Portobello road

We decided to check out Portobello Road on September 27. There were a lot of people there, but it was fun!

 

Of course there were lots of weird things to see.

Violet and I love vintage clothing stores, so we checked out a few while we were there.

 

 

They had theis Union Jack beaded headdress, but it didn't really suit me.

You could find everything from lace ....

 

to gas masks. 

 

And the food was very tempting.

 

Look at all the donuts!

 

 

 

There was even paella.

 

And of course what Portobello is most famous for is junk, er... I mean antiques.

 

I loved the decoration on this building.

 

 

 

There were Bobbies too.

 

 

and also buskers!

 

These guys were lip-synching!

And there were French bulldogs! (Or at least one!)

Some of the buildings were pretty, like this one covered in ivy.

And I also saw this building I was surprised to see what famous resident it once had.

 

 

I even bought a hat at a shop.

Kenwood House

This is one of the best free places to visit in London. Up near Hampstead Heath there is a beautiful Georgian House called Kenwood House.

 

Although the house is now mostly a museum, it is a very nicely preserved Gerogian home remodelled by Robert Adam for the first Earl of Mansfield.

 

Most of the rooms have paintings on the walls, like this famous Vermeer.

You can see the situation of the paintings in this next picture.

Adam's most famous design is the remodelled library.

These photos show some of the rooms.

I like this exploration of space in a gothic church.

This painting is an 18th century view of London.

 

 

Outside  the estate has a huge, beautiful garden.

There are trails behind hte house and there is a gigantic expansive lawn in front. I took a few pictures in the  back garden.

There were wooden benches along the way.

 

I found this cute little grave which I believe might be for a dog. All you can read on the stone is Companion.

 

Here is the side of the house that faces the lawn.

 

There is a pond on the other side of the lawn.

 

No pictures, but the grounds contain Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore sculptures too.

 

The kitchen was exterior to the house to prevent heat build up in the Summer.

 

Nearby was an indoor bath. I couldn't see much of it, but once again the camera was abe to record images in the dark, that I could not see.

 

There is a cafe in the kitchen area too.

 

They had a lovely kitchen garden not too far from the kitchen building.

 

What follows is a few  snaps of flowers in the garden.

 

On the bus home I watched as we passed interesting buildings and Highgate cemetery.

There was this inn called the Angel that had a winged figure in the window.

 

When I passed by the Earl's Court Exhibition center, I could see they were getting ready for the Gamer  conference.

On the way home I always pass this really cool red wheeled bicycle!