London: Day Four

Here's my impression of the Portabello Market:

People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! Streakers!! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People! People!

Portabello Market is an open air flea market, veggie market, and antique market that is only open on Saturday mornings. It opens around 5am, and most guidebooks will tell you that the earlier you can get there, the better. The guidebooks aren't kidding around. Anytime after, say, 9am is so crowded, it's almost impossible to move. The Market goes on for maybe ten full city blocks...It's HUGE. Once you're in the middle of it with all of the people swarming around, it's hard not to feel a little claustrophobic. I felt like I needed to attach some sort of lifeline to Lisa so we woudn't get permanently swept apart from each other.

Seriously, it was nuts. We could barely move, there were so many people around us. It was an absolute crush of humanity, not for the claustrophobic or faint of heart.

Not that it wasn't fun. I'm very glad that we went. It's an experience that I'm happy I had, and I love, love, love antique shopping. But, still... I'm not sure I'd be too anxious to go back into the crush. I sersiously can't stress enough how insanely crowded this place was.

In this picture, Lisa's thinking, "Hmmmmm... Should I buy this plate, or just violently chuck it into the crowd like a discus in the hopes of clearing an escape path?"

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After spending a few hours at the market, Lisa and I retreated back to the hotel to regain our sanity. That night, we headed to Picadilly Circus to the Criterion Theater. Another birthday present from Lisa was tickets to The 39 Steps, a spoof of the Hitchcock classic of the same name. Although there were maybe 20 different roles in the play, they were all played by the same four actors. There was some very clever staging and some absolutely hilarious costume changes in the play. I loved every minute of it.

I have to say, though, that one of the funniest moments of the evening didn't actually happen on stage...it came from Lisa. She had smuggled in a bottle of sparkling water to drink during the show.  As soon as the lights came down, she twisted open the cap, and...

PFFFFHHT!!!!!!

The bottle sprayed everywhere. Like a geyser. It must have sprayed at least two rows in front of her, and absoltely soaked the people sitting in front of us. It was a horribly awkward situation... She couldn't even really apologize until intermission, since the play had just started.

It was so awful... And, later, so funny.

Afterwards, we had dinner at a little Thai place in Picadilly Circus, and closed out our last night with the most amazing view of the city.