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| London as dusk |
I gave London a second chance and I’m glad I did. In many
ways she was everything that I expected.
She was inhospitable – shutting out the sunlight and enveloping those who
dare thread her streets with wind and cold. She sent unwelcomed rain, damaging my
favorite leather boots and saddling me with a dripping wet umbrella for hours
on end. Perhaps the biggest affront is
her complete disregard for protocol; it is not supposed to be this frigid in
May. Furthermore, I should not have to borrow a winter jacket in May!
But hey, I firmly believe in making the most of my well-earned vacation,
so I clad myself as best as I could and resolved to use the power of my mind to
look past her obvious hostilities. I
figured, the millions of people who call this city home must find some pleasure
here, and so, I will search for her redeeming qualities. Actually, my dear friend Sangs already had
about 7 months of insights into the London scene, so I mainly followed her
lead. That, and with a bit of research,
we reached beyond her bitter rind to juicier interiors.
That is
where the surprises began.
As we
explored, she began to reveal her secrets.
London is a treasure trove of markets.
Markets of all kinds.
Vintage
markets, flower markets, food markets, artisan markets. Take
Alfie’s Antique Market – officially our
first stop.
Unassuming exterior.
Bland actually, and not exactly in the most
central of areas.
But you enter the
doors and enter another world.
This place
can and will keep you fascinated for countless hours with antique bling of all
kinds, one of a kind furniture, retro dresses.
You imagine it, and it’s probably here somewhere, in one of the many
stores. And when you need to refuel, the rooftop café is a welcomed oasis.
Unfortunately, by the time we pried ourselves
from all the eye candy, the café was closing for the day!
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| Columbia Street Flower Market |
Market hoping continued throughout
my almost 2-week stay.
Both Sangs and I,
guided by mutual love for shopping (or window shopping), seemed to always end
up at a market.
There was
Camden Market, the Disney World of all
markets, and
Brick Lane, a
culinary delight for anyone with an appreciation for ethnic foods.
Then,
Columbia
Road Flower Market,
Portobello
Market and
Spitalfields
(Spitalfields is special, because that’s where I got my new red leather
oxfords!).
At some point during these
market tours, it struck me – I did not feel the sting of the cold while
meandering through the crowds.
Maybe it
wasn’t just me.
Maybe we, all covered by
shared grey skies, were all gathered here with a mutual goal.
The goal of pooling our body heat to combat
the elements.
There, you forget what a
shitty day it is, as you absorb the sights, the sounds, the smells.
But most importantly, you forget because of
the shared body heat.
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| Tower Bridge (look, blue in the sky!) |
When not at
markets, other places to get some high quality collective body heat, are the
ancient watering holes.
You actually get
more ‘bang for your buck’, since there are crowds, alcohol + poor ventilation.
I say poor ventilation, because some of those places
are hundreds of years old.
The older the
better.
Ye
Olde Cheshire Cheese and
Gordon’s
Wine Bar were absolute favorites, as they offer both a drink, and a
historical experience.
Think about it, a
drink is not just a drink when it is being drunk in a place where people have
gotten drunk for hundreds of years!
London surprised
me.
Yes, the weather still leaves a lot
to be desired.
Winter weather in May?
Not my cup of tea.
BUT.
With an umbrella, multiple layers of
clothing, and enough courage to venture out, London will charm the heck out of
you.
And the
fish
and chips ain’t too bad either!
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| Tea at the Victoria and Albert Museum cafe |
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| Innovation |
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| Ye Old Cheshire Cheese |
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| Underground, at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese |
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| Gordon's Wine Bar - As ancient as it looks |
