When you move from a city like Bucharest in a metropolis where you can easily wander off for days, you quickly learn to ask for directions. Or, as it was the case this Sunday morning, for references on things to see as I was looking for ideas to spend time out of the house. So here I am in the streets of London and into one frenetic place: Shoreditch.
London is a crowded, suffocating, never staying still city. If you aren’t surprised by the diversity of bizarre fashion choices that most Londoners display, there are some iconic places in which to fully comprehend that here, normality is relative. Shoreditch is one of them.
As a tourist, the area is definitely a Must, especially on Sunday, when Sunday Markets are opening the doors. To put it simple, let me explain otherwise:
– For ladies: there are dozens of shops, boutiques, ad hoc markets, stalls full of accessories, vintage clothing and shoes, bargains, etc. The area is emblematic if you are a fashion addict thus you can spend hours wandering the shops
– For gentlemen, besides the above mentioned shops (valid for male accessories & clothing as well) you have hundreds of stalls where tasty recipes from all over the world are being cooked. Purchase price: £ 5.5o / portion. In addition add dozens of pubs, clubs and restaurants in which to wait for your lady love while she is busy shopping.
Shoreditch is also known for the works of graffiti that cover the walls of buildings. From known artist to amateur, the drawings are permanently changed, modified, improved. There are free guided tours that explain the techniques used and the meaning of each drawing, while vendors lure you with all sorts of goodies.
If you want to get here just exit from Liverpool Street subway station and then take direction towards Brick Lane, the main area, where you arrive in about 10 minutes
Take with you the photo camera or check your phone battery, I guarantee you will have plenty of opportunities to take photos. The tourists can be spotted a mile away as they are walking curiously from one store to another, stumbling among the items displayed for sale. The stall vendors – Chinese, Indians, Koreans, Arabs, Greeks etc. are easily ordered, giving you free snacks from the steaming dishes. And then there are those who seemed to have appeared from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies :).
A Yes, take cash with you. Although in some stores you can pay by credit card, most of the food and clothing vendors prefer cash payment. Especially when the average price for food is around 6 pounds / portion & £ 10 for clothes.
I recommend you to start with Old Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane Market Hackney. Budget yourself around 3 hours. Enjoy the area, have a tea in a pub, wonder the streets. It is one of the places that you either will love it or hate it. Whatever the case, it is definitely not going to pass unnoticed.
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