As My Grandma Says, Anything Goes in London Town

Summary: I looooove weird people and they are all over London!

Word of the day: draught
They call checkers “draught” in England!

What I learned today: Punks are alive and well, and plentiful in England.

Next time I go to London I will...live in Camden and never leave.

I REALLY fell in love with London today when I stumbled into the sea of treasures that is Camden Market. I think I avoided it up until this point, just because I was afraid to buy things given my god-awful exchange rate situation. But it turns out all I needed was a few weeks of realizing everything I buy in pounds will be doubled, and now I’m OK.

I also realized that throwing oneself into a pit of lovely things is a wonderful idea, regardless of your financial situation.

What’s interesting is that Camden Market is a huge tourist spot, and yet, it feels authentically London unlike the camera flash central of central London. Of course, there are tons of cheesy souvenir shops, but they only seem to add to the wonderful kitsch effect in this setting.

From pulsating vintage shops to small hole-in-the-wall crafsters, Camden Market is like nothing anyone from my hole-in-the-earth hometown has ever seen before.

But better than the draping silver and buttons-turned-earrings are the people. They took that London tendency to wear fishnets a step further with the craziest ensembles and hairdos I have ever seen.

Sure, just like any rock ‘n’ roll fan, I know about London’s contribution to the punk scene, etcetera, but I didn’t realize just how preserved it all was in Camden Town.

And sure, I used to frequently visit The Union bar in Athens, Ohio, and see a mohawk or three, but Camden is where the Union is normal and the rest of y’all are not.

And I adore this.

Now listening to: I wish I could say I was listening to something really punk or whatever, but the closest I can come to that in my library is My Chemical Romance, and I’m so over MCR anyway.

[Edit: I deleted a photo from this page.]