“For June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her.
Some people do spend their whole lives together.” – Anna in Notting Hill film
Honestly, I’ve come to know Notting Hill only through the movie of course – Notting Hill, starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Oh I love that movie! I even used it as a medium for my NatSci report in college haha!
I didn’t know that it would be very accessible to go here, especially when I saw the map of our hotel and saw it is just nearby! So I begged Laurie if we can go and visit. It was Saturday when we went, so we didn’t know that it’s going to be soooo busy!
Notting Hill (just like Camden) is known for its weekend markets! The difference is in Notting Hill, they do it along the street, so just imagine the narrow streets of Notting Hill with stalls built outside the shops, and a massive crowd walking through it, chaos! 😛
Not really chaotic for me, we had fun even under the heatwave of 30C at that time, because of the street performers and the stuff they sell out there, something you can’t really find anywhere — antiques, books, vinyl records, jewelries, various clothing, UK souvenirs, graffiti products like ones from Banksy, and a LOT more!
As we stroll along the Portobello Road, we spot on the house of George Orwell! Amazing that his house is No.22 which is Laurie’s favorite number and my significant number as well! George Orwell is the author of 1984, the “Big Brother” is watching you novel 😉
As we walked further down Portobello market, I imagine myself as when Hugh Grant was walking along the street market and the season changes hehe. Then we spot on the Notting Hill bookshop from the movie! Yay!
There were two actually, one is the original “antique” shop that they turned into a bookstore in the movie at Portobello Road, and one is the original Travel Book Co. the name of the bookstore that they used in the movie, it’s the one located further down at Blenheim Crescent, but they changed the name also to The Notting Hill Bookshop.
Going back to the tube station, we avoided the Portobello Road and took the Landgrove Road, then I saw some small gardens with gates that definitely looked like the garden in the movie that Hugh and Julia trespassed! The song “When You Say Nothing at All” was playing in my mind as we walked down the road lol.
Here’s the garden scene from the movie:
It was an amazing walk we had at Notting Hill! Laurie and I wasn’t really paying attention with time and just enjoying ourselves there even it was too hot for London! It was really “surreal but nice” experience 🙂
