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a Vintage Sunday walk in London

Updated: Apr 26


the shortest distance

between two points

is not always a straight line.

sometimes it is a curve,

like your smile.

Majorie Günthardt



In London I feel a sense of opening: a myriad of paths and streets weave in every direction with hidden discoveries waiting just behind the corner. During this 2-day visit in the City, I wanted to explore the Northern neighbourhoods. This journal guides you on a stroll along some of North London's hidden paths, with inspiring unique vintage shops, trendy cafes, and a local running path leading to a charming Sunday market...


Islington, North London


My stay was on a traditional British side street lined with red brick and limestone houses, where cherry and magnolia trees were in full bloom. The air is filled with the crisp yet warm scent of Spring, a floral balm from the sidewalk and a crystal-clear sky overhead.

Sunlight is beginning to illuminate the striking symmetry of the buildings, aligning in a single row, as I encountered "Rosemary Street" and the "Rosemary Park" (cute names reminding me of a herbs garden...) located just behind a local pub named Barcleys Ales & Stout, beautifully decorated with glossy green tales.



Just a short distance away, entering the canal path known as the Regent's Towpath, it is a real surprise. Canals, once used for transporting goods, were efficient, but today in our contemporary days, they have lost their initial purpose, with some falling into isolated decay. However along this path, the City has revitalized these dormant waterways, breathing new life into them. Modern and fascinating architecture lines the canal, boat houses with a nomadic spirit are parked all along, a hidden cafe "the Towpath" awaiting a chilled break, and dozens of runners are seen exercising for kilometers under the first warm rays of the sun.


I'm thrilled, when I find myself in the middle of everyday scene and I am able to observe how people truly live in their own city. They are a mirror into daily or weekly routines, familiar places and the sense of home, that comes from choosing to stay. Visiting the Broadway Street Market was like capturing a moment in these people's life, even though I was just passing through for a brief minute.


Same time, but shortly.


Columbia Road Flower Market


Just a short 20 minutes walk from Broadway Street, through a charming neighborhood, I arrive on Columbia Road, where the fragrance of the Sunday flower market fills the air already, even from a distance, much like the contagious excitement of visitors, looking for simple beauty. Not astonishing, it is exceptionally busy...


With amusement, passengers festively join the queue for their dream bouquet, proudly taking home their chosen color palette and scent: a chic yet rustic brown paper wrap the delicate white tulips or pink peonies. For the bold, there might be a delightful tropical plant that stands out above the crowd. As a lover of small shops, I immerse myself into the discovery of fascinating poetry and photography bookshops, inspiring cafes and art galleries, and beautifully curated interiors with fine porcelain, soft linen and delicate jewelry. This road is truly a paradise for inspirations!



Brick Lane and Spitalfields


Following the enchanting maze at Columbia Road with its flower and sidestreet shopping, I head on to Brick Lane, which is renowned for its murals and graffiti, as well as its vintage vibe. The area is so vibrant and colorful that my senses are heightened, attuned to the people, music, and street art around me. Getting inspired is inevitable: artists pursuing their passion and making their dreams accessible to all, small businesses that captivated me with their authenticity, a continuous wave, a pulse from the underground, life expressed in its beauty and struggles...


As the sun finally sets, I make my way to Tower Bridge, where the light turns the stones into shades of pink, orange, and red against the night sky. Allowing the day to end on its own brings a sense of calm and tranquility. Simultaneously, it's liberating and revitalizing to have immersed myself in this urban energy and allowed the city to completely absorb me.


Tower Bridge, London
a golden Tower Bridge

A memory and an inspiration: market places


Market places are a familiar atmosphere I really love: vendors selling fruits, vegetables and locally produced goods, handmade artistry, flowers beautifully arranged in a early Spring display, and freshly baked and crusty bread and pastries.

Perhaps these scenes are simply another imperfect memory from the Saturday Market in my hometown, where having coffee at around 10 o'clock was a regular (do you smell it in the air?), gathering eggs and cheese from our favourite stands, brought in from the nearby valleys, shopping at the main (small) mall and the cheerful conversations with family and friends.

Market places are a sweet reminiscence of my adolescence and my early adulthood, creating a deep connection in me, moving forward like a simple passerby...



Less pressure on the agenda, more freedom for exploration...


Some vintage inspiring and beautifully curated places around Islington and Columbia Road:



© pictures by esther nour for nour luna

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