Message 1: On my own in Londontown

Hello from London!

Friday I hopped a train in Edinburgh and had a lovely ride through the countryside to London. While moving along I chatted with two different British ladies, each excited be on their way to a holiday.

Yesterday I took the Tube(subway to us Yanks!)to the Portobello Market in the Notting Hill part of town. This area is very cool with fun, colorful buildings and a Saturday street market. Antiques, collectibles, jewelry, leather, and silver, oh my! Layered with lots and lots of people watching, musicians, and a myriad of food and vegetable booths. I wandered a few hours and took pictures as I snacked. A few things might have made their way into my possession. I love street markets! I spent the sunny afternoon watching people from a bench in Kensington Gardens and then taking care of a few chores in the room.

In the evening I met up with one of my upcoming tour members and we attended a Vivaldi concert at St. Martins-in-the-Field on Trafalgar Square. The dinner before, the shared music and the walk through the west end were all great ways to get to know a new friend!

This morning I took a London Walks tour of the Hampstead area of London. This very posh and expensive neighborhood north of town with Georgian and Victorian buildings clings to a hill overlooking the city. The guide named off many arty celebrities who have or do live there. Fun to daydream about living the good life.....

I am now anticipating the initial meetup for the London tour in a little bit. I'm looking forwards to new friends and new adventures!

Martha

I wondered what type of fun person lived behind this orange door near Portobello	Some of the vendor were in permanent stores...	...some were booths set up for the day.
Live musicians were on street corners	A section was for food vendors	Shoppers, watchers, and vendors filled the multi-colored streets
St. Martin-in-the-Field	Hampstead	We popped into a famous Hampstead pub
Some of the residences were huge!	Some were row houses	The heath was a beautiful green area perfect for hiking and exploring
From Hampstead you could spy downtown London in the distance	The tour hotel---our home for the week..