Day 78: or The Day In Notting Hill

I woke up at a decent hour and walked to Notting Hill Gate for a walking tour of the neighborhood. It showed many filming locations for various movies but also little bits about the area. It was a really good tour and by the end I was really wanting to watch the movie. I walked down Portobello road and managed to not fall trap to all the antiques, jewelry, and miscellany, but it was a close call. As I was leaving the Market, I noticed an attractive guy leaning against the door to a shop. I was looking at his odd choice of eye wear, when I realized I recognized him. Not 2 feet from me was Josh Hartnett. He blended in well and no one else seemed to notice him. It's strange to  me that glasses and can disguise someone so easily. Many of you might not even know who he is, but I'm pretty sure there were people  on the street who know full well who he is and didn't recognize him. I kept my cool, and he walked on his merry little way down the street. It was a gorgeous day and it seemed everyone was outside just to be outside. I walked through and around Hyde Park and then grabbed a shawarma from a local stand. The street I stayed on, Queensway Road, was full of Indian and Asian food so I just picked one a got lucky.


The 6 Nations rugby final was starting and I decided to find a Pub and watch some rugby. The German girls had asked me what I missed the most about home, and for the first time, I was actually able to give an answer. Obviously, the people (and food) are what immediately comes to mind. But this weekend, what I missed most was sports. I spent a lot of time at home either keeping up with sports, or going to social events based on watching sports. I think that's the key to sports too, watching games with people. So, with England playing Ireland, I was sure I would find a Pub with a decent crowd. I did some Google research and walked into Prince Edward's Pub for the last half of the Scotland/Italy game. There was once stool left and I sat down and bought a pint. I over heard the guys talking about their Fantasy league. They bought a round of beers but ordered an extra and offered it to me. For the next 5 hours we sat and watched Rugby and talked sports. They were a little surprised at what I knew about Rugby, because I told them I know nothing, but after 5 hours of games, I picked up a little bit. Rory McElroy was at the game, and again, they were surprised that I knew him. I guess a girl who watches golf is an oddity but when it's not Football season, what else are you supposed to do on Sundays?


I walked back to the hostel and was planning on calling it a night when I met a new girl in the room and tagged along to get some dinner. We stopped at an Indian restaurant and ate way too much. Again, I'm calling it an early night, but it was a long and eventful day. I had meant to do more sightseeing but I think meeting the locals is just as good of a way to spend my time. Nice little Saturday.