Monday was such a glorious, unseasonably warm October day. Simply brilliant. Gold, red and rusty leaves coated pavements and streets. I had a couple of days off, so I decided to do something spontaneous, to go to a place I had never been before. I decided to go to London. As you probably know, I have been to London on multiple occassions - Soho, Westminster, visiting galleries. This time I went to London on the couch, took a long leisurly along Buckingham Palace Road up to Buckingham Palace, then walked up to Trafalgar Square where I got 24 double-deck bus to Hampstead Heath. Number 24 bus is a great cheap alternative to sighstseeing buses. You can catch it from Victoria Coach Station. It stops near Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Cambridge Circus, Camden Market. Its final stop is Roayl Free Hospital. On your way back from Camden Market you can catch 24 bus again - it goes to Pimlico and stops close to Victoria Coach Station.
Camden Market is one of the world's famous markets. The market is packed with stalls trading in handmade jewellery, leather bags, satchels and purses, clothes, souvenirs,bric-a-brac, music memorabilia and eclectic delicious food. Food selection from all corners of the world. You can buy all sorts of clothes here: vintage, goth, punk, pin-up-girl dresses, Victorian, Asian outwear. I loved some of the Korean coats - very stylish and good quality.
Camden is incredibly lively, vibrant and unique. If you like people watching - Camden is a perfect place for it. So many individuals wearing cool, vintage clothes. They look like birds of paradise. Camden is bustling with music, colours and flavours. Camden Market is undeniably a very characterful and sensory shopping experience. The market started its life selling solely arts and crafts, but recently it has been hosting an array of events, from festivals to night markets. Camden caters for every taste. It is a home to a plethora of vegetarian and vegan bars and coffee shops. I was over the moon when I discovered a vegan coffee shop which served raw vegan snacks and desserts. I ordered vegan latte and raw chocolate brownie - simply delicious!
Camden Market is the fourth most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 250 000 visitors each week. Camden Market is a broad name for smaller and distinct markets such as Camden Lock Market and Stables Market. Camden Lock Market is situated by the Regent's Canal on a site formerly occupied by warehouses.
The Stables Market is located in the historic former Pickfords stables and Grade II listed horse hospital which served the horses pulling Pickford's distribution vans and barges along the canal. Many of the stalls and shops are set in large arches in railway viaducts.
Chain stores are not permitted there and trade is provided by a mixture of small enclosed and outdoor shops and stalls, of which some are permanent, and others hired by the day. In common with most of the other Camden markets the Stables Market has many clothes stalls. It is also the main focus for furniture in the markets. Household goods, decorative, ethnically-influenced items, and second-hand items or 20th-century antiques, many of them hand-crafted, are among the wares. There are also clothing and art pieces for alternative sub-cultures, such as goths and cybergoths. These shops include Black Rose, which caters for goths, with items such as coffin-shaped handbags, and Cyberdog, which houses much cyber-style "neon" PVC and rubber clothing (from Wikipedia).
Camden Town is a great place for experiencing street art at its best. Camden is full of amazing murals. When you go to Camden keep your eyes wide open.
Below you can view examples of Camden Town street art I checked out.
Urban architecture of Camden is eye-catching, eccentric and often grotesque. There is no other place like Camden!
Camden - Amsterdam of London
If you are fan of cannabis lollipops, candy and chocolate bars come to Camden Market. I was actually surprised to come across so many stalls selling products containing cannabis. In this respect Camden is a miniature Amsterdam.
