London Adventures | Notting Hill and Portobello Market

Hello Lovelies! I have a bit of a confession, I am a terrible London-er. I've lived here for all the nineteen years of my life and yet my knowledge of London is a little shameful. In my defence London is a massive city, so it's near to impossible to really know it like the back of your hand. With that in mind I thought I'd start a series of London Adventures where I take you around some of my favourite places in London and some I've never even been to before. London is a city I absolutely love, but I really don't appreciate enough so it's probably about time I do! 

The first place I wanted to visit is Notting Hill because surprisingly I've never been there. It's famous of course for The Notting Hill carnival which is held every year in August and is known for it's colourful, fun and crazy atmosphere. But really when I think of Notting Hill, I think of the film. Gorgeous yet awkward William Thacker (Hugh Grant), his travel book shop and that famous blue door. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, watch Notting Hill already, it's such a brilliant rom com!

I started off my little adventure at the exit of Notting Hill Gate Tube Station with no idea how to get anywhere. My sense of direction is horrendous, even when I use a map so I decided to just leave it all to chance and see what I stumble upon. After mindlessly wandering down the road, I serendipitously discovered Cafe Diana. This little cafe is famous for the fact that Princess Diana apparently used to visit there and in tribute to her memory is covered with photos of Diana. It's a modest cafe, but definitely worth visiting if you're a big fan of hers!

After wandering around Notting Hill for a bit, I realised just how pretty it is. There were lots of trees everywhere (autumn leaves are just so stunning!), and these beautiful white houses too. However once you wander towards Portobello Market, things become wonderfully grunge-y. Think Camden but not quite so alternative! The market is packed with stalls with a whole range of things, from antiques to Scottish items to clothes and stretches on for so long that I actually couldn't believe how big it is. Of course as with any good London market, there were also some street performers including a guy playing an electric tennis racket (yes really) and a woman singing songs from the Notting Hill film which just added to the slightly quirky atmosphere. 

For foodies Notting Hill is a bit of a haven. It is packed with amazing restaurants, and bakeries including the Hummingbird Bakery as well as street food including some pretty yummy looking crepes! It's also home to one of the Bubbleology stores, where you can get some bubble tea if you fancy. Amongst all this there's also a surprising range of stores ranging from inexpensive stores to ridiculously expensive ones, like the Johnathan Adler Home shop which is actually amazing if you love modern decor. There's also the incredibly cool Electric Cinema too, if you're looking to watch a film.  

Amongst all this you can also find lots of pretty little spots like this lovely blue house - house goals anyone? I even came across novelist George Orwell's house, which for an English nerd like me was pretty exciting! That's the beauty of Notting Hill, it's filled with little surprises and has something for virtually everyone. On a first visit it's overwhelming, but it's definitely worth visiting as it's such a unique part of London!

Thank you for reading lovelies! Do let me know if you like the idea of this series and I will keep going. Happy Thursday!

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