Brick Lane Market

On Friday, Jignesh's mom arrived as our 3rd guest! After a long flight from India (she was there for 6 weeks visiting family and friends), she was suffering from a little jet lag so it was a quiet day of relaxation and catching up with one another.

Saturday, we hit the ground running and headed to the Sloane Square area. With no exact agenda in mind, we wondered the streets and stumbled upon the Chelsea Market. It was perfect timing as we were all ready for lunch. Jignesh's mom and I selected surprisingly delicious and flavorful vegan wraps while Jignesh was a bit more unhealthy with his chorizo sub! After lunch, we did a little shopping and then walked along the Thames River. We ended the day by taking a ride on the #19 city bus that gave us a cheap, self-guided tour of Chelsea, Mayfair, Belgravia, Hyde Park, and Piccadilly Circus! Our quick tour made me realize how lucky I am to be living in such a diverse, beautiful, and active city.

Yesterday, Jignesh, Jignesh's mom, and I braved the cold wind and rain to check out Brick Lane Market. We thought it was going to be filled with mostly Indian food, clothes, and accessories. We were wrong. The food booths covered everything type of ethnic food imaginable (from Thai to Brazilian) except Indian! The other booths were a little bit of everything...second-hand clothes, jewelry, various arts and crafts, etc. Despite our disappointment in the lack of Indian food and clothes, we still had a great time browsing the booths and checking out all the stuff. I did pick up a coin purse made out of eel skin to hold all the coins I seem to collect here. After the market, Jignesh and his mom headed to an Indian restaurent in our neighborhood to get their fill of Indian food while I opted for the gym. The day ended with naps for all (especially for Jignesh's mom who is not use to all the walking that city life requires).

Cheers!