Is this not the most beautiful cake you've ever seen? I pass by is most days on my way back from class. I don't know if it's a real cake or not, but it sure is pretty!
On Sunday, all of the kids
from Emory who are currently in London met up with Anneka, our advisor, and
went on a walking tour of East London! It was crazy cold, but we had a blast
eating our way around the city and learning about history!
We started the tour
wandering around the city, seeing old sites like a Jewish soup kitchen and the
church where Jack the Ripper picked up prostitutes.
After being out in the
cold, we ducked into the partially enclosed Spitalfields Market, where Anneka treated us to pastries and hot coffee
and we explored the market! There were so many awesome stalls with everything
from posters to cute dresses and food (so much food!!). I can’t wait to go back soon!
After the market we walked
by a public archaeology site and stopped by Dennis Severs’ House. The house was recreated as a sort of “time capsule”
in the late 1900’s by its resident, Dennis Sever. It now functions as a sort of
living museum. The rooms were fascinating,
but I must confess that parts of it seemed incredibly artificial, and I
wouldn’t recommend it.
For lunch we visited the
Sunday Up Market/Brick Lane Market, which was my favorite part of the tour! There were
loads and loads of ethnic food stalls, and tons of beautiful crafts and goods
for sale. Anneka gave all of us ten pounds and we were sent off to find lunch.
I got a delicious pumpkin and vegetable curry from a Thai stall, and I nabbed
two cupcakes (one for then, one for later!) at an adorable bakery stall. I got a
chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake and a black forest cupcake (it's the one with the cherry on top!), and they were
utterly, utterly amazing.
We finished the tour by
walking through a largely Bangladeshi portion of London, which was super cool!
Most of our group went
home on the tube, but Shiva, Hayley, Sheneka, Amanda and I decided to be
adventurous and walk back. We got a bit turned around, but we saw so many cool
things that it was totally worth it!
Monday the 16th
was my twenty-first birthday, and I really couldn’t have spent it in a better
place. The day was really low-key, in the best possible way! I went out with a
bunch of Emory kids for a funky vegetarian Indian restaurant in Soho called
Govinda’s . I don’t think I would go back, but I’m glad we
tried it! I had paneer chili (which was spicy and delicious) and some
unimpressive sides.
After dinner we headed to The Green Man , a nearby pub. It was super funky, with beautiful
old chairs and gorgeous white molding, and the menu is mostly hard ciders,
which I adore! I got a delicious Gaymers Pear Cider, and later in the night I
got mulled cider. It was so nice to sit, chat, and relax in the pub!
