Harrods of London England

Harrods is an incredible department store on five acres on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The store focuses on high-end goods but you can buy some reasonably priced souvenir items, including a Harrods' bear.

Online information in 2019 indicated there were 330 departments and 23 restaurants. It is the largest department store in Europe.  Harrods employs over 5000 staff from 50 different countries to serve up to 300,000 visitors a day from all over the world.

The London store was founded by Charles Henry Harrod in 1849 as a grocery shop. The current store was built in 1905. In 2010, the store was purchased by Qatar Holding.

The central escalator is a favorite spot to visit and take photos.

Another favourite location is the food hall on the ground floor.

A Harrods bear is a popular souvenir--especially in a famous green Harrods bag.

Check out the lower level.

I noticed some impressive Lego sculptures too.

Notes
The "Egyptian Escalator" is a fabulous place to see. There are stairs, other escalators, and lifts (elevators).
They do have toilets for customers throughout the store.

There are many cafes and restaurants throughout the store.

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases. 

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For more information and photos of London go to VISIT LONDON ENGLAND

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Portobello Market, Notting Hill, London

Portobello Market is a world-famous street market on Portobello Road in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

You will find antiques, arcades, Bric-a-Brac, and clothing. 

Fresh flowers are plentiful.

Food shops and stalls are everywhere.

One thing you cannot capture in photos or text are the smells of all sorts of food.

The road is named after a town called Puerto Bello, which is in modern day Panama. The town was captured by Admiral Edward Vernon in 1740. To honour the occasion, a farm near the modern-day market was named Portobello Farm.

The market began like other London markets selling fresh foods in the 1800s. In recent decades, antiques have become a popular attraction.

By mid-morning, the road is crowded with people speaking many different languages, wheeling suitcases, and taking photos.

This video clip is from  SuttonTravels, which is my YouTube Travel Channel is from 1 June 2019. We arrived at Notting Hill Station and ambled along the road listening to chatter and music and taking in the savoury and sweet smells of cooked meats, fresh fruit and veg, and bakeries.

This video clip is from SuttonTravels, which is my YouTube Travel Channel is from 8 March 2008. You can see by the clothes that it was a cool day.

Market Hours (check the web for the latest):  The primary shopping day is Saturday when all the shops and street stalls are open. Recently, Saturday hours were 09:00 to 19:00 and Monday to Thursday hours were 09:00 to 18:00. Thursday closing was at 13:00. Some shops and cafes are open every day.

Location:  Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill District of the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which is in west London.

     Google map link:  Map Portobello Road

Tube:  The most popular underground stop is Notting Hill Gate. Follow the signs on exiting the station. This is the way I have taken family and friends for years. On the Tube Map, look for the Central (red), Circle (yellow), and District (green) lines.

You can use the Ladbroke Grove station as well. It is on the Hammersmith and City Line (purple).

Buses (check for most recent updates): Many London buses stopped close to Portobello road. Recent examples include 7,12, 23, 27, 28, 31, 52, 70, 328. Check Transport for London (tfl.uk).

Toilets: There were two self-cleaning public toilets, older public toilets, and toilets in cafes and pubs.

Connections

If interested, please join me. I write about psychology and culture—especially topics related to the Psychology of Religion and Positive Psychology.

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You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases.

Mind the Gap on AMAZON  and  GOOGLE