Saturday, July 17, 2010

Portobello Road and The Cambridge Cafe and The Museum of Childhood and The Hummingbird Bakery and the Elders...

Today was the day that I finally slept in - until 7:30 am. It was bliss! I had crunchy peanut butter toast and the best strawberries (2 pounds for 2 cases, if I haven't told you already). 

After a leisurely morning, Katelyn and I left to go shopping at the famous Portobello Road. Our directions from the Notting Hill station were: ...just follow the crowd of people. Seriously. You will get to Portobello Road.

I found a cool watch and a pretty dress and was about to get my dad this really cool chessboard but decided against it because I can't remember the last time I saw him playing chess. The road was super crowded but I was amazed! It felt like an actual market. I don't think I've been to one of those before.

We then travelled about 12 stops to Bethnal Green so that we could go to the Museum of Childhood. We found a small cafe there called Cambridge and ate the cheapest, best, most missed American meal ever. I purchased a cheeseburger and a pancake with ice cream on it. Both were delicious and cost me less than five pounds altogether.

Three things about the Museum of Childhood: 1. Katelyn and I got to play with toys and we decided to make puppets and do a show for her birthday. We also discovered that we don't have imaginations anymore.
2. We found the toy that is full of little needles that aren't sharp... you know the kind. You gently press your hand on one side and on the other it makes an imprint of your hand.. Anyway, there was a human-body-sized one of those. I know this must be very confusing, but it was very awesome.
3. I found these earrings that I didn't get because they were 20 quid, but after speaking with the cashier for a little bit, I learned that they were delicately made with very thin origami paper. It seriously did not look like it. I loved the earrings so much that I secretly decided to become very good at origami so I could duplicate the little tulips and dragonflies that the person had created.

Hummingbird Cafe: Not as wonderful as it was hyped up to be, but they had good devil's food cake.

Janelle and I went to the Creperie (it happens a lot) and while we were sitting there talking, I saw two elders walk by. I didn't think to say hi because I forgot I was not in Utah. At the last second, I raised up both of my hands and said, "Elders!" They instantly turned to us and said, "You're members?!" One of them was Elder Espinoza from Kearns. The other said he was from Brazil. He pronounced it the American way, so afterward I said, "Oh Brawseel!" They were excited about that. Thank you, J. Fenn, for your Portuguese lessons. I asked him about where he lived and about the piranhas and anaconda snakes. He told me some funny things. I mentioned that my ex-boyfriend went to Belem and talked a little with him about how there is or isn't air conditioning in that area. It was fun. They gave us Portuguese pass-along cards (they are Portuguese speaking elders for the South Kensington ward). Apparently, if we say Oi! Tudu vay (that's how it sounded), then the Portuguese would love us. I will be saying, "Oi" as I travel then. Otherwise, how will I find these Portuguese people? :)

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