Columbia Road Sunday Flower Market and Bistroteque

With the recent cold spell in London (and blizzards in the Minny), I thought it'd be a good idea to reflect on brighter, sunnier times. Erin, Cam, Emily and I recently (but not so recently to be before the recent cold snap) went to the Columbia Road flower market to experience the most colorful market in London and to see if the much-hyped market is as flowery as people make it out to be, including a good article in the New York Times that has some good ideas to help your East London exploration. 

Cam and Emily are regulars at the market and unlike many people in many markets, they actually buy stuff! The market itself (off of Old Street tube station and a 10 minute walk).  The link above has specific directions. 

The market itself is not just a flower market, as there are countless gift and gardening shops, cafe's and antique stores, but the main attraction is obviously the flowers, not, for instance, the Colchester Oysters.

Emily and Cam bought a mini bush to spice up indoor spaces, I bought a coffee and bagel...their purchase was definitely more posh, but not quite as posh as this lavender. And for all those in the US who use the word posh, here is a good factoid on the origin of the word.

All in all, the market definitely is a great day out and even better if you are in the market for some flowers or plants! I am definitely going to bring my mom there if she ever visits me!!!

You can also finish off your east London experience at a restaurant called Bistrotheque, a trendy restaurant complex that combines a cool old-world bar (below), a warehous(ie) restaurant and surprisingly, a burlesque/cabaret venue. Definitely a good night out, make sure you write directions down as there isn't a name on the inconspicuous building down a random side road near Bethnel Green tube stop (central line)!

Pub Crawl: East London Thames Path

In an effort to get out and (a) see unexplored parts of London and (b) check out some "new" pubs, we organised a Wapping-area pub crawl a couple weeks ago. Armed with the good pub guide, we set a course from the Limehouse DLR stop and headed westward along the Thames. This area has lots and lots of history, and when there's history in England, there are surely old pubs!

Our first pub, Grapes dates back to 1720, but was a pub even before it opened as Grapes. It is a really long and narrow pub and at the rear has a deck hanging over the river. This pub was also well known by Charles Dickens, who used to stand on tables and sing to customers. No joke.

The pub crawl started out with Strauss, in town from Dublin, Pramit, Sam, Jessica, Erin and myself. We were a little slow getting moving that morning, but it ultimately didn't slow down the number of pubs we would see on the crawl.  Grapes is a great pub and hits the spot!

We then picked up Emily and made it to the Narrow for another pint and some lunch. The Gordon Ramsey pub has some great taps that include St. Edmunds and a couple Adnams choices. While the pub itself isn't too old and has been refurbished to Gordon Ramsey quality. It is however, a great spot to have very high quality pub food and is a good pub in a crawl down here to line the stomach with some good food between beers!

The next pub was the main event that the crawl focused around, the Prospect of Whitby. The bar, one of the most historic in England and perhaps the world, dates to 1520 and was originally the meeting place for some of the lowest of old London society. There is a great deck on the second floor, found by going through a room that used to house boxing matches and cock fights (little Jerry Seinfeld's descendants maybe). The pub had Doom Bar, Fuller's and Samuel Smith's on tap, among others. We enjoyed beers on the patio with great views of the river.

The following bar we went to was called the Captain Kidd, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch. This bar, which has been a public house for over 100 years, is located close to the execution docks where the famous Captain Kidd was hung. Erin x2 joined us at this pub and our numbers perfectly fit into the nook of a room dominated by a big old wood farmhouse table. This pub kept us warm while there was a brief downpour outside. The pub was packed and there was lots of revelry at the Samuel Smith pub. Their stout is excellent by the way!

As 7pm was fast approaching, we made it to the last pub of the evening, the Town of Ramsgate. This pub, also very historic, was said to be where the infamous Judge Jeffries was identified while having a pint before fleeing the country. Along with the others, it was a great pub to end the crawl at, with a refreshing pint of Leffe to counter all the pints of English ale consumed throughout the day.

The pub crawl, while longer than expected, was a great way to spend Saturday. We made it to 5 pubs in all, having a pint in each. Spread that over several hours and it was a relatively subdued crawl, which was perfect for us. At the end of it, we all made it to Brick Lane for some good Indian before calling it a night (at 11:30pm)!!

Brick Lane and bowling

Each neighborhood in London has its own split personality -  a mix of history and modern culture.  All you need to do is select a different Tube stop and you exit,  feeling like you're in a completely different place. Washington, D.C. too, reminds me of this.  Smithsonian and you're at the heart of the national mall.  Old Town with its colonial charm. Adam's Morgan and your senses are overwhelmed - colourful restaurants, grungy graffiti and jumbo pizza slice smells.  Brick Lane in London takes this sensory overload one step further.  Unfortunately, this picture doesn't do it justice but it is one long neighborhood that winds through various bric-a-brac markets selling curries and odd collectables, upmarket Spitalfields and ends in the middle of London's Bangladeshi community. Jack the Ripper also started his conquests here.

The area is starting to become more developed, but remains one of the most colourful and vibrant parts of the city.  This is a perfect spot to bring someone that has seen Big Ben and Portobello Road and is looking for a glimpse into life in the city.  Lucky for me, Linsey, who studied abroad in London during university and came over for a visit, was up for such an adventure. Where else could you have a cocktail on an old school bus, view graffiti by Banksy and complete the evening with a traditional Indian spread? We dined at Aladdin on a recommendation.  There were no flying carpets but the food was unbeatable and fun for the price. 90% of London's Indian restaurants are Bangladeshi.

Liverpool Street and Aldgate East are the closest Tube stations.  The area is liveliest on Sundays, when the Spitalfield market is on.  During Linsey's visit, we wanted to blend new with old and spent a leisurely Saturday afternoon lawn bowling in Hyde Park.  Much like bocci ball, its a competitive but undeniably social sport. And especially when its a geriatric costume party.

The day was capped off with another English past time - a picnic. And lucky for us, there were no archaic open bottle restrictions to stop us from enjoying the warm weather and a glass of bubbly.

Guy Fawkes Day

On the 5th of November each year, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated across England to mark the failure of political conspirators to blow up Parliament.  The plot, known as the Gunpowder Plot, was launched in 1605 to displace Protestant rule by killing King James I and other nobility who were in Parliament at the time.

To commemorate the unsuccessful attempt, effigy's of Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators, are burned and fireworks displays are held across the country.  Our friend Todd joined us in celebrating the  the 404th anniversary of Guy Fawkes at Alexandra Palace, a manor house perched on a hill overlooking London, which provides one of the best fireworks watching locations.

We had intended on watching the fireworks with two more groups of friends, but given the usual weekend closures on the tube and other logistical nightmares, including the crowds, that didn't happen. Afterwards we grabbed a couple pints in a nice pub (BRB at the Gate) near Alexandra Palace Station (overground line from Kings Cross), alternatively, the Piccadilly line at Wood Green is another way to the palace and pub.

We then joined a couple other friends for dinner at a great Greek restaurant in Primrose Hill called Lemonia; an authentic Greek restaurant with great personality. The best way to make your way to Primrose Hill is via the Chalk Farm tube stop (Northern Line), and a 3 minute walk to the Primrose Hill neighborhood.  It was a great place for a group and would be great in the summer as well after a hike up Primrose Hill to take in the views of the city.