The Camden Lock Markets

The Camden Locks

Whoa.  Camden Lock Markets are apparently the place to be if you are a tourist on London on a Monday.  They are supposed to be really crowded on Sundays, so I can't begin to imagine the masses of large, slow-moving tour groups that must have been there yesterday.  In contrast to my wonderful, exquisite experience at the Spittlefield and other East End markets yesterday (which I really want to cover in depth and am working on a video story about, which will appear here in this blog shortly), the Camden Market was no longer an authentic market with Londoners shopping, nor an incubator for young artists and designer starting to make their way in the world.  It was mostly packed with cheap, imported things you see again and again as you make your way around London.

The market is a series of converted spaces built around the Camden Locks, which are still in use today for water buses, tour boats (one of which we took for a 55 minute cruise down the canal), and the former cargo boats that have been converted into houseboats that line the canals around London.  The locks are waterways, supported by machinery and submerged walls which allow the passage of boats "uphill" and equalize the water levels in canals.

A canal house boat.

A bit of the market.

I did find some lovely souvenirs and a great dress to wear to my cousin's wedding in Colorado in August.  I bought my 11-year-old a super-unique pair of sunglasses he will love.  I met a nice older man who sells one-of-a-kind clothes his wife makes while he operates their stall.  I also had stuffed aubergine for the first time, which I explained to my flatmate Melissa is British for eggplant.  

We had fun this morning on and next to the River, but not nearly as much fun as we did on another river this evening....read tomorrow's post for KAYAKING ON THE THAMES!!!