Unfortunately instead of being able to play tour guide all week I had to go to work. Oh woe is me. Showing people around London is one of my favourite things to do! While I was off at work they were checking out the science museum, visiting Westminster and going on the London Eye. I was really excited by the time it came around to Saturday and I was able to get out and about with them and show them some of my favourite spots in the city. Portobello Road Markets - which handily was also number #67 in the Top 100 book.
The Portobello Road Markets are a collection of a wide range of things - antiques from cutlery to military relics, clothing (both vintage and new designers), fresh food, knick knacks and music stalls. It covers a long strip of road that is also covered in lots of different types of shops which attract a huge variation of people which is one of the reasons I love it so much. Just so so so much to see. Two of the highlights of the market are the Hummingbird Bakery flagship store which is a must stop to pick up one of their delicious cupcakes. The second stop is the Travel Bookshop featured in the movie Notting Hill. An exciting pit-stop for those Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts lovers out there.
We wandered through and looked at lots of knick knacks and picked up a few things including a key ring with lace in it from the 1800's. We had reached the end by lunchtime so of course stopped to grab a bite to eat (even though we were full from our cupcakes). So we wandered back up the road a bit to a cute little pub called the Windsor Castle. It was so cute with low doors and little booths but since it was such a nice day we sat outside in the beer garden.
From the pub we caught the bus down to Hyde Park. From there we hired Barclays Bikes (yup, its my new hobby and one of the highlights of Bronnie's tour of London) and rode around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. We stopped off at the Serpentine to have a rest of our weary bones on the deck chairs they provide before realise we had only an hour to get back home then back over to the other side of London for dinner. We managed to get over to Old Street for BYO Vietnamese and a few drinks in Shoreditch.
The next day after a bit of a sleep in and faff around the house we decided to get out and do a bit more tour guiding. Although none of us could particularly decide what to do. It was a great sunny day but since we weren't really fussed we just set out to the tube and thought we would wing it. I thought we should to head to somewhere along the river since it was such a nice day so I grabbed a pub recommendation off my cousin and we went to the Founders Arms which is directly across from St Paul's Cathedral. We had a quick pit stop at the Cathedral for a couple of photos before walking across the Millennium Bridge. We grabbed a spot at the pub and tucked into pies and roast with a sneaky cider.
After lunch we decided that we would jump on one of the tour boats and make our way down to Greenwich. We got a circle ticket and jumped on the first boat that came along. We went from the Tate Modern past London Bridge and further on down to Tower Bridge. While we were there we realised we couldn't make it all the way out to Greenwich in time so we stayed on and rode the boat all the way back to Westminster seeing all the sights along the way with a bit of commentary. It was a great way to see some of the big sights of the city however I wished we had made it out to Greenwich. While I've been out there before I haven't been for about 10 years so it is definitely top of my list of things to do!
Sadly the weekend went too quickly and before I knew it was Monday again and Dan and Katies last day with me at Pulborough (for now). The weather was looking pretty good in the morning so we decided to have a BBQ. By the time the afternoon came around the weather had taken a turn for the worse but we solderer on and BBQ'd in the rain. Dan was the perfect cook standing under a umbrella near the BBQ to make sure we got our meat cooked. The rest of us made salads and set up our inside picnic on the floor. Was a great way to spend the last night with them and it was so much fun being a tour guide. I feel like I may have found a new calling...
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