I recently paid another visit to Camden Town and was reminded
of how much culture is alive in this town. You really get to see the diversity
and influence of other cultures in Britain through the liveliness of the area
and marketplace. It is one of my favorite places to see and experience the city
life in London. Similar to Piccadilly Circus, which earlier I mentioned I
thoroughly enjoyed, Camden town shows off the life and culture of London
through the diverse food vendors and shops. During my first visit to the Camden
Lock Market, I was immediately allured by the different scents of food ranging
from Chinese to Italian to Greek. This was perfect after a long, hot walk
through Primrose where we overlooked the city of London atop the green, grassy
and city's tallest hill.
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| the pattern of my tapestry |
The first thing I bought at Camden Market was fresh handmade
lemonade. I was able to watch him squeeze the lemons and add the sugar and
water while he was so friendly asking me how my day was and where I am from.
This friendliness continued from everyone as I walked on through the market.
Each vendor was offering samples which were delicious I got to try chicken,
lamb, hummus, and much more before I bought a plate of Chinese spring rolls 6
for £1!
After the marketplace I went through the little shops admiring the items for
sale. There were printed tank tops, jewelry, and handcrafted iPhone cases with
designs like trees and flowers carved into them. Not only were these items
remarkable, each person's booth was decorated with colorful cloths or lights,
some had music playing and incense burning making it more enticing to step in
and look around. I ended up talking to one man for quite some time before I
purchased a tapestry he was selling. We discussed America and how he is
planning to move to San Jose and he opened up each big tapestry I asked to see
so I could examine the design and the quality. And even when I was hesitant to
buy one of them, he graciously pointed me in the direction of other shops that
also sold tapestries. This surprised me because he was not insistent on me buying
the one he was selling or annoyed with the fact that he had to refold the ones
I touched. I know American retail workers hate this. I ended up going to the
other two places to explore my options and see what else Camden Lock had to
offer. The other places had great selections and were cheaper, honestly, but I
really enjoyed the first man's company and decided to go back and buy the one
from him. He smiled, recognizing me and pulled out the tapestry I initially
wanted to buy. This experience was so pleasant I had no problem with it being
slightly more expensive then the other ones I saw.
Compared to Spitalfields Market after we visited Brick Lane,
Camden Market not only had more reasonable prices but the atmosphere was more animated
and colorful. The Spitalfields Market set-up had plain tents over tables that
displayed their items; the spiritless presentation did not draw me in like the
festive Camden Market where you could get lost in the tunnels of artwork and
apparel.
I continued through Camden Lock with a smile on my face as
all the vendors greeted me and it made me realize the significance of diversity
in England. So many different cultures and groups are contributing to making
this the growing place that it is.
Everything
about Camden town displayed a sense of culture from the food to the smells to
the bright colors of the buildings - it is such a visual and sensational place
to be. I eventually had to return because of this and this time I noticed
across the street from the market was an endless block of tattoo and piercing
shops. I thought, "Wow this place is so creative and full of art."
Not only did my tapestry display a beautiful art piece, but clearly Camden is
full of talented artists to have so many standing tattoo shops open right next
to each other. On the walk down this block it began to pour and, being from
sunny California, I was wearing a tank top, shorts, and flip flops with no
umbrella - seriously ill prepared, I know. I thought I could handle a little
rain but this was more than a little when I heard thunder so a man standing
outside his tattoo shop invited me in to wait out the rain. Another great
experience with the people of Camden Town! I had been planning to get another
tattoo at some point and with such a great experience and time to waste I
thought now would be quite memorable. I was adding a visual piece of art to my
body in one of the most picturesque places in London I have been to. I went to
talk to the tattoo artist and he was calm and friendly allowing me to give
direction of what I wanted, a reasonable price, and start immediately. I was
continuously impressed. As he was prepping, he was engaging in conversation and
playing music I listen to back home. He even unknowingly played my most recent
favorite song as he was tattooing me - and I screamed, "I love this song!"
And he agreed and we laughed. This connected us immediately and we exchanged
Facebook information and the next day Nora and I met him at Piccadilly Circus
for a drink! It was intriguing to know that music brings people together even
from different countries. Camden town displays a true sense of diversity and
culture bringing together people from different groups and uniting them through
food, art, and music.
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| significance is a saying by my grandfather |
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| Nora and I with the tattoo artist Neko in Piccadilly Circus |
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