Most people will tell you that the traditional places to go are the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and London Bridge to name a few. However, there’s much more to see in London rather those perfect postcard images. Welcome To East London.

Today is a different post as it’s a vlog in East London. I’m going to be spending time in Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Shoreditch.

Before I forget, this is the video in case you prefer to watch a more complete version:

PART I: SPITALFIELDS MARKET

The day started in Ottolenghi, a place where we found all of the bustle and atmosphere we’d expect in Spitalfields. Guests can either dine at tables or at the bar, where we can take in the cocktail-making action. No visit is complete without a stop by the pastry and cake display, for something sweet to eat in or take home.

We had breakfast there. For both Kristina and myself this was a special place as she used to work there as a Pastry Chef and I used to work nearby in the Financial District. One of my favourite places in London without a doubt.

After a delicious meal, we went to Spitalfields Market, located in the heart of East London. In this beautiful place, filled with people from everywhere in the world, we can find 31 food & drink shops, 67 shops & stalls, plenty of events and something happening 7 days a week.

I didn’t know but Amazon has a new Hair Salon here. They said they designed this salon for customers to come and experience some of the best technology, hair care products and stylists in the industry. Certainly not cheap like many products in their website but worth checking it out.

We spent a good amount of time there walking around and talking with different people. There’s actually some funny anecdotes that you’ll see if you watch the video.

PART II: BRICK LANE

A little world of London’s shifting ethnic patterns, the area around Brick Lane in East London was once associated with poor slums and the scene of the crime for the Jack the Ripper murders.

The area itself is now very popular with London’s edgy and artistic crowd, featuring galleries, restaurants, markets and festivals throughout the year

We explored all the street art, Indian (Bangladesh in reality) restaurants, the Old Truman Brewery, Dark Sugars (chocolate), Crosstown (doughnuts), Bagel shops and a lot of Vegan places.

It’s worth mentioning that the Old Truman Brewery is an energetic market where up-and-coming designers set up shop every Sunday selling clothes, handbags and jewellery. There are also a lot of vintage clothing stores.

For many people the best day to visit Brick Lane market is on Sundays, though the shops and restaurants are open every day. They sell a lot of vintage stuff and there are also street performers to enhance the stunning environment.

Brick Lane Market is hectic but in reality it’s an artistic hub attracting a lot of creators as well as people willing to get cheap furniture, unusual clothes a lot of young Londoners in search of second-hand furniture, unusual clothes and other modest items.

For me it was not a new area but I waited to come back for a long time. As Marcel Proust once said: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”.

I’ll leave Shoreditch for a future vlog, but there’s a lot to say about it.

If you missed my last post, you can read it here. And as always, feel free to see visit my YouTube Channel for interactive versions of my posts.