capri by audrey: What I love about London (Part 1)

This post is probably very belated; after all, we've been back in London for 1 year and 3.5 months now. Dave's currently on a business trip so I find myself with lots of time on weekends to busy myself with shopping and walking. I decided that it was time i put down a proper record on all the things i love (and dislike) about London. I start with the Top 10 things I love. I expect that with so much to say, this post might take 10 different parts so I hope you'll read along with me as I explore London. (This list is in no particular order.)

1. MARKETS

Covent Garden Marketplace
Today was one of those days with perfect weather. If you live long enough in London, you learn to appreciate the sun because a sunny day is a rare occurrence. Today was sunny and just comfortably windy.

I live right around Covent Garden Market which is my favouritest place in London and took a walk there. Covent Garden market is famous for musicians, singers, magicians and artists performing live and some even selling their own CDs. I sat down at my favourite spot in the market in front of the London Transport Musicians. This is where the Western/Rock singers perform (although friends would tell you that I am unable to tell the difference between true rock, pop and boyband).

Today, I was drawn by an Elton John favourite "Your Song" sung by a man on his acoustic guitar. It was soulful and fabulous and even in March, everyone was out sitting on the pavement with a cup of coffee or gelato (myself included). I didn't get to see my favourite cowboy singer (see below pic of grunge cool old dude) who would always draw me to sit down for a song. I caught this lovely photo of two little girls who had plonked themselves next to him in appreciation of good music, one even brought her teddy bear with along.

After a few songs, I went over to Le Pain Quotidien to get myself some cheese and walnut biscuits for a teatime snack. Right outside and below Le Pain is an open air cafe area and here is where the classicals play. Every 2 out of 3 times, I would hear a string quartet play Pachabel's Canon. During summer, we saw a couple singing "Tonight" from West Side Story and even acted out the song with passion!

Strolling back round the market to hear a few more acoustic guitar songs before i left, i was thrilled to hear With or Without You. I plonked back down and basked in the sun. The girl next to me read her storybook while her dad enjoyed the music. It seemed like the perfect Sunday.

After all that, you must be wondering where the "market" is in all of that....well, it does actually have a proper marketplace area called the Apple Market. When its not Christmas (which is when the photo was taken), its bustling with people just browsing or looking to buy something "made in England"; the market only sells things made in England.

So yes, this market place is not really all you thought it was. It felt like home to be back. I grew up on ballet story books like Satin Slippers, Drina Adams and Ballet Shoes where little girls would talk of their dreams of getting into theatre, the Royal Ballet and being in Covent Garden. Way over in Singapore, i wanted to be part of the "West End" and so we just had to live in Covent Garden when we came back. So my weekends could be made of basking in the sun, like today.

Borough Market
If food is more your thing, then you would love Borough Market. There is an excess of everything....the photos say it all...

Olive buckets

Tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes

Huge cheeses

Huge mountain of brownies....looking vaguely like the pyramids of Gaza

Fresh home made bread

Gross rodents hanging from the shop as a sign to the others....beware...

The market is open from Thursdays to Saturdays. We've been on Thursdays and Saturdays and nothing quite beats the buzz on Saturdays. Go there on an empty stomach, and go early to beat the late lunch crowd which gets packed at 12.30 pm onwards. We go earlier at about 9.30 a.m. - 10 a.m. to buy fresh mushrooms, fruits, vegetables... and we move on to fresh jams, cheese, bread, brownies, cakes, chorizo sausages, and hot food - especially our favourite scallops with bean sprouts! And we have a cup of Monmouth coffee when we need a boost. Its my mom's favourite place in London!

Other mobile/temporary markets

Randomly from time to time seasonal markets sprout up as well....like the Christmas market every year at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Its now a yearly tradition and we've been in the morning and in the bitter cold of a winter's night. The yuletide feeling is warm and fuzzy both times of the day...