Let’s face it; even if you don’t enjoy shopping at home, there is just something magical about shopping for treasures and mementos abroad, especially when you know they have a unique cultural history. So, what better place to find souvenirs than a flea market?
Hey everyone! If you don’t follow me on Instagram (which you should head over and follow me…shameless plug), you might be surprised to learn that I am writing this from abroad. Yes, I’m on another adventure around the world. But I really wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some more knowledge that I’ve picked up from my other travels abroad. That being said, here’s the first part of a two part Flea Market Adventures Mini Series (I’m hoping to potentially add to the series after this trip…we’ll see).
For part one, we are visiting the Portobello Market in Notting Hill, London. The shops on the actual road are open all week but the REAL action is on Saturdays when all the stalls and vendors that we usually associate a flea market with pop up on the side of the street because of the extra stalls that are open There are people everywhere and it is extremely crowded – sometimes it’s even hard to navigate the streets because there are so many people! But for some reason, the extreme crowd is part of what makes it so FUN. I mean, This IS one of the world’s most famous outdoor markets after all and so I kind of overlooked the mass of people.
Walking around on a Saturday at the market was so much fun for more than just the reasons already mentioned. It was so cool seeing the variety of vendors and items carried. We found an assortment of amazing antiques from big dressers to small perfume bottles, vintage clothing as well as new clothing, and of course tons of amazing street food (what’s an open market without some food). I even found a couple of Queen Elizabeth II commemorative plates and a pair of vintage earrings for a fair price. The regular shops and cafes are open as well which makes it a two-in-one sort of excursion.
You can get to the Portobello Market by one of two Tube stations one being at Ladbroke and the other at Nottinghill Gate. From there you just get off the train and follow the crowd. I had so much fun here -- mob and all. But if you are not into the crowd thing, I’ll talk about one flea market I found in Paris that has far fewer vendors and far fewer shoppers. Stay tuned to find out about my experience in the Paris flea market in part two of my Flea Market Adventures series next week.
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