Let London Inspire You

London is full of an array of fun experiences and Instagram opportunities, but with so many places to visit and sights to see, it can be hard to narrow down your options and decide what to do in a day! So if you need some travel inspiration or feel like discovering something new, read on and follow my latest day out in London.

We didn't set off particularly early to get to London, so by the time we arrived at the station, stomachs were rumbling and we were feeling peckish. With this in mind, our first stop of the day was Old Spitalfields Market. Old Spitalfields Market is set in the heart of SpitalFields, it provides a variety of unique creations, vividly coloured designs and vintage fashion, but most important to us at the time, restaurants! With its quirky and fun exterior, the first restaurant to catch my eye was 'giraffe'. Its outdoor seating area enables you to experience the atmospheric hustle and bustle of the market, whilst still being able to relax with friends and shut off the busyness of life.

After a lovely meal we began to make our way around some of the most popular shops and stalls that surrounded us. Although our visit to Old Spitalfield Market was short, it was the perfect way to start the day. Another added bonus is that i happened to bump into one of my all-time favourite comedians (Josh Widdicombe) on the walk back to the underground. Well, when i say 'bumped into him', it did require a bit low-key following, he passed me just by the road crossing but was busy on the phone. So not wanting to interrupt his phone call, i followed him into the underground waiting for the right opportunity. Now that i say it out loud that does sound a bit stalker-like, but i had the right intentions in mind! He was kind enough to snap a quick photo with me, so at this point i already knew I had my favourite Instagram shot for the day! But nevertheless we made our way to a place I've been super excited to visit, Shoreditch!

Shoreditch seems to be the creative hub of London. It's full of markets, roof tops bars, street food and vintage shops, but the most appealing factor to me is it's famous StreetArt. Shoreditch is full of high-end quality street art, although street art is very popular, Shoreditch displays art that you simply do not see around the rest of London. There are many tours and guides to ensure you find all the street art in Shoreditch, but without a doubt you will stumble across some of it whilst just browsing around the area. Personally I do think it helps to have some form of idea as to where the art will be, whilst waiting at the station I scrolled through instagram and pinterest to find the names of the streets that contained the art and this made a big difference to our day. You could even make it more interesting by writing a complete list of the street art and challenging your friends to find them all. The majority of the art is unmissable, but some are very subtle and an attention for detail is more than necessary. Two particularly good spots include Chance Street and New Inn Yard.

This piece of art by Italian street artists Hunto and Diego Della Posta can be found on King John Court.

For those of you who follow my instagram page, you'll already be familiar with this piece of art from RedChurch Street. Although the modern shop fronts have attempted to hide this street art, the funky wallpaper-like mural can still be seen on the top half of the building.

Chance Street, possibly the perfect spot to have a mini photo shoot. Just look at the contrast of colours!

When it comes to visiting somewhere new, I usually make the mistake of looking at amazing instagram stories and setting my expectations so high that it would be extremely difficult to meet them. However this time i can confidently say that Shoreditch met my expectations. I was more than happy with the quality of the art and the amount of it! Not only did i see everything i had expected to see, but we came across a few pleasant surprises too! So i guess you could say Shoreditch actually exceeded my expectations.

Once we completed our self-guided tour of the street art, we had to decide where we should stop for a drink. As i said earlier, Shoreditch is full of fun, quirky shops and cafes. Having such a variety of places to eat and drink was more than ideal for us, these options ranged from visiting Lady Dinah's famous Cat Cafe or just kicking back at BrewDog the other end of the street.. so we went to both! Lady Dinah's cat cafe is very popular and on demand, so it's next to impossible to show up on the day and expect a table, never the less we had a nosey around the shop and met a few of the cats through the window before making our way down to BrewDog.

After a much needed rest and bit of refreshment, we journeyed down to Box Park for some shopping. For those of you who haven't heard of it, Box Park is a pop-up mall of independent stores in shipping containers! Yes that's right, re-purposed shipping containers stacked ontop of eachother (safely of course) to provide affordable showcases for both international brands and independent businesses. It's safe to say Box Park has a very alternative set up compared to your usual shopping mall, but it provides everything from Fashion & Art to Food & Drink. Seeing as Shoreditch is the creative hub of London, it only seems fitting for a new idea like this to take place right in it's center.

Shoreditch served us well for the day, but with so many other places in mind to visit we knew we'd have to leave soon. Although something tells me we'll be going back to Shoreditch very soon, it's the kind of place that always offers something new to see. So as the cool summer evening began to roll in, we moved on to Trafalgar Square. I know it seems like we've jumped around from one place to the next today, but with the underground making everything seem like a convenient few stops away, why not make the most of it and see as much of London as you can!? Granted the underground isn't always the easiest to navigate, we've had our fair share of experiences missing a stop or even just getting on the wrong tube entirely. Every tube stop is different from the next, stepping out of the underground into Trafalgar Square feels like stepping out into a completely different part of the country.

Trafalgar is the kind of place that makes you feel small, crowds of people passing you by every second, looking up at the lights and buildings, knowing you could come and go as you please without making any significant difference to the atmosphere of the expanse and the way of life. There's nothing better than visiting an area out of leisure and being able to take a moment to step back and appreciate all that it's worth. Although this isn't the case for everyone, for all of those rushing through the area in a stressed state of mind, probably trying to meet deadlines at work, Trafalgar is just another attraction getting in the way of their destination.

Admiring the sites takes up a surprising amount of time. As the day drew to an end, it's time for the final stop of the day, Camden Town. In particular, Camden market! Located just by the canal, Camden by day makes for an enjoyable day out. With around 200 stalls and shops, you can find lots of alternative fashion that is unique to the market. By night, however, the shopping side of the market packs up for the day as Camden prepares for the party scene. Despite the loud music and disco lights, we weren't at all tempted to join in with the dancing because we had something else on our mind... street food! It's true that Camden is famous for it's party scene, funky high street and market place, but my first thought is always the food stalls, right next to the hipster t-shirts! The many Vegan and Vegetarian options are right up my street. So after spending probably a little more time than necessary pondering the many choices, I had my marinated tofu vegan noodles and also the perfect spot to stand and enjoy them.

Standing on the bridge, looking over the market and the glistening canal, we took a deep breath of the cool fresh air and thought about heading home. The sun had set and we too were ready to settle back in the comfort of our home. Every day in London can be different, but the train ride home is always the same. One of us is usually asleep and you can guarantee half of the party are scrolling through Instagram too tired to talk to each other. As for me I find myself looking through the days photos (providing my camera battery isn't dead!). But whatever we may be doing on the surface, all of us are reflecting on the day and trying not to let the reality of going back to school or work on Monday bring our moods down.

Yes, the wide variety of places to travel to can be overwhelming, even if it's just for the day. But don't let the thought of trying somewhere new put you off the whole experience, rather, embrace something new and let it add to your experience! Hopefully this post has given you a little bit of inspiration for your next visit to London, or maybe it's just made you realize how much of a day's activities revolve around food and Instagram, is there really anything else you need?! That's all i have to say about London for now, if any of you visit the places above I would love to hear your story! Don't be scared to get in contact with me and tell me all about your own experiences, you may be the one who gives me inspiration for my next post!

#Adventure #London #Shoreditch #StreetArt #Ideas