That's My Time...: Even More London

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Even More London

I kept hearing about something called the Notting Hill Carnival, which, according to Wikipedia is "an annual event that has taken place since 1966 on the streets of Notting Hill, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, each August over two days (the August bank holiday Monday and the preceding Sunday)." Apparently, it's one of the world's largest street festivals.

So, I was determined to check it out. I located where all of the excitement was supposed to be, and began walking.

As I continued to Carnival, I saw a Wagamama! I first discovered Wagamama when I studied abroad in London in college, and even since then, I have eaten there every time I've been in London (even when I was there on a lay-over during my trip home from Scotland). Wagamama is a noodle bar that serves Asian dishes inspired by Japanese cuisine. Rumor has it, one is set to open to New York (gasp - it might be worth a trip!).

I believe the server heard my American accent because upon me ordering tap water he asked if I wanted ice. It was at that moment, I'm pretty sure I heard trumpets from heaven. I don't think Europeans care for ice in their drinks, and I had been missing ice water since I arrived in Europe. I thanked him profusely.

Mini-feast (and beer!) for one.

Unfortunately, I never quite made it to Carnival as the crowd was way too big for my liking. As I started to near the event, the crowds were so big that I literally had a hard time moving. I'm not a huge fan of crowds, especially when I can barely move. So, I decided to turn around and get a vegan cupcake from Whole Foods (vegan cupcakes are truly the answer to everything, aren't they?).

I also stopped at a couple of spots along the way, like the Victoria and Albert Museum (well, the outside of it, anyway; I planned to spend more time there later in the week), Hyde Park, and Churchill Arms.