The streets of London – 1

… while they may or may not be paved with gold, are full of life and that hard-to-describe thing called character. It is mainly the people – the lazy gaping tourists, office-goers always clad in black, always in a hurry, brisk walkers and joggers out to enjoy the sunshine, vendors and finally those brilliant street performers and artists. Walking is the best way to get around London, especially on those rare, warm days when there are clouds in the sky but no dull persistent rain.

And here a few images from my two weeks in London, from some of my favorite spots there – I start with Covent Garden, which unsurprisingly, is somewhere at the top of this list. The small square on one side, which is the main “market” is a modern-day version of the old apple market, with locals selling all kinds of things from rare second hand books and prints to kitschy scarfs and jewelry. What is more interesting is the piazza around it, with more shops and eateries and most importantly, the buskers.

A break from busking…

I am not interested in selling. Are you interested in buying?

Music never sounds as good as when you listen to it at the Covent Garden square, a cup of coffee in hand and street performances never as much fun and engaging elsewhere. And for the real thing, just down to one side is the Royal Opera House with its free Monday lunch-time recitals and fabulous free screenings of opera and ballet out on the open square of Covent Garden.

A bit of HongKong in London…

If music be the food of love and all that…

The agony and the ecstasy…

Covent Garden was a fifteen minute walk from my college and when I was not headed towards Southbank, I used to walk down here to spend the most aimless and enjoyable few hours one can ever hope to in London. I have never actually seen though the flower market in action, the one immortalized by that most gorgeous flower girl of all – Eliza Doolittle.

***
Coming up next : South Bank and then the streets themselves…

Also see : photographs from London on flickr…