Mon 26 Dec Today there was a tube strike – some lines were closed and others had sections closed. Given that there are usually a number of different ways to get to most stations, nothing was impossible, it was just more challenging. We set off for Regents Park and Camden Lock and markets. On the way we discovered Baker St with a Beetles shop and Sherlock Holmes museum and shop. Regents Park was very pretty, even without spring flowers.
After walking through the park we walked along the canal and saw a few locks before reaching Camden High St and the markets – a few of them. The largest was housed in the former stable yards where around 200 horses were kept for transport – mainly pulling barges along the canals and then, once the railway was built, for road transport to and from the station.
Most of the shops were either Indian, T shirts or more unusual women’s clothes. I ended up buying 2 jackets. Some shops had no prices and haggling seemed to be expected. One jacket I got for £35 when £50 had been asked. Chris bought a top hat. There was also a range of ethnic food stalls but pigeons covered in grease from sitting in the warmth of the cooking exhaust chimneys all around the tables were pretty off putting.
