camden market and soho

On Saturday, Jan. 17, Joyce and I went to the Camden Market and wandered the stalls. Joyce was simply there to see the latest fashions of the subcultural fringe, while I was in search a bag--a murse (man purse), as I've decided to call it. There were plenty of murses about, but none really called my name--in fact, most had the manufacturer's names on them, and I really dislike wearing clothing (or sporting accessories) with prominent labels. We did, however, enjoy ourselves, and we had some good curry from one of the many take-away stalls.

After searching for the right bag in Portobello Road, I found my murse at an military surplus store just around the corner from Vincent House in Notting Hill, where I'm staying. Go figure.

The following day, Shane and I followed Robert Wright's tour of Soho. Sunday morning is good time to wander Soho, because no one else is there as most of the shops (and other places of trade) are closed. While on this walk I spotted King Charles II in Soho Square,

found William Blake's birthplace,

and ran into Janet Leigh.


While we did see some sex shops and peep shows around Soho, we found very little evidence of the area's red-light reputation. This sign, however, indicated that we were, indeed, in the land of the lascivious.


Shane had a little shopping to do.


We roamed through Chinatown, where the streets were festooned with lanterns in preparation for the Chinese New Year celebrations.