Beautiful Day!

Today (27 March) was a lovely day! 

In fact, it may well be one of the most gorgeous I’ve experienced during my time in London!

Having successfully submitted all of my midterm assignments (a.k.a. ‘CW1s’) as of yesterday, I made up my mind to take full advantage of today and tomorrow—especially since both days were/are supposed to be sunny, clear, and between 21-23˚C (69-73˚F).

With that in mind, EN and I made plans for today to visit the Camden Town Markets, which I’ve wanted to do for a while now. Running alongside the Regent’s Canal, this area consists of a number of open-air markets—Camden Lock Market, Historic Stables Market, Camden Lock Village, Buck Street Market, Electric Ballroom, and Inverness Street Market—all made up of adjoining stalls selling everything from clothing to food to chochtkies. Supposedly, much of London’s ‘alternative subculture’ can trace its roots to this area.

We found this shirt in the Historic Stables Market. I told Nic it should be his next tattoo.

EN and I spent most of our time between the Camden Lock and Historic Stables Markets. In many ways, it reminded me of the souq in Marrakech—just without the bartering (though there was a bit of that going on too). 

I definitely want to go back, and soon! 

Oh, and have I mentioned the amazing piña colada that EN got—actually served in a pineapple? It was epic. (But, as for me, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a bit of mulled wine, which I haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy since the days of my former coworker Jim’s amazing Christmas parties—the only thing it was missing was the fresh cranberries!)

It may have only been 3:00 PM here...but it was 5:00 PM in South Africa. That counts, right?

After leaving Camden Town, we started walking aimlessly toward the southwest(ish), for a little less than a 1.5 miles. We didn’t have any plans—we just weren’t ready to call an (early) end to such a gorgeous day. Eventually, we found ourselves wandering through the lovely Regent’s Park. It was absolutely spectacular, and reminded me quite a bit of Brookside Botanical Gardens back home (in Maryland). I wish Mom could see it in person, because she loves going to Brookside for family photos—alas, since she is not here in person, I had to try and grab photos on her behalf:

Oh yeah, and EN and I decided to climb some trees, because...well, they were there and we could.

I also tried to get photos of some hot, shirtless sunbathers making use of the park, because, well they were also there and I could. Except I couldn’t, because I was afraid I was being too obvious!

Noticing how close we were to Soho (only about 1.6 miles), we made our way over for some delicious coffee at LJ’s Coffee House. It was during today’s visit that I realized just how similar LJ’s is to the first gayborhood coffee shop I fell in love with: Washington, DC’s own Soho Tea & Coffee. The vibe is very similar, from the music (e.g., Madonna) to the artwork by local artists that’s displayed (and for sale) on the wall. I spent many happy, happy hours at Soho’s as I was coming into my own, and I think that’s why LJ’s has resonated with me in the way that it has.

Regarding today’s visit the current batch of artwork for sale was superhero-themed: Superman, (pre-mysogenistic) Wonder Woman, Hulk, and a stylized Thundercats logo.Also, the barista was not nearly as pleasant as Friday’s. Nonetheless, EN and I had a great time, chatting about everything from racism at Columbia to CCC President Warwick Carter’s recent, inexcusable display of unprofessionalism, arrogance, and heartlessness toward a homeless Columbia student! 

All-in-all, it was an amazing day!

Tomorrow’s plans, which I hope will be equally wonderful, include going with JvE (and hopefully RAS) to Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill, followed by a trip to Kensington Palace and Gardens!