Incidentally, if you're out and about in London on a sunny day, if you're not lounging about in a lovely park or cooling down with an iced coffee somewhere, I would recommend the second place I visited- beautiful in the glow of the summer sun. So here we have..
number two.
Notting Hill
This has always been somewhere I wanted to visit for the pretty buildings, boutique shops, street markets, and urmm Hugh Grant..
My eyes gorged on many beautifully coloured buildings, with their elegant sash windows; striking iron railings; variety of pastel doorways; peaceful and seemingly wild shrubbery; and pops of colour from the delicate and sporadic presence of flowers.
number three.
Portobello Road
Moving from the complimenting colours in Notting Hill, I explored the clashing, but equally impressive shop fronts in Portobello Road.
Next I wandered around the market stalls *imagining I lived there and wishing to have some of the flowers in my beautiful future home*
Then I went up to the Notting Hill Bookshop where I feasted my eyes upon .. H u g...e piles of books- in truth these are just as agreeable to me as Hugh himself!
To be honest the bookshop was a bit of a novelty stop, there are plenty of wonderful bookshops that far surpass this infamous one.
One of which I found at stop ..
number four.
Marylebone Street
Daunt Books
This place was almost majestic on the afternoon I languidly wandered in. I spent a long time wandering around picking up all the books with their wonderful limited edition covers. I walked through a little archway which led to a large room with shelves surrounding me and spindly iron staircases which led to the shelves upstairs. I was in my element.
If you don't believe me, take a look yourself
I couldn't resist picking up a couple of books
'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' Mary Wollstonecroft.
A book I've spoken about in several essays and has been referred to in many of my studies, (it's one of the first feminist texts), but that I've never actually read.
'The Social Contract' Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Both are texts that have shaped the literature that followed and that I'm glad to have in my collection.
AND they are beautiful- so here's another photo!
I temporarily lost myself in the bookshop before walking out into the bustling street and being knocked out of my romantic imaginings. I couldn't help, but wish that I had a similar local bookshop with several armchairs to have a little read. This part of London has many cafés with wonderfully chic outside eating. I spotted many business men drinking their cups of coffee during their lunch break, or maybe something stronger..
I hope you have all taken on the British spirit and dropped everything to enjoy the sun! Part 3 of London is soon on its way with last stop, number 5.
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