Sunday mornings are traditionally supposed to be lazy. Whenever we are afforded a Sunday together we usually spend our Sunday mornings cooking indulgent breakfasts, catching up on sleep, listening to music in bed whilst reading the news or taking Nell for leisurely walks. However, last Sunday was a little different. By 8.30am we were up and on the train to London. Our destination: Columbia Road Flower Market.
I have been meaning to visit Columbia Road for quite some time and have seen it on many 'Things to do in London' lists. The market is on Sunday mornings and finishes at 2pm. Therefore, it has taken a few weeks for us to a) wake up early enough on a Sunday morning (without Rob falling back to sleep and being grumpy) and b) the sun to be shining on a Sunday morning without the fear of rain clouds.
An hour after we set off we arrived in Hoxton. After a quick google maps for the route, we walked down the winding streets until we found the market. We passed a few couples and families with armfuls of flowers so we knew we were heading in the right direction. The streets were covered in leaves in beautiful hues of red and orange.
We arrived at the market at about 9.30am and the flowers at the market were equally as stunning! The market isn't huge but we went up and down the stalls a couple of times snapping away at the beautiful flowers. There were so many interesting flowers that we had never seen before. I think the hydrangeas were my favourite. They remind me of Nanny as she has a huge hydrangea bush in her garden. We are also massive succulent fans and there were lots of fascinating succulents and cacti. I am sure we would have picked up a few if they weren't so prickly. Taking them home would have certainly been a health hazard.
In the end we settled for three bunches. We chose a yellow and a white bunch of flowers that we can't remember the name of. The white ones have fitted in lovely in our all white bedroom. The yellow ones have brightened up our kitchen. We also chose a bunch of autumn-themed flowers that we placed in our living room. All of the flowers are lasting brilliantly - I guess because they are so fresh.
After spending an hour or so at the market, we headed towards Brick Lane. It was about a 15 minute walk away. We both commented that its good to walk between places, sometimes you don't realise how close and connected so many places are in London.
First stop was caffeine as we had been up so early! There are so many independent coffee shops in Brick Lane that it was hard to chose. We opted for a little shop called 'Pretty Cuppa'. There were lots of vintage crockery and it certainly lived up to its name. Rob had a pot of English Breakfast tea and I had an Americano. Both were very decent cuppas. We both sneakily ate brown sugar cubes and giggled away like idiots.
After our coffee break we explored Brick Lane a little. There were lots of vintage stalls and car boots around. We had a browse but didn't pick anything up. There were also lots of food stalls that started cooking up amazing feasts. It smelt incredible. However, we already knew what food we came for and didn't want to spoil our lunch. We did pick up a refreshing juice. Rob had mango and passionfruit and I had watermelon and strawberry. All the juices were only £1 - bargain!
It was certainly time for an early lunch after all that exploring. We headed straight to the bagel shop at the end of Brick Lane. The bagel shop is simply an institution! It was busy from the moment we first walked past it in the morning and there was a queue outside the door all day. There are two bagel shops almost next to each other in Brick Lane. I have tried bagels from both and the one below is definitely best.
I had salmon and cream cheese and Rob had the famous salt beef. We also bought a dozen plain bagels to take home. We have been eating bagels for lunch all week. Bagels are very nostalgic for me. I often reminisce about the bagels my Dad used to bring home after a night shift when he worked in East London. They are just as yummy now as they used to be.
After we were well fed and watered we headed home via Commercial Street. We also popped into the independent book shop.
We were back home around 2pm. It was lovely to have an early start and then be home with plenty of time to relax all afternoon.
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