Blogs from Hackney Central, Greater London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Friday morning we set off by our usual train connections to downtown London for Camden Market. Visiting this area is like going back in time about 40 years into the 70's. Camden's group of markets is now the fourth most-visited tourist attraction in London. It is the largest street market in the UK, and attracts around 500,000 visitors each week. There are various markets located in Camden Town which are collectively known as Camden Market; these are Camden Lock Market, Camden Stables Market, Camden Canal Market, Inverness Street Market, and Camden (Buck Street) Market. The area around Camden Lock was first developed in 1791 by the Earl of Camden, with the famous Regents Canal opening in 1820. The first market to appear in Camden was Camden Lock Market, which opened in 1972. Today, there are hundreds ... read more

Thursday started like most days here, a little cloudy and drizzling a little off and on but still pleasantly warm near 20 degrees. Today we have reservations for lunch at the River Café. Here's a little background info and history for you: Located on the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith (nearest railway station is Hammersmith tube station), in the former Duckhams oil storage facility modified by architect Lord Rogers, the husband of Ruth Rogers (Lady Rogers). Opened in 1987 as the employee café of the architectural partnership, there is a garden with views of the River Thames. Signature dishes include: wild mushroom risotto; Dover sole and John Dory smoked in the restaurant's own wood stove; and rich Italian desserts including lemon almond cake or the chocolate "Nemesis" cake. The restaurant earned a Michelin star ... read more

Street art ... love it? hate it? on the fence? Well for the record I love it and hunt out good graffiti wherever I travel. It will always pop up on my blogs as a taste of the social, political or just artistic expression in the places where I go. Hunting it down is almost an obsession and I often stop on walks just to capture a little bit of this art form. Whether you are a lover or a hater, you have to admire the skill and often audacity that has these pieces popping up all over. For the record ... tagging is rubbish! One of the joys of living in London is having so much of the stuff just hanging around. You don't have to look far around Hackney, Shoreditch and Brick Lane to ... read more

The rest of that day was almost literally spent crying. I packed up my room into two large suitcases, 3 large tote bags and a backpack. That night Ben invited Dakin, Oscar and I to his sister’s house in Clapham for a BBQ. We all helped him bring his things to her house, and then watched football in a back room of his sisters house. It may have been fun to be there a few days earlier, but it ended up just being pretty depressing. All of us knew that we were going to have to say goodbye to Ben soon. When it finally was time to say goodbye, it was very depressing. Dakin and I were bawling as we rode home on the tube. Oscar must have been very embarrassed. That night Oscar, Dakin and ... read more

Well another week has passed and I'm starting to feel a bit more anxious now. Still waiting for 'the fear' to hit me though, the point when I'll have that 'what am I doing' moment. Only 3 shifts left at work now, and I've already said good bye to 2 of my clients, so it's starting to feel real now although I still don't believe this is actually happening! I have a feeling next week's going to be very emotional as with the end of work, come the end of work drinks. Plus I have my official leaving party next Sunday, so expecting there to be a lot of tears (will have the tissues at the ready)! Got to do my online check-in tomorrow and my case is 7kg over weight as I misread the booking ... read more