The market was easily twice as large, and packed with people -- almost enough to send me into claustrophobia-panic-mode at times. Punk-rockers, hobos, hippies, tourists, families, and everything in between filled the narrow streets and market stalls from end to end.
In the middle of the market is Camden Locks. If you can weave your way through the maze of exotic-smelling food stalls you'll find the canal, full of riverboats and bordered by old brick buildings. It can spark a sense of the poetic into anyone.
The next day, a few of us decided to do the Bankside Walk, a route along the south bank of the Thames and recommended by my Rick Steves guidebook (always a good resource when you're looking for ideas).
Can you guess which bridge is pictured above? Believe it or not, that's London Bridge. Yes, THE London Bridge. I know, I was a little underwhelmed too. But I suppose the fact that it was burned down, built, and rebuilt several times gives it ample excuse to be rather ordinary looking.
Downriver the sights are significantly more impressive. The HMS Belfast stands against the backdrop of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the city skyline. Ritzy restaurants offering all the most popular "British" dishes line the boardwalk.
We stopped into the Hays Gallery for a moment, a grand atrium with a surreal statue in the middle and swarming with tourists. Interesting place, and seemed popular with the family/upperclass-tourist demographic.
Following the signs along the walking route, we found our way to Southward (pronounced SUTH-uck) Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral south of the Thames. It was significantly smaller than many of the others I've seen, but gorgeous nonetheless. In the churchyard was the grave of the architect who built it, and apparently William Shakespeare's brother is buried inside, along with several other playwrights.
Beyond the church, we found ourselves in a maze of old alleyways and tunnels -- definitely not the kind of place you'd want to be at night, but super neat on a cold, drizzly day. Everything seemed oddly deserted, except for a few other travelers also following the Bankside Walk.
The weather was continuing to get worse, but made for some great pictures over the river.
At one point, it started to hail on us, so we hurried under the Millenium Bridge for cover. Then we noticed some crowds and odd-looking people. One looked like a man dressed as a king, but when he got closer, I realized he looked like a Klingon. Several moments later, 3 men walked by wearing Star Trek uniforms, and a blue alien dude stood in a crowd being interviewed by some journalists.
The best I could gather was that there was some kind of Star Trek convention going on at the Tate Modern museum. I was amused.
Once the weather cleared, we headed back across the Millenium (passing a couple more aliens) and returned home on the tube.
Quite a relaxing day, and a great way to get to know yet another part of this fantastic city.
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