Of all the times I have visited, London never fails to surprise me as I often find myself discovering countless new sites and the best are almost certainly unexpected. My most recent trip to London led me to discover the gem which is Camden Market. Located North of central London and only one stop from Euston train station, this weird and wonderful bustling market is definitely one I hope to return to soon. Having never been there before, I remained open minded and oblivious to what curiosities lay ahead. My visit took place at the start of the summer holidays – the town was buzzing with a contagious atmosphere threaded through the shops and fresh food stools. I was mesmerised by the giant shoe and elephant sculptures which protruded from the side of the buildings along Camden High Street which brought further attention to the extravagant jewellery and clothes shops. To be totally honest, I was taken aback when my 13-year-old cousin began questioning the cannabis lollies which were unashamedly displayed along some of the shop fronts. Moving on swiftly, we made our way into the heart of the market through Camden Lock to marvel at the mass of stools and hand-crafted products which seemed to multiply as we reached the canal and fresh street food. Venturing further into Camden Market, I discovered an eye-catching piece of street art. The Prince mural painted by Mr Cenz is a new addition to the market and definitely an artistic one with the use of bright blues and purples to shape this stunning portrait. After taking the obligatory photo to prove we had been there my mind moved onto more important things having spotted people balancing paper plates teetering with golden deep-fried haloumi scattered with pomegranate, mint and yoghurt – a far cry from a crappy polystyrene tray of chips. We lounged by the canal gorging our Middle-Eastern mid-morning snack courtesy of Oli Baba’s – you can find them on the edge of the canal if you want to sample something a bit different. As well as great food, Camden Market is renowned for great music. Arguably the most memorable part of my visit to Camden Market was a ride on the musical boat. With musical accompaniment provided by a John Lennon look alike at one end of the boat and a guy straight out of a Cornetto advert propelling us along with a big stick, at the other – we were lulled into a state of total relaxation as ‘John’ worked his way through a catalogue of cheesy love songs. The great thing about this is you get an unexpected view of London Zoo without having to pay an entrance fee and have a nosy in on peoples (very large) back gardens. Dozy eyed after the relaxing trip along the canal, it was time to leave Camden Market and make our way back to the tube station. But before we returned to reality, I grabbed a Kinder and Oreo milkshake from a ‘Bubble Waffle’ stool – something else which was new to me! And said goodbye to Camden Market. Or more like see you soon. [gallery td_select_gallery_slide=“slide” ids=“42242,42241,42246,42244,42245”]
