Camden Market
Our boiler Henry has been dead for a while now, and that has meant a distinctly colder house and very distinctly colder showers. Though cold showers have their merits on some occassions, British winters are not among them. But you get used to it, I’ve got used to carrying the big basin of kettle heated water up and down the stairs, and though I fear for the safety of my skin, it’s been so good, so far. That said, I’d be thrilled when we eventually leave this place for the greener pastures of a different house. There are two things i’ll miss about our current place, the Italian shop, Amici Delicatessan, down the road and the proximity to Camden town.
There are few better things to do on a Sunday afternoon than to stroll around Camden market. Camden town has several markets, the best of which is the main camden lock market just beyond the bridge on your left (from the tube station). The canal market (on your right) is a smaller less impressive version of the lock. Camden market is amazing. It comprises of hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of nonsense from World War II newspaper clippings to Didgeridoos. It’s the sort of place you want to go if you haven’t been to places like Africa, Asia and South America, and yet want to see what sort of stuff tourist shops in those places might have. If you want to make your uni dorm that much cooler by adding a set of Indian tablas, a South American dream catcher, a persian carpet, a carribbean voodoo mask or some Himalayan incense, Camden market is the place to go. Most of these things are fake, which is reflected in the dirt cheap prices, but they’re still very very cool. You get a good range of CD shops selling non-mainstream music that you won’t find in your local HMV, excellent second hand book shops, vintage clothing and even furniture.
Besides these touristy things, the market is also a showcase of creativity. Some very clever and entrepreneurial ppl have made camden their home. For instance there is a shop which has all sorts of things made out of old circuit boards, from key tags to note books to wall clocks, it’s amazing and unique. This afternoon I saw a stall with some remarkable computer generated art work, the artist depicts the character traits of ppl born under different star signs by using colours and form. You also find more mainstream art like photography and painting on sale. Throw in an excellent photo gallery currently displaying a fantastic collection by David Rubinger, a historical photo essay of the life of Isreal, and Camden has it all. There’s a good collection of witty T-Shirts, mugs etc. available too, the “Dolphins are gay sharks” T shirt being a personal favourite. The majority of creative stuff in camden is the result of doing clever and pretty things with simple elements and good ideas, and that’s certainly worth seeing.
More than what you can buy in camden, what I love is the atmosphere and vibrancy of the place. From the time you leave the underground station it feels like you’re walking towards a carnival, the streets are packed with ppl, there are vendors everywhere, music screaming from the high street shops and general mayhem. As you enter the market everything becomes even more intense. There is variety in everything in the market, be it the ppl, the music, the food, the stalls, it’s like its own little world. On any given Sunday you can find goths, punks, rasthas, hippies, Germans, the works really. Every store has its own little music set going, contributing to its own unique identity. You could find a shop selling Indian meditation products with Hare Krishna chants right next to a Jamaican stall selling assorted herbs and cannabis lollipops with a big dreadlocked Rastha swaying to some classic Bob Marley. The food is awesome too, not in terms of quality but in terms of variety. Not that the quality is bad, but it’s not gourmet by any stretch. Today I had curried goat with vegetable rice, apparently a West African favourite. It was all cooked in these big steaming pots which gave the whole thing a quite authentic feel.
One slightly dodgy thing about Camden is the extent of thieving and pick pockets, though I haven’t had anything lifted i’ve seen it happen to ppl. Happily enough there are plenty of Market coppers to beat up the thieves. That’s not the only reason to avoid taking loads of cash. The first time I went I busted almost £40 on all sorts of stuff from Dali prints to a mass produced wooden statue of an African woman. If you take cash you end up busting it. I also tend to attract the attention of the weed peddlars, usually when i’m walking off back home I hear the hushed call of “grass man, 10 quid for a nice big pack”. Naturally I walk away with my head held high.
I think I saw Sean Paul today, there was a familiar looking dude on the road and I thought hmm, and I looked again and there were two body guards next to him. I still didn’t take much notice until I heard this tourist ask one of the body guards “hey that’s sean paul isn’t it?” and then i looked more carefully and what do you know, it was him. I think. But yeah, camden market, go there, do that.
