After a long period of inactivity (we were moving 😀 ), I am now coming back with the continuation of my post-series about our trip to London (yes, there is more 🙂 ). This time I would like to write about something that is a bit more unusual for the average tourist visiting London: Camden Market.
After some discussions about what to see in London we were advised by our hosts to visit this part of the city. It is great for buying souvenirs at a reasonable price and not only (at least this was the starting reason they convinced us with). The place itself is located in Camden Town (duh…) and it is basically a series of markets, each having a theme of it’s own. While one can easily satisfy his/her thirst for souvenirs in the first few shops along the main road, the real surprise comes after accessing the inner labyrinths of the market: it’s HUGE. I am generally good at finding my way around, but this market-complex, I have to admit, was a challenge.
One interesting thing I noted, was the multitude of nations having their own representatives at this market. You can find everything here from traditional local traders, through Italian, Mexican, Chinese and all the way to Indian traders. It is sometimes enough to check how many types of fast food you can buy here and you can immediately realize how big the world is 🙂 . My initial thought was that the merchandise will be all the same over and over again, but no: there is something new at every corner and you never know what product you may fall in love with at the next shop 🙂 .
It took an entire day to stroll through the market, marking it the highlight of the day (well, that and the double-decker bus ride that we took to get there 😉 ). Now, that I am trying to write down, what really caught me, I cannot say anything specific. It is, I think, the multitude of things and the colorfulness of the market that catches you and takes you to another world. It is a thing people need to experience and not read about, so if you are in London, stop reading and just get to the market and enjoy it :).
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