Sevenoaks, UK

Coming soon ... 

Portobello Road

Thoughts

Portobello and I have met several times. During my semester in London I had an internship nearby. The first time I was sent here by my boss to take care of some business. As a quick off-topic, if you are ever in London in late fall/winter and have classes/work that runs until 5 p.m., don't ever count on seeing daylight. I honestly never did. The time I found myself in the middle of the busy Portobello Road I couldn't stop starring around. It was the first time I got to see the real London. In daylight. It was amazing. Portobello has all the rare items you can think of, it sells everything you thought didn't exist, wasn't made or ever imported into the country. It's here, all in one place. Tourists mix with Londoners, sellers mix with buyers, scents of chicken shashlik, turkish sweets and hot spicy wine mix in the air. When I think of autumn the first things that come to mind are freshly made minced pies, that make your fingers sticky and your stomach happy, colorful shops, All Saint's corner and the most amazing Thai Restaurant serving Green Curry .. and all these places are on Portobello. 

The second time I got here was on a rainy day in May. It was a Thursday, the market was closed, yet the colorful houses - real eye-candy, were just as bright. It was dramatically more quiet yet still fun. I found an old map printed in the beginning of the 20th century for my dad and a fun store that sold cupboard handles made in every imaginable size, shape and material. Portobello can be drastically different depending on the weather, time and season, yet it never fails to surprise and make one happy. 

History

The street got its name from a conflict between Great Britain and Spain. During what is known as the War of Jenkins' or Guerra de Asiento - a war that lasted for three years (1738-1742), Admiral Edward Vermon captured a town in Panama called Puerto Bello. To commemorate the victory and praise the talented general the name of the city was modified and adopted by the city of London. The street was known as a food market starting from the beginning of the 19th century. Some hundred and forty years later antique dealers turned up and claimed some territory. 

Just as before, antiques and vintage items are normally sold on Saturday mornings, when the market becomes a real bee hive. The street is almost one kilometer long and is famous not only for the market itself, but for the multiple bars, restaurants, clothing, jewelry and even craft shops.

BBC One even has an antique game show called Bargain Hunt where participants look for unique items on the sellers tables to later sell them during an auction. And speaking of the loved Notting Hill - most of the outdoor scenes in the movie have actually been shot on this particular street. 

Notting Hill, London

Thoughts

The first time I found myself in the middle of the decorations for the romantic Notting Hill starring Hugh Grant and Roberts was last year after one of the most horrifying days at work. It was raining and the only thing I wanted more than to die was to ... eat. I landed in a cozy Le pain quotidien. I was clueless how could such an empty dark be place look so cute on screen. I thought I should give it a shot almost half a year later when I found myself in London once again. It was worth it. I was on a quest for an old edition of Proust's Screenplay, going in to every antique shop I saw. The area is super pretty at daytime, with little vintage and souvenir shops, cafes and flower kiosks. It also gradually takes the lazy walkers straight to my most favorite Portobello Road.

History

Portobello Road is an area close to Kensington and Chelsea, that is most famous for two things - Portobello Road market and the annual Notting Hill Carnival. The area never used to be fashionable up until the 1980s. Due to cheap rent only half a century ago it was mostly populated by Caribbean immigrants. It was traditionally associated with "alternative" cultures and home to artsy people that didn't quite fit into the society. In the nineteenth century the area near Pottery Lane was well-known for producing tiles and bricks made of clay that is found in the area. Starting 1820's James Ladbroke who's family owned most of Notting Hill started working together with architect Thomas Allason, in the effort to reconstruct the area and turn it into a fashionable part of town. Shortly after the upper-middle class started moving into the houses, leaving the richest in Mayfair and Belgravia. The colorful cozy houses were soon to become their new favorite shelter. Notting Hill appears in the opening chapter of the Forsyte Saga (John Galsworthy), serving as home for Nicholas Forsytes "in Ladbroke Grove, a spacious abode and a great bargain."

Bond Street, London

Thoughts

If not for those chaotic rains that the sky spits on the island and winds that get under your coat like two naughty hands and make you shiver from cold, London would be most definitely the dream-city to live in. The sun comes out so rarely that when it does, the city becomes a completely different place. Bright, radient and bold. One of the things I adore most about London is it's contrasts - all possible nationalities, tastes, cultures, subcultures are wildly mixed in blender. Rich and poor live side by side and walk along the same streets. 

Bond Street - the central street that runs perpendicular to Oxford street - a place the rich love. High street shops, accessories boutiques and expensive cars parked on the sidewalk. Yet if you take a closer look it has a lot more to offer. Window-shopping can hardly be more enjoyable than here. Colorful outfits, smiling cunstructon crew that is renovating the side walk by LV, a little kiosk owned by a smiling old lady selling flowers and a crowd of italian students eating ice cream, followed by a serious-looking man carrying a bag from BOSS (new suit, obviously).

History

Bond Street it the major shopping street in West End London, divided into Old (southern part) and New Bons (northern part) Streets. It takes it's name from the head of the syndicate of developers who bought the Piccadilly Mansion in 1683, Sir Thomas Bond. The syndicate continue to develop the are and build new houses, moving upward from south to north, thus the devision of the street in the old and new section. 

For a while Bond Street was best known as the street of art dealers, Both Sotheby's auction house and Fine Art Society have "lived" on Bond Street for over a hundred years.

 

Ciao

Anna Sharova

I'm Ania. I was born in russia, but hey, isn't it the 21st century when, as they all say, the world has no borders? I study abroad and travel a whole big lot. Sometimes the scenery changes so fast I struggle to catch the moment and save a moment in my head. This blog is a way for me to remember things I see and do. It's also a way to re-live some cool moments and sort some pictures out, those that spent too long on my laptop and are covered in dust by now.