This was the second big day for the Stevens family. After getting up and getting dressed, we all headed down Kings Rd. to a local pastry shop called the West Cornwall Bakery. Mom opted for her usual croissant while dad and I got a little more adventurous and split the steak, cheese & veggie croissant. It was definitely worth trying but not sure I would order it again…
From there, we headed off for a day of adventure in East London. Our first top was Spitafields Market. It is only open on Sundays so we figured it was a must see. We wandered through the stalls and made our way out on the other side of the market to one of the oldest pubs in London which was also the site of one of Jack the Rippers murders. Of course we had to go in! We had a pint, used their loo and then hit the road as we were due to meet up with a walking tour.
Today’s tour was called The Unknown East End. It was really an entertaining walk as you can see the history of the area layered through culture. For centuries, it has been the landing point of many of the immigrants. We also learned a little bit of cockney rhyme but it still makes no sense to me so it is nothing I can explain. The title of this email means “Stairs” in cockney. How they get that, I just don’t know. For those who are visiting London and have time, I recommend this walk.
The tour ended just off one the largest Indian neighborhoods in London, Brick Lane. We figured we would stop in one of the nice little restaurants and find some of London’s national dish, chicken tikka missala. We did, and it was good. We had a bit of odd people watching, if you would call it that, out the window of the restaurant. Some kids in a building across the street where throwing eggs on people as they walked by. They only hit two girls and it was so sad. Everyone around them acted like they didn’t see anything happen.
By this point we were getting a little tired from the long day out so we headed back to my neighborhood and ventured on to the local grocery store. We ended our evening watching Monsoon Wedding. If you haven’t seen this movie, rent it. The story line is interesting but it is known for all the beautiful colors.
The Unknown East End:
Showtime! The East End is street markets, boxing and old style gangsters. It’s Darkest Victorian London, Jack the Ripper, gin palaces and the Elephant Man freak shows. It’s18th-century coaching inns, Dick Turpin and bare knuckle fighters. It’s both Fort Vallance – home of the infamous Kray twins – and the beginnings of the Salvation Army. It’s Russian revolutionaries and the unemployed tailors” presser who shot three London policemen to become a national hero. It’s L for leather, trouble and strife and have a butcher’s at that whistle…yup, you’re going to hear – and learn – some Cockney rhyming slang. If you want the colorful and the bizarre, the strange and the unusual, this is one fine ball of chalk.
Queen Alexandria Memorial
Religon Side by Side
Mom and Dad in the flowers
The Monument
