Free Day: Camden Market

    Saturday January 8th was a free day so we went to the Camden Market for a shopping day.  None of us had any idea how big of an even this was actually going to be, and we ended up spending the entire day walking around the hundreds of stands and down many little streets and mazes.  The whole street was filled with people wandering in and out of the stores and kiosks buying everything from shoes to memorabilia to food.  Most of the stand owners were willing to bargain on price, and I ended up buying a cute dress for 12 pounds as opposed to 15 pounds, which I considered to be a success.  It was interesting that most of the little venues had the same clothing styles at the same price, I was surprised there was not more variety among the stands.  There was great variety among the jewelry; whether it be sterling silver rings or fabric bracelets, everything seemed to be on sale.  We were all shopping for small souvenirs to take to loved ones back home, but we were also shopping happily for ourselves spending the money we tried not to think about handing over again and again.  The atmosphere of the market was fun and lively, and it was clearly an event that has been very popular over the years and appears to keep growing.  The markets are more fun to explore than the name-brand stores because they usually have more original things for a lesser cost.  On our next free day we will definitely be visiting another market including the Borough Market which should be filled with delicious foods.