Exploring Notting Hill

                                                                                           

A quick spontaneous blog post for you all after a spontaneous day.

Today I finished my first year sessional exams which means I have technically finished my first year at UCL and my summer holidays have begun. It hasn't quite sunk in yet. I am totally free until late September. This essentially means I'm very time rich but very money poor. But also, quite happy!

After my exam I met my most favourite person and best friend Murima (you'll have seen her around the blog before). We decided to go to Notting Hill because neither of us had ever been. Yes, I've lived in London for eight months and haven't visited Notting Hill. I know, I'm rubbish. I should've visited sooner because my God it is so beautiful.

I think Notting Hill is basically the most perfect looking little area I could create in my head. It sort of felt like walking through my own imagination, and that, is very lovely. Everything is beautifully pastel coloured and houses don't come in grey and red brick but beautiful shades of pink, orange, lilac and blue. You don't see cigarette butts on window sills but rather hanging baskets full of blooming flowers and green leaves. Things are wonderfully stereotypically British, with shop signs covered in Union Jacks and fish and chip shops next to old English pubs. The side streets are not patchy concrete but cute cobbles and every other shop is full of vintage clothing, cute bric-a-brac and china tea cups.

We arrived quite late, like 5 O'clock late, so a lot of places were closing and we didn't get time to fully explore. However, there was something very peaceful about wandering through the pastel coloured streets whilst everything was shutting up for the day. It doesn't really feel like London. There are no ambulance sounds or building works and the cars actually stop for you at Zebra crossings. It was surprisingly a very calming adventure, much needed after the exam period.

We finished the day at Gail's drinking chocolate based beverages and eating baked goods. I'm sure we'll be returning soon to wander through the pretty streets and browse Alice's. Actually I'm certain I'll be back because I'm awfully upset about the fact that I didn't get to browse Alice's. After years of reblogging that one photo on tumblr of the shop and dreaming about what's inside, my only experience of it is peeping through the window. I'll be back for you Alice's. And you better have plenty of cute vintage stuff for me to swoon over!