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We started with our buffet breakfast in the lounge of our Marriott which was complimentary and then decided to grab a subway (what the English call the underground) to see what the Portobello market was all about which was located in Notting Hill. This by the way would be mom’s very first subway ride! She decided it wasn’t so exciting once she realized it was very similiar to an air tram at the airport.
We figured our way through the stations and over to the market. Notting Hill was charming with buildings lined up one after another painted in pastels. The market is on Portobello and usually would have had many more stalls on a Saturday but we were there on a weekday so it had more of a local feel. There were dozens of little shops lining the street-antiques, clothes, food etc. We took our time taking in the scene and looking through boutiques.
We had worked up an appetite and no visit to London would be complete without a visit to Harrods. We took a subway over to the huge renowned multi-level department store and watched moms eyes light up as we walked through the elaborate food halls. Everything seems sumptuous here…the candy room has all types in various shapes and sizes with giant lollipop displays and a ice cream counter serving huge sundaes. The bakery with all types of baked goods or the seafood room with a huge counter in the middle dedicated only to caviar. Then there’s the tea room with every tea leaf you can imagine and the meat room tempting you with multiple meat options. The level below consists of the giant wine room which represents every region of wine you can think of with a big screen that teaches you what smells are found in wine. Is this Disneyland for adults? And there is shopping on all the other levels!!
After making a few purchases we settled in at the coffee shop upstairs where we could watch the green coffee beans roast before our eyes. We munched on some candied figs and nuts we had purchased from the grocery food hall which also had various fruits and veggies.
We decided to get back to our hotel where we got back into our comfies, kicked off our shoes (since our dogs were barking) and had a picnic on our beds while we relaxed and watched TV.
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Published by Giff Kabat
I grew up in Ohio as a kid, so of course I went to college at “THE” Ohio State University. I graduated in 2001 with a major in business finance. A month after graduation, I moved out to California with my college girlfriend (whom I married in 2005)…and started my career in sales (industrial sales for 5 years…then moved into medical laser sales for 4 years).
In 2009 I was 31 years old. I had a great job, a new house, and a beautiful wife. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better…my wife and I found out we were going to have a baby. Everything was going according to plan…and I couldn’t have scripted a better life for myself.
Then in the same year…everything changed. My wife, Brandey, called me when I was on my way to work and told me over the phone, something I never thought could be possible in a million years. My beautiful 30-year old pregnant wife was just told that she had breast cancer. At that moment, everything stopped all at once. I immediately went to her…and learned of our new plan…which began with her needing surgery immediately…and the rest we would find out later.
The day we returned from the hospital after Brandey’s surgery…my father died. He had been battling an aggressive cancer of his own…and although he was the one person I wanted to speak with about Brandey having cancer…I never told him. My sister, Brooke, had just gotten married a few months ago, and although he was weak, he was able to walk his little girl down the aisle of her wedding. On the night before my sister’s wedding, Brandey and I told him that we were pregnant and about to make him a grandfather. It made no sense to tell him that everything had changed for us…so he died in peace knowing everything was “the way it should be” for his only 2 children.
2010 was the worst year of my life. We had lost our baby…and for 12 months I watched my wife fight cancer with multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and drug therapy. It was a difficult year for us…but we made it. When you go through something like this in life, you learn a lot about yourself and the people around you. I was amazed at the strength and courage of my wife…and how many good people there are in this world. I will be forever grateful for the ones who never ceased to amaze me with their kindness during this hard time. Family, friends, and sometimes complete strangers…helped us make it through this. I am, and will always be especially grateful to my mother, who was with my dad at the very end, when I couldn’t be there, and when things were at their worst. She has been so supportive throughout all of this, and without her everything would have been so much harder for me.
It’s 2011 now…and the plan we have for our life this year…is to make it the best year of our lives. Brandey is officially in remission from breast cancer and she has a 95% chance the cancer will never come back. Besides the love that I have for my wife and family, the loves of my life are food, wine, and adventure travel. My wife and I love traveling to new places, seeing natural wonders, and meeting new people from different parts of the world. So for the next 400 days…we’ve decided to travel the world…and celebrate our lives. There are so many things I took for granted in life that I will never take for granted again. My father worked for over 30 years at the same job with the same company…rarely took time off…and died at 64 years old right after his retirement. For me, this trip is a combination of a tribute to him, along with wanting to spend the time of my life with the “love of my life.”
* The only thing I will miss while we are gone is our family and friends (who we hope will meet us somewhere throughout our trip) and especially our 3 little kitties we left with my mom in Ohio to catsit for the next 400 days. I will also miss watching “American Football” over the weekend…but I’ll do my best to check the scores in the middle of the night.
GIFF
View all posts by Giff Kabat
Spinning Around The World 
I heart Harrods!!!
Your pictures are fantastic! Wish we were with you!
The foods and the shopping sounds so wonderful and I know Paula enjoys all that!!
Love you!