I intended to go to an 11:00 rehearsal for La Traviata at the Royal Opera House. Only then I slept in AND got lost coming out of the tube station. So that didn't happen. PS, coming out of that tube station is REALLY confusing. I swear, there's at least 8 streets converging on it and none of them have street signs. And the opera house itself isn't clearly marked, so it doesn't stand out from the other beautiful brick buildings very well. It doesn't help that there isn't space between any of the buildings here - roads are lined with solid strips of buildings, only breaking for another road.
Since I missed the opera, I wandered around the next-door Covent Garden market. The gourmet food market was tempting, but unfortunately it was mostly artesian breads and fancy deserts, neither of which I can have. I did try falafel for the first time though, and it was VERY yummy. I also saw a random magician street performer who was pretty funny.
After wandering around there for a while, I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I didn't actually go in past the foyer, because it costs a lot to actually go in. Like $15. :P So, I'm going to go back for evensong sometime, because they don't charge admission if you come to worship. One of my roommates went to evensong the other day and said it was absolutely beautiful. She's been to tons of cathedrals all over Europe, and says St. Paul's is the prettiest she's seen. Wow - I better check it out!
After St. Paul's I went to Portobello Road market (same place I went last Saturday) to get more fruit/veg/cheese and to browse the clothes/jewelry/souvenirs. I really love that place. :) I got an eggplant, because they're cheap here, and they're everywhere. And they're called aubergines, not eggplants, which totally threw me off the first time I saw it! I've never tried one (that I can remember) so I was a little nervous. I cooked it tonight for part of dinner; turns out, I don't like eggplant. I had one of my roommates try it, because she said she really likes eggplant. She liked it, so I know it wasn't just how I cooked it that I didn't like - it's just that I don't like eggplant. I think I might like it better if I make it with something else, like chicken and pasta.
After two visits, I've definitely decided that my favorite feature of Portobello Market is the tables of scarves for a pound each. There are literally thousands of scarves of all shapes, sizes, colors, and materials piled feet high on folding tables - all for me to dig through! I've already bought far too many, and I'll probably keep going back for more. Since I go on Saturdays, I can essentially spend all of the money I have left since I budget weekly. That means that the less I spend during the week, the more scarves I can buy each week! :) *Fashion side note: to look like a Londoner, wear a scarf. All the time. Regardless of what else you are wearing, or the temperature outside. It can be any size, color, or material (except knit - I haven't seen any of that) and it doesn't have to match your outfit, really. Actually, you can wear just about anything here, and get away with it. There's so many different cultures and styles here, that in order to stand out you have to pretty much be wearing a halloween costume. I've seen 60's, 70's, plenty of 80's, pink/electric red/blue hair, leopard prints, sari-type wraps, skirts, pants, goth, tiedye, etc. One of the most popular fashion things right now is to wear a loose, even baggy sweater or t-shirt with opaque tights. Miniskirt optional. I'm not kidding. Girls wearing a nothing but a top, leggings, and (of course) a scarf is not unusual. My honest reaction to that is "I'm glad you're that confident in the appearance of your read end and thighs, because I'm certainly not!" :)
Overall, it was a good day, even though it was rather scattered, random, and non-directional. Sometimes those are the best days.
Well, I better sign off for the night! Church tomorrow morning, and all that. Cheers!
A quartet of (atTRACtive) British barbershop singers performing on the street right outside Portobello Market. They sounded good, too!
Oh no...is acid wash coming back???? Mom and Dad, are you ready to relive the glory?
OK, does ANYONE know what these are? They were at one of the fruit/veg stands at the market. They're about the same size as cucumbers. I couldn't figure them out for the life of me.
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