Galavanting around London town...

Besides Big Ben or the Tower of London, one thing that every tourist has on their to-do list is to visit at least one of London's markets. The well-known ones are filled with tourists and yet still hold enough appeal that the locals shop there too. Others are small affairs on just one day a week, dependent just on the business of the locals. 

  Just two stops away from Kings Cross is the famous Camden Market. Filled with loads of stalls full of vintage clothing, tattoo parlors, and cheap tourist goods, Camden is known for its punk, hip culture. While you'll find more tourists roaming the crowded streets these days, much of the market still embraces that "alternative culture" it was known for back in the day. And if you just walk away from the main rows of stalls only blocks away from the market, you can find some really great shops and restaurants... along with a generous helping of gentrification that comes along with any "hip" neighborhood. 

Across town is another equally famous market (in the significantly more posh area of Notting Hill), Portobello Market. Just like Camden, it has its fair share of "I heart London" t-shirts and an increasing number of "I heart Justin Bieber" t-shirts. Once you get past all of that, Portobello is a great market for antiques, vintage clothes, and even fresh produce. I ventured down Portobello Road on an early Friday afternoon, which thankfully meant the crowds weren't too bad and I was able to look through the 200 year old copies of George Elliot and Dickens and sift through the racks and racks of vintage clothing. Of course the quality and type of clothing can vary dramatically, whether its an old, decorated soldier's jacket or a multi-colored, sequined jumpsuit that would make Cyndi Lauper proud. 

The fantastic finds at Camden and Portobello pail in comparison to my favorite market in London, Borough. You won't find any neat antiques or discover a new treasure trove of vintage clothing here, it's all food. 

Now, I've talked about the lackluster stereotype of British food before, and it's true that a rich person could eat extremely well in London, but lower the price range and it can get a bit more tricky. With its maze of food stalls, Borough Market offers up some of the best food I've had here on the trip. 

My top picks:

- A ridiculously simple but mouth wateringly good chorizo, rocket, and roast pepper bap (which is a normal sandwich but the bread is a hamburger bun without the normal sesame seeds)

- Massive woks are filled with delicious curries, Thai, Caribbean, and my favorite, the Malaysian

- Raclette, gooey, bubbling wheels of cheese being scraped onto awaiting plates of potato and pickles

In addition to the wonderful prepared foods, Borough has whole sections devoted to gorgeously marbled £40/kg Aberdeen angus steaks, perfectly aged wheels of smelly cheeses, and truffle infused Portuguese sausages. They also have some stalls piled high with fresh fruit and veg that should make Tesco's offerings pail in comparison.