Visiting Columbia Road Flower Market, East London
Our last day in London was a beautiful, sunny Sunday. We managed to get up early, packed our bags and checked out of our hotel. But one thing was still on my list before we left the city. We put our luggage in storage, and a short Overground ride later, we walked from Hoxton station to the Columbia Road Flower Market.
We had already been at Columbia Road a few days before, dipping in and out of some of its stores and enjoying a pint at the Royal Oak. But it is on Sundays that the area really comes alive. On our way to the market, we passed people carrying large bouquets of flowers in their arms and in large bags hanging over their shoulders. A busker performed in a sidestreet off Columbia Road while people with steaming hot cups of coffee from Hermanos Coffee Roasters and Jack Garcia Coffee had gathered in the morning sun.
An East London Classic
The market was an abundance of flowers, houseplants, flowy dresses and people of different ages and backgrounds. Long lines had formed in front of cafés and pastry shops (the ones at this shop looked amazing) and to a soundtrack of salespeople pitching their goods. As we strolled back and forth between the stalls, I dreamt of owning a home in East London to fill with bouquets from the market every Sunday. Yet – travellers' luck – the only thing I was able to carry home was a couple of photographs, a colourful souvenir from that perfect Sunday morning on Columbia Road.
