monument, finished in 1677.

The spiral stairway up to the top was narrow and made me dizzy!  

The spiral staircase.

Part of the London skyline from the Monument.

As we wandered after visiting the monument, we came across the ruins of an old church...I love things like this!   

The church was destroyed during the 2nd world war.  Now the space is a beautiful public garden.  It is the kind of place that I would love to come back to visit for a few hours with a good book on a warm summer day. 

A surviving wall at St. Dunstan-in-the-east.

We finally made it past the river Thames and into the Borough Market.  This Market is a food lovers paradise.  There were stalls selling all sorts of delicious smelling prepared foods, cheeses, wines, beers, fruits and veg, and desserts.  Josh's first order of business was to attack a huge brat from a German food vendor.

Josh and his brat.

We found a french cheese vendor and bought some Brie...that ended up getting thrown away today because our day progressed much differently than we thought it would when we bought it! 

The market!

Bread for sale at the Market, and no, I would never eat stuff that is just hanging out in the open like this...people sneeze and cough and dogs and children getting all up in it...no thanks!

Josh and I came across a beer stall that had a ton of different varieties.  One of our biggest disappointments in London has been the lack of good beer selection.  The grocery stores have a very limited selection and its all the same.  We thought that we would have tons of options due to the proximity to so many different countries.  So, happily, we both picked out a couple new beers to try.  Two of them actually made it home :)  We then had another bite to eat, Josh wild boar sausage on a bun and I had a pork one, it was very yummy.  We wandered the area  a bit more and then decided to head towards the Ye' Old Cheshire Cheese. 

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.

The "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese" is one of the oldest pubs in London.  There has been a pub at this location since 1538 and had to be rebuilt after the great fire of London.  The inside of the pub initially seemed quite small, but there are actually quite a few little rooms and floors as you go down steps.  The upstairs had a bar and a chop room with a cozy fireplace.  Josh and I headed down to the lower level and bought a few beers.  We got lucky and found a table within a little alcove.  It was busy so we squeezed close together so that there was room for other people to sit down.  Three Aussies found their way to our table and we quickly got to talking about all sorts of things.  One of the Aussies, had lived in London for a few years and was a teacher.  The other two were recently married, about our age and just moved to London a few weeks ago.  Instant friends!  We ended up having more beers at the pub and joined them for dinner at a restaurant in SOHO.  In the process, one of our beers we bought earlier in the day broke and our cheese went bad (yucko smelly).  But, it was totally worth it, we had a great time and hopefully will see our new friends again!