Camden Markets and Tate Modern

These past two days in London have been awesome. Yesterday I went to Camden Markets with Eric and Allegra, and it was easily one of my favorite places I've visited in London so far. It reminded me a lot of South Street in Philadelphia, but multiplied by at least 1,000. You can find pretty much anything there, from clothes, to shoes, to bags, to jewelry, to souvenirs, to food; the list is endless. We walked around for awhile, looking at all of the different stalls, tents, and shops. Halfway through we took a break for lunch - I got a burrito from a Mexican food stand. I wasn't expecting much, but it was actually delicious! One interesting thing about Camden Markets is that you have to haggle/bargain for prices, which I actually ended up being pretty good at! I walked away with a pair of earmuffs (much needed in this London winter), and two sweaters. After walking around for awhile, we stopped at Caffe Nero, a small coffee chain that is listed numerous times in my London Top 10 book. Overall it was a great afternoon; I can't wait to go back, especially when it is a bit warmer!

Main streets of Camden Market

I was a bit disappointed to see the KFC on the edge there...

Surprisingly good Mexican burrito!

More shops

Little river running through the middle of Camden Market

Excellent Vanilla Chai Latte from Caffe Nero

Rockin' my new earmuffs

Me and Allegra!

Today, Allegra, Eric and I ventured to the Tate Modern, a famous museum of modern art. We took a double-decker bus to get there, and it was my first time riding a "coach" in London! We sat on the top level, of course, and it was really cool. And cheaper than the tube, so I'll definitely have to consider taking the bus more often. 

We spent a few hours in the Tate Modern, and it was during that time that I realized that I'm just not a modern art fan. At all. Some of the works were interesting, but that vast majority simply left me confused. Eric wrote a BLOG POST that I think sums it up perfectly (and is pretty hysterical), so you should check it out if you have the time! Here are some pictures from the visit:

Along the River Thames and St. Paul's Cathedral 

Tate Modern - the building used to be a power station!

One of the exhibits - you had to look into the pieces of wood to see the "art"

Outside terrace at the Tate Modern

Getting some fresh air

St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millenium Bridge

Animals dancing outside the Tate Modern. Don't ask me why. 

Piece in a gallery called "Lost Art"

Kind of interesting...

This honestly gave me the willy-wonkas.  

I'm thinking: jellyfish.

There is one stone out of place - might that be the point? I'm not sure.

Cool!

I think this might be famous, but I'm not 100% sure...

After visiting the Tate Modern, we walked to Piccadilly Circus for dinner. We ate at a delicious Italian restaurant called Bella Italia. I had a calzone and the best dessert I think I've ever had anywhere: Cookie Dough Lava Fudge Cake. 

St. Paul's Cathedral at night

Prince of Wales Theatre, where I'll be seeing The Book of Mormon with my family when they visit in March!
Can't wait!

There it is: Cookie Dough Lava Fudge Cake. Perhaps the highlight of my day.

Tomorrow I have some reading to do for my classes this week, and I might see Zero Dark Thirty with Eric. An interesting side-note: one thing I recently learned is that unlike at movie theaters in America, in London, you need to book tickets for movies ahead of time to make sure you can get a seat. You pick your exact seats, as if you're going to see a play or musical. At first I thought it was a bit strange, but now I'm starting to think it's a good idea! Cheers!