A bazaar or a street market , now coming from India the mention of the word market or bazaar brings to mind vibrant colours, streets buzzing with activity , bustling with stalls selling everything from old forgotten door handles to tasty street food , well my First visit to Portobello market was all of this and more . It starts of as a tiny lane snuggled between urban landscape and then as you start to walk along the street there is an explosion of colour , vibrancy and goods for as far as the eye can see !
I started my journey by clicking a few pictures with some rather naughty catch phrases printed on rusting old metal signage boards , silently guffawing I choose one mentally as my profile picture for Facebook – such is the dominant position that FB occupies in my mind , it always seems to crop up into my thoughts at all possible opportunities 😉
In the picture above I wonder how the 2012 Olympics could be already a rusty “OLD”piece ?!humm;)
Then there is the Official Street sign proclaiming that Portobello Road officically begins somewhere close to the signboard shop.
I particularly liked the many shops that packed choc-a-bloc with such pretty jewellery right from exotic earrings to the most wonderfully colorfull bead necklaces that every possible visual stimuli that can awaken my brain was at work , there is just so much to amass that it left me bedazzled !
What one expect is to find some really good deals on “Vintage” products like really pretty tea cups or cake stands, door knobs, furniture even .
This one particular shop was rather interesting !
Turns out its not just the shops that were colourfull really !
I was most delighted to these a shop selling the most quaint little miniatures of a cake shop complete with all sort of yummy looking pastries not bigger than a tiny petal if kept on your finger tip! There were also intricate miniatures of violins in cases and a zillion other things.
It also has a rather massive All Saints store with their trademark window display of all singer sewing machines and what an apt fit for Portobello Market I’d say, a Vintage window display concept for a market selling all these delightful Vintage nick knacks!
I wonder who conceptualised this display; they sure did manage to procure all possible old singer sewing machines out there didn’t they?!
There’s literally HUNDREDS of the machines lining every inch of their window space in every STORE and I believe now all across the Globe in most of their outlets , now THAT really is something!
A few steps of walking ahead and there was this brilliant balcony full of the most brilliant potted plants, someone certainly does have a green thumb I’d say , what a pretty sight to see so very SPRING like .
Now as one moves past the shops selling handbags, clothing, old furniture, tea sets ,door handles ,footwear , photo frames etc etc etc there is a new set of shops that takes over with fresh fruits and vegetables being sold on street stalls , fresh flowers, mobile food vans selling everything from wraps and burgers to salads and desserts .
There are a few street vendors selling some funky fashion jewellery as well.
There’s a section of the street market that was kind of empty and not as full with street stalls as expected, there’s probably some days in the week when the market is not fully operational. But there is a massive mall with many shops inside, but my rumbling tummy didn’t permit me to enter so I just took some shots of these huge arches outside.
It’s then that I saw this board and promised to return when the Farmers Market was open, sadly haven’t yet gotten around to doing that really.
As the Poster says am sure a market so vibrant does really have a SPACE for everyone !
The last few shops and a spattering of colourfull cafes and an ATM outside a party shop caught my eye.
Then I finally gave in to my tummy’s request and tucked into some yummy pub food and washed it down with a chilled beer.
What a beautiful day Indeed!
A few handy tips if you do plan a visit to Portobello Market :
- If your going on a Thursday,it is not a good choice as the market shuts down shortly after noon and not all the street shops are up anyway.
- Carry a bottle of water it’s a thirsty walk especially in the summer.
- It’s a short walk when one exits from the Notting Hill Gate Tube station.
- Make a mental note of the loos that are around by reading the info in the link below ,it’s important !
There is a website offering a wealth of info about the Market on http://www.portobellomarket.org/. I especially liked the detailed way in which they have listed places to run if your bladder is about to burst , mine was and I almost died when the public self cleaning toilet door swung open as it was in a disastrous condition sadly !So one of the pubs it was then , what a relief !
P.S: All Images used in this article are clicked by me so if you do resuse them kindly give me due credit !
