Broadway Market.

Markets are my favourite place to stroll and people watch. It is where all the quirks come from. On Saturday we had our very own tourist guide Mr Pete Jones taking us around East London. Broadway Market was filled with amazing produce, I just wished I lived close by so i could take some home.  

This stall had barrels of olives, sundried tomatoes and tepenade. 

After alot of walking and fingers begining to freeze we ducked into a Pub for lunch. Boar burgers were on the menu and two were ordered for the MEN of the table. I had a vegetarian burger!

Camden Markets

Sunday was spent strolling through the tacky and touristy Camden Markets. 

There were back to back alley ways filled with every asian cuisine you could think of. I soon learnt the only way to get through unscathed was to avoid eye contact whilst they yell and throw their hands at you to get your attention.  More appealing to me was the doughnut stand with hundreds of differing doughnut flavours, we chose belgium chocolate filled and flake topped with raspberry filling.    

There was this fantastic line of scooter chairs for people to eat their greasy yet delicious food, whilst looking onto the river. 

The Best Ever Chips!

The night we discovered a Nation of Shopkeepers was a good night. We discovered the hidden doors, sussed out the scene as we walked across the room and immediately knew it would be a favourite hang out spot. Comfy couches to laze on, dimmed lights, quirky decor and great music. It was not until our meals arrived that we realised it is also the home of the best chips you will ever experience even better than Buderim Meadows Foodworks chips (no joke). They are called Homemade Double-Cooked Maris Piper Chips and you should definitely come to Leeds for these chips. 

http://anationofshopkeepers.com

Leeds

Our first impression of Leeds was made on a Sunday afternoon, hardly any cars on the road and only dodgy run down take away stores to be seen lining the streets. Although after exploring the city we found a whole lot more. The city is beautiful with old world buildings lined with shops, cafes and people!

A pub with a cat in the window! Can you really get more English than that?

We soon discovered Leeds is a few degrees colder than London so many coffee breaks are necessary.

And then the final discovery that gave us a shiver of excitement at first sight, Jamie Oliver's Restaurant. Only in the UK can you dine in a restaurant that JAMIE OWNS!

Portobello Markets

Portobello Road Markets have been my most favourite market of all time. They are fabulous! An amazing array of locals and tourists, vintage goodies, arts and crafts. So much to see including this man with his dog standing on his shoulder. 

The markets are lined with cafes and pubs, not to mention the street food on offer. I had to try the German Sausage Man's Bratwurst as it is all the rage. Im not much of a sausage eater but it was fairly delicious for a market binge. 

Then there were the Churros...

And the pizza... 

This is what i will indulge in next time!

Sights

We decided there was a need for a tourist day. We started at St Paul's Cathedral (where Lady Di was married) laden with beautiful stained glass windows and a gold interior. Of course no photos allowed inside. 

They gave us a headset tour guide but we soon lost interest in that. We climbed the thousands of stairs, with a few pitstops, to the rooftop where we looked over London. 

We then visited Trafalgar Square which had beautiful water fountains but the icy wind forced us onto a rooftop bus tour. This took us through all the city streets which are made up of astounding buildings and stark winter trees whilst people walk past in their London rush. 

Soho

Our first few days in London were spent sussing out Soho. Every shop has levels going up and down filled with clothes, shoes and bags. I was overwhelmed which in turn limited my purchasing ability. It took a day to soak in the enormity of the city, the amazing people walking by and the stacks of side streets tucked away.

The city itself is hectic. Huge double-decker buses just making it around corners. Black cabs making abrupt turns, sporadically changing their direction. Our first ride in a black cab was a 20 minute ride from Soho to Bow and we felt like we could crash at any moment. He was in and out of his lane, turning at full speed and these are the drivers that have trained for four years and cost 30 pounds! 

The stories begin as we leave for our UK adventure...

Homemade Jams

Jam is my favourite spread on toast. Although sometimes my tastebuds tackle the tough decision of crunchy peanut butter or jam, it is usually the jam that wins the battle. I was once out of jam so i experimented with sliced strawberries and a drizzle of sugar on my toast, it was very delicous but the homemade jams are a definate contender. Especially with those outrageously large chunks of fruit in even larger jars.

Prada Backpack

A Prada backpack. All the kiddies in the schoolyard would be uber jelous of this lovely backpack. It is also the perfect travel accessory; your hands are free whilst you galavant across country-sides, take photographs, sip coffee and make phone calls.

Polaroid SX70 Original

There is a single holgaroid camera for sale whilst every other model is out of stock. It is an outrage. Nevertheless I remain a huge fan of www.the-impossible-project.com as they show mutlitple pictures of the models from different angles, as well as samples of photos that have been taken with each camera. I am aching for this SX70 Original to come back in stock so i can get my manicured hands on it.

They are very lovely to be keeping the polaroid camera alive!

Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo in London

Olivia Palermo in London

Olivia Palermo in New York

The New York socialite is stunningly savvy in outfits attempting to accompany her skeletal frame. She is heavily in tune with what works in the fashion realm and is yet to be caught on a bad day. I love to hate her.