It’s quite funny actually: When I visited London for the first time ever, some seven or eight years ago, obviously I also made an obligatory visit to Camden market. And you know what: I was shocked! The place seemed so overcrowded and overpriced. To be quite honest, since then not much has changed. Whenever I do make it up north, I try to avoid the busiest times at the market. There are some nice food stalls around, so occasionally I like to wander around on a weekday afternoon keeping my eyes open for a veggie lunch.
A 10 minute walk from Camden market is a place that is actually worth the journey just for itself: The Coffee Jar. It’s a tiny, very, very pretty café on Parkway, with a decent offer of sweet treats on the counter (the dark chocolate cookies are delicious, and the chocolate granola bars from a different world, seriously, so good!). Plus, The Coffee Jar is furnished with the prettiest wooden floor, wooden tables and wooden chairs. It’s all kept super simple, but that makes it even more adorable, at least I believe so. Another bonus of the café are the colourful ceramic cups – imagine the ones you can find in a craft shop or pottery studio. I am sure coffee actually tastes better from those kind of cups than served from anything else!
I was lucky to be invited to a manicure at Camden Beauty Spa on Camden High Street, which made my little visit to the north even more enjoyable. The spa offers classic mani- and pedicure as well as massages, waxing, facials and spray tanning, and there is a second branch, called Boutique Spa, near Queensway station which offers very similar treatments. If these two don’t serve your location preferences, watch out for yet another branch to open in September: Boutique Spa in Fitzrovia!
While I am writing these words, I am astonished by the bright neon colour of my nails, thinking I should treat myself to a manicure more often! Thankfully, I’m going on a holiday soon, the colour literally screams Summer!
Love,
Lea Lou
This post was created in friendly collaboration with Boutique Spa and Camden Beauty Spa.
