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Published: September 11th 2006
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Not just fruit and veg
Uber Fruit and Veg, piles and piles and stacks of it, temptingly arranged to catch your eye and prompt your pounds into the stall-holder's cash tins. The weekend was long looked forward to... eventually it arrived, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But did I sleep in and enjoy the chance to relax? No, of course not - there was far too much going on!
Emma and I decided it was time for a trip to the
Borough Markets, so on Saturday morning we got going straight after breakfast, arriving at our destination just when this busy market on the south bank of the Thames was in full swing. For those of you not in the know, it's a favourite haunt of Jamie Oliver, (of
Naked Chef fame) and the twisting cobbled pathways lead you through a maze of stalls, trading a bewildering array of gourmet foodstuffs.
We spent a happy couple of hours alternately salivating and being grossed out by the items on display. It's an obvious tourist attraction, but it is also packed with people stocking up on the goodies - must be wonderful for the likes of Jamie, who can actually afford to shop there regularly! We treated ourselves to fruit smoothies and a Belgian Chocolate brownie (mm mmm!) and moved on for an explore of the area.
Strolling along
Emma and Ju with yummy smoothies
These were not exactly cheap, but we reasoned that they contained enough juicy organic fruit to fulfill our requirements for several days, all in one go, so they were more than worth it. the bank of the river we discovered a few hidden gems: a replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship
the Golden Hinde, tied up at St Mary Overie's dock; the site of the original Clink prison - such a famous jail that its name became synonymous with jails everywhere; and the ruins of the thirteenth century Winchester Palace, which were discovered and exposed in the eighties. It is amazing what you can discover within a few blocks in this city, if you look closely enough.
The next morning we sacrificed our sleep-ins yet again, speeding off from our Sunday pancakes for a Royal Explore: for eight weeks each year the public are allowed through nineteen magnificent rooms during the
Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace. This is my favourite of palaces visited so far - despite the fairly bleak aspect from square outside, Buckingham Palace is plush, comfortable and peaceful inside. Or it was when I imagined myself unaccompanied by the hordes of fellow sticky-beaks.
I supppose part of the atmosphere comes from the fact it is actually a working Palace, not merely a historic place filled with the ghosts of long ago. Don't get me wrong -
Peck of peppers, pile of pumpkins?
Eye catching displays of colour, mouth watering arrays of food.... I
love seeing amazing historical buildings, and have been lapping them up since my arrival in Europe - but something extra is added here by the possibility, however faint, that the Queen might be about to pop around the corner, to ask you if you enjoyed the Van Dijcks in the Picture Gallery...
From the side entrance, one follows a twisty corridor hung with sixties art, and emerges at the quadrangle. This is a large enclosed gravel courtyard, immediately behind the East Front, and acts as the staging ground for the numerous events and parades at the Palace. The main entrance to the Palace is here, through the Great Hall and the Grand Staircase. We passed magnificent and ornate furnishings, frescoes, paintings and sculptures as we twisted through the State Rooms, each one utterly different in colour and style but each a beautiful example of fine art and decoration.
This year, to celebrate Her Majesty's eightieth, eighty of her dresses are on display. An amazing array, worn over the years at state occasions and public events, this is as much a display of fashion over the last 60 odd years as it is an homage to a very
View from the top
Revellers find the best vantage point for watching the parade at the Notting Hill Carnival. stylish and well-groomed monarch. The dresses were just incredible, all of them - although I must own I liked the ballgowns of the fifties and sixties best, beautifully tailored to the young Queen's tiny waist, with amazing detailing... These frocks are absolute works of art.
I also loved the Ballroom, which held a display of orders and robes, and showed examples of the functions and ceremonies which take place there. I stood in the spot where the honours recipients greet the Queen, (and thought ambitious thoughts.) However, my favourite room of all was the gold and white 'Music Room' where famous musicians have played, and more intimate state receptions are held. There is even a secret entrance to the Queen's private apartments, cleverly concealed behind furnishings and decorations!
After all this sumptuousness and the tightly packed crowds, it was somewhat of a relief to find ourselves on the lawn in the gardens behind the Palace. The grass is still showing the effects of the scorching summer, people were everywhere and there was a small team with a mini bulldozer digging something up in the middle of the lawn - but apart from that, the surroundings were extremely relaxing.
We took a few photos, and had small pots of Buckingham Palace icecream on the bench inside the garden wall, then set off back home through my beloved Hyde Park.
Of course we were exhausted, and deemed it impossible to get home on no fuel, so we stoked our stomachs on the way, at the Lido cafe by the Serpentine. Reaching home mid afternoon, but not quite ready to collapse, we had a brief rest then headed out again - this time to the
Notting Hill Carnival. Held over the Summer Bank Holiday weekend every year, this is Europe's largest street festival, celebrating all things Caribbean - food, music, parades, parties... but everyone who's anyone joins in the fun, so it's hugely diverse and entertaining. I'm sure there are some households that shut up and take off for the weekend, sneaking back on the Monday night when it's safe and quiet again, but they can't be the majority - the amount of residents that had set up a stall in their yard, or had speakers hanging out their windows adding to the general din, was incredible.
The thing stretched for
miles, I know for sure we didn't even get through
Fungi
An amazing array of different mushrooms on sale at the Borough Markets. half of it. Every street corner had a stage pumping out a different mix, or showcasing performances of some sort, people were wandering the streets with cans of whatever liquid they could purchase, kids were everywhere in the melee blowing contantly on brightly coloured whistles their parents had misguidedly allowed them to purchase, and there were impromptu volleyball games, dancing areas, or just circles of people sitting on the streets.
We could hear the din from our place in next-door Bayswater, and the revelling continued late into the nights. There were an amazing number of people in attendance - we heard later that the estimate was 1 million, but from where I stood it could easily have been more. It was an exciting couple of days and I enjoyed the air of festivity, the wandering steel bands that made it down as far as Hyde Park a couple of times, and the colourful costumes. I was quite happy for the crowds and piles of rubbish left behind to be gone though... taken all at once it was a bit overwhelming!
So. Summer Bank Holiday is over, September is upon us - and the days are growing shorter -
Appetising Fish Head Garnish
Um, no. Not for me anyway, I'm afraid. it gets dark at eight thirty now. I am enjoying the sunshine while I can, but autumn is in the air...
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gin
non-member comment
food for thought :)
Jamie Oliver is about to open a Fifteen Restaurant in Melbourne, the fine food capital of Australia, which should be interesting...