Weekend in London

Did I mention I went to London in March? Markus and I wanted a little getaway so we hopped on a plane and left the country for a few days. 😜

We did all the main touristy stuff the last time we were in London, so this time we took it pretty easy. The first 2 days we strolled around looking in shops. Also made it a point to walk down different streets and past different places than we did on our previous visit. London is huge and I want to see as much of it as possible!

The weather was surprisingly nice too on those first days. It was warm and sunny, like proper spring. 🌞 I did not need the massive winter coat I had brought with me.

Walked through Chinatown for the first time. I loved the decorations! It was such a colourful contrast to all the grey streets surrounding it.

We had lunch there in Chinatown too. I ordered something I wouldn’t dare try to pronounce but the description said “soup”. I figured I’d get a spoon so I wouldn’t have to embarrass myself with chopsticks. Because I can not eat with chopsticks. I’ve tried to learn but my stupid fingers just can’t get the hang of it!

Well, I got my food and it was, as promised, a bowl of soup with pieces of vegetables and chicken in it. And chopsticks. Apparently, I was supposed to pick up the pieces and then drink the soup straight from the bowl. I felt too socially awkward to ask for other cutlery but thankfully, Markus had ordered something that came with a fork, so I borrowed that.

He says it will be hilarious to watch me if we ever visit a country where chopsticks are standard. 😑

I comforted myself with a bubblewrap waffle after the lunch. Was delicious, and very pretty to look at!

Decided to visit Camden Town too. Never been there before but I’d heard it’s a somewhat “alternative” part of the city, so I wanted to check it out.

First off: I adore the crazy buildings! 🤩 Most of the decorations seemed to correlate with the shops underneath too. That’s cool, but what happens if a shop closes? Do they change the decorations? Or will the new business forever have to live with, say, a giant gold elephant above their door? Most of it was touristy souvenir shops, but there were a few interesting places.

Cyberdog especially was… special. A huge shop filled with rainbow-coloured futuristic clubwear, half of which were UV reactive and literally glowing. The further in you get the more erotic the items get too. The last room looked like a regular adult shop selling toys and such. I would’ve taken more photos if it hadn’t been so dark in there. All the while some unholy rave music was blasting over it all, loud enough to make me fear for my eardrums.
I wanted to buy something just for the insanity of it all, but couldn’t stand the music long enough to pick something out.

(While I know that as a metalhead you’re supposed to like it loud, I personally don’t. I’m like the one person in the world listening to Iron Maiden at a reasonable low volume, haha!)

My favourite place was the market in Camden Lock. It’s like a labyrinth of streets and halls lined with stalls selling all sorts of things, mostly handmade. Bought a jade necklace for my stepmum in one of them.

Sadly, we arrived a little too late in the day, so we didn’t have time to see everything there until closing time. Next time I’m in London I’ll make sure to dedicate a whole day just to explore Camden!

Found the end of the world too. Again. I’d already found the alley in Edinburgh, but now I learned it’s also a pub in Camden. Apparently, the apocalypse has several locations across the British Isles.

Although I think I overall like Edinburgh better than London, I prefer London’s World’s End. It serves beer. 🍺😉

It was a nice couple of days, and it’s always fun to visit the UK. But the last day in London was the most exciting for us. That was the day of our main event of the weekend: a visit to Warner Bros and their Harry Potter studio tour!! 😮

But I think that warrants its own post. To be continued… *clash of thunder*