NOTTING HILL


This is the neighborhood of Notting Hill. Pictures taken in 1995, the first time I was in London. I'm sure some of you know this place from the movie "Notting Hill" starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. It's a very interesting neighborhood though from what I understand, it's also an expensive one.

There's a carnival that takes place here every August. The last time I was there I didn't stay on till the carnival actually started except to see some of the stores setting up and the crowd gradually building up. I don't like big crowds and neither am I a fan of carnivals.

But I can imagine it to be quite an eye-opener. Here's an article i grabbed from the web :
Labroke Grove is the heart of the spectacular Notting Hill Carnival, held each August Bank Holiday since 1966. This holiday always falls on the last weekend of August with Sunday and Monday being the major carnival days. The festivities started as a local affair set up by the West Indian immigrants of the area and has become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of people from all around the world. There are scores of massive ’sound systems’, many spectacular floats and steel drum bands additionally, to keep you well fed, there are hundreds of stalls lining the streets of the area selling all sorts of food and drink including Caribbean specialities.