My free day was a great experience because I chose to relax and enjoy London at a much slower pace. Originally, I had planned on making a day trip out to Oxford, but I found that there are so many more things that I wanted to do in the city. London has so much to offer, and I could not miss the opportunity to hit all of my interest points.
I slept in later than normal, allowing myself to relax and remain comfortable, and then some friends and I went shopping around Soho. I had two goals in mind: find souvenirs for my parents and find record should for myself. After a bit of traveling through a snowy London, I found three wonderful record stores. Phonica and Sister Ray were my favorites, but each shop had a beautifully distinct ambiance that I loved. With extensive collections of music from the past 60 years, I looked through every CD collection and found some amazing deals. I purchased five different albums (The Cure, Beach House, The Smiths, etc.) that I love for andy around £15. It was an fantastic deal. We also did some thrift shopping and searching, but with very little success. The resale clothing stores had amazing finds, but the prices were astronomical unfortunately.
After finding no souvenirs in Soho, I decided to go to Camden Market in search of some. It was so cool to be in such a busy area with such unique shops, but the cold snow and masses of people made the small spaces overwhelming. The specially run clothing, jewelry, and food shops were extremely captivating, but I still could not find any gifts for my parents to enjoy. After a few hours of exploring this amazing market, we decided to come back the hotel area and shop at Primark. This store, because of its reasonable prices and unique clothing selection, has become my favorite shop in London. I finally found some great souvenirs there!
Day 7 was great because I got to travel and explore at my own pace and move comfortably despite a very cold day. It was so sad to prepare to leave this city, but I am glad to say that I maximized my experience while I was here. London has been a fabulous experience, and I would absolutely love to travel back here again soon!
Camden Market was definitely a cool place! I tried to go through the whole thing, but I kept on finding new places as I walked around. I made sure to get some food there, but I wish I got more because it all looked so good! I also enjoy bartering and was able to get a fairly inexpensive sweatshirt for £10 cheaper. Primark definitely was a wonderful place to get souvenirs! My sister is a big Harry Potter fan, and I was able to get her a couple things on the cheap. I feel like their clothes are even cheaper than stuff I could find in the States, so I made sure to get some stuff there.
I loved our relaxed day out through the town. Starting the day out shopping in the area of Soho where the thrift stores and record stores was fun. I liked the area because it had the cool stores along with a couple hidden higher end stores. Even though I’m not a thrifter or music enthusiast I still enjoyed the experience. Camden market was also a great experience seeing everyone in the area. I’m sad that we weren’t able to find gifts there though. I’m glad we chose to do that as our last day instead of stressing about getting places.