Kensington, Notting Hill, London.

South Kensington is a rather exclusive neighborhood of London, I’m not going to talk to you about any mansions, but the thinnest house in the city, they call it Thin House.

Next to the Kesington tube station there are several cute places to have tea such as Molly Rose Bakery, the Hummingbird pastry shop, or the Philippe Conticini, where they serve you the largest croissant you have ever seen, which I have not yet tried, but give it time. 

The French Librairie La Page that has one of those cute shop windows crosses my path.

This neighborhood is home to several of the most important museums in the city such as the Victoria & Albert Museum. I have visited it on a few occasions and it is extraordinary. I love to see Trajan’s life-size column (I am a big fan) or its library. The building itself is already wonderful, it has a beautiful courtyard and you can’t miss the cafeteria, one of its most beautiful areas.  As a curiosity I can tell you that on the wall of the entrance there are several shrapnel holes that remind the public what this city went through during WWII. 

It’s going to be hard not to notice the impressive building of the Natural History Museum, it’s one of my favorites. Inside we find whales, exhibitions and even a T Rex to which they put one of those “particular” Christmas sweaters. Very interactive, remember to book your visit.

Next to it is the Science Museum, which I have not visited yet, a good plan for a rainy day. When the sun is out in London, being outdoors is a must. 

In the area we find several stables converted into homes, the mews. The Kynance Mews are beautiful with their cobbled street and the wisteria adorning it. The Cranley Mews are also lovely or, down from the Gloucester Road tube, next to the European Bookstore, is one of the most beautiful mews in London as well as historic, the Standhope South Mews, who also appear in the movie “Kingsman the Secret Service”, at number 11 they shot the scene. 

There are also Kensington Gardens, which are home to a beautiful pond, walks, the statue of Peter Pan, or the Serpentine Lake that leads to the famous Hyde Park. Another idyllic place to walk and admire for its great beauty.

Next to the gardens is one of the cutest tea shops of the place, the Candella Tea Room, where you can have afternoon tea at a very good price. You have to book, I have tried to go without a reservation and for just one it is even more difficult, so I hope soon I have the chance to try it as they have some divine tea cups and teapots. 

Holland Park and its mews are other beautiful corners of this neighborhood. Jameson St, Hillgate, Callcott St with their colorful houses take us into one of the most well-known areas of London. 

Who doesn’t know Notting Hill? The popular Portobello Road opens up before me. In the number 22 lived the writer George Orwell, you will remember him for “Animal Farm” and “1984”.

Following Elena’s recommendation @orangepassport I have lunch in Farm Girl Notting Hill, vegan and delicious. 

This street is popular for its famous Sunday antique market, plus a few shops that have been made popular by movies or are very photogenic for instagram, such as the quaint Alice store. Full of fun knick-knacks and with Paddington the bear at the entrance.

 “The Travel Bookshop“, which inspired Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts’ film “Notting Hill”, is now a simple souvenir shop. 

Taking nearby streets I find the beautiful The L&R Bookshop, the beautiful façade of the Biscuiteers Bakery, the Books for Cooks bookshop, or the other popular bookstore, The Notting Hill Bookstore.

And of course, I find more mews, these in particular have very nice features, like this pink façade, you will remember the St Lukes Mews from the scene in Love Actually, when the friend tells Keira how he feels with posters. 

Nearby is the Little Yellow Door, another of those features that we find in its streets that make them more picturesque. 

You can see that this area has a lot to do with the movie that we’ve all have seen so many times (if you haven’t, you’d better get on with it) and 280 Westbourne Park Rd is where the famous blue door in Notting Hill, where Hugh Grant lived and from where his peculiar friend comes out before the press. 

The book that has come with me on this walk is Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark, set in London in 1945 when the city was trying to recover from the ravages of the war, a group of girls who lived in a residence for young ladies seduce us in a satirical way with their customs and affections while London rises from the ashes.