London Shopping and Touring

            Over the past few weeks, we’ve been taking a close look at London and some of the best spots to visit and eat. In this final post on the English capital, let’s take a look at some shopping, eating, and touring opportunities.

Portobello Market: Located in the Notting Hill neighborhood, the Portobello Road Market attracts tourists and locals alike who come on Saturdays to shop for antiques. The Market began as a fresh food market in the 1800s. By the mid-1950s, the antiques dealers began to set up shop on Portobello Road. In more recent years, thanks to the influx of tourism due to the Hugh Grant-Julia Roberts movie called Notting Hill, cheap t-shirts, lame personalized license plates, and other crappy knick knacks seem to have overwhelmed the market. Undoubtedly a few gems still exist, but they were hard to find amongst the mass produced crap. Look a T-shirt that says “Notting Hill” on it! Near the end of the market we did manage to find a photographer’s stand that sold some quality color and black and white photos of London. The food stands were distributed throughout the market and there was a wide range of street food available. After the long walk along Portobello Road we indulged in some delicious French fries from Poptata’s, the winner of Time Out’s Best French Fries in London in 2015.

Portobello Market 

Borough Market: After visiting Shakespeare’s Globe and the Tate Modern, we ate lunch at Borough Market. The organizers of Borough Market claim that the market has existed in some form since at least 1014 and maybe even longer. By 1754, the market had become such a hub of activity that Parliament abolished it in order to ease up the traffic congestion on the south bank of the Thames. The inability of farmers to sell their food and the need for grocers to buy it, however, forced Parliament to reopen the market shortly thereafter. The Market sits just south of London Bridge underneath a series of railroad lines. Originally the market existed solely for wholesale purposes, where stores bought vegetables and meats in large numbers from farmers. In recent decades, vendors have set up individual stalls to sell to members of the general public. Currently, the market houses street food of all kinds. We saw everything from Indian curries to Caribbean soul food, from desserts and fresh breads to barbecue. It was a wonderful spot to grab a quick and delicious bite to eat away from the crowds of tourists.

Greenwich Market: During our trip out to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory, we stopped at the Greenwich Market for a little lunch and some shopping. Much smaller than the Portobello Market, Greenwich had a better range of products including handmade scarves and wooden children’s toys. While the items at Greenwich were more expensive than those at the Portobello Market, they were of a much higher quality. The food stalls rivaled those at Borough Market. For lunch, we enjoyed sushi that was hand rolled right in front of our eyes, using the freshest fish available. For dessert, we devoured chocolate filled churros, fried and filled to order. The melted chocolate got all over our hands and made for some slightly embarrassing after-eating clean up, but they were worth every penny. Greenwich was everything we hoped Portobello would be.

The much better Greenwich Market 

Thames River Cruises: In order to get out to Greenwich we took a tour boat that left from Westminster Pier, thinking we should try to see as much of the river as possible. The boat provided gorgeous views of both banks of the Thames as we passed by the London Eye, the Tower of London, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe and a host of other sites. The particular boat company we went on had a few downsides, however. Almost immediately after leaving Westminster we docked for 15 minutes at the London Eye (the giant Ferris wheel that offers views of London), meaning we spent a lot of time not cruising on the river. The trip also required another stop at the Tower of London before proceeding to Greenwich. From Westminster to Greenwich we spent about 40 minutes or so of the 1 hour and twenty minute journey waiting at docks. On our way back we got off the boat at the Tower and took the train back rather than going back all the way to Westminster. When taking a river tour, find one with as few stops as possible.

Canal Boats 

Regent’s Canal: Our other boat tour was much more enjoyable and successful. We took a tour of the Regent’s Canal that runs through Central London on Jason’s Canal Boat Trip that left from Little Venice in London and ended at Camden. The Regent’s Canal was built in the early 19^th century to facilitate trade between the Grand Junction Canal and the Thames River. The canal sped up the movement of goods across and through London. Shielded by high embankments on either side, the canal cuts through central London offering a natural sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the city. Canal boats line the riverbank where many Londoners live and travel up and down the over 8 mile long canal. A part of the Canal abuts the London Zoo and oftentimes new animals are taken up the Canal to the Zoo rather than through the heart of the city. The Zoo finds the animals adapt to their environments better by taking this quieter route.