We began the morning with Trafalgar on a walking tour that was guided by a Local Expert and designed to showcase how London continually regenerates and reinvents itself. Hosted by VisitBritain, we headed straight towards the hip area of Shoreditch and Spitalfields — both former working class neighborhoods that have now been turned into creative hubs. The former part of the walk focused on old London, while the latter part of the walk focused on new London.
My favorite thing about England’s capitol is that you can be wandering down a street, turn a corner, and feel as though you have entered an entirely new place. One minute I was admiring the facades of buildings from another era and the next minute I was surrounded by bustling markets and vibrant street art. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to spend at the Spitafields Market, which at first glance looked like somewhere I could get lost in for hours, although I had just enough time to indulge in a delicious Ferrero Rocher® hot chocolate from the Chocolata stall on nearby Brick Lane before we moved on.
In East London, street art is held in high esteem and it is a challenge to find any surface that has not already been decorated. Some people love it and consider it art, some people hate it and consider it graffiti. I happen to be in the group that loves it! I think it adds character and color to a destination, even a city as electrifying as London.
One of the first murals that we happened upon was in the process of being created. The talented artist was a fellow American named Beau Stanton, who just had a solo exhibition at Last Rites Gallery in New York City this past summer.
Great photos. I just love the way England and Scotland have managed to preserve their architecture.
Yes, me too!
Definitely art in this case! Those are some of my favorites I’ve seen, especially the come rain come shine!
Oh wow! Yes, I love that one too. 🙂
Such gorgeous photos Andi! I love the old vs new. London looks like an amazing place to visit!
Thank you so much!!! Yes, it sure is!
That last one is gorgeous! Great photos! I consider them art, and well done art at that. I only really draw the graffiti line when someones writing their own name or “crew” but even good graffiti I can appreciate.
Thank you so much for your kind words, I totally agree with you!
You take the best pics in the world!!!
Thank you so much!
Hi Andi! You had mentioned that you get inspired by blogs and that you read over a hundred a day, so I was wondering if you could suggest some? I love your blog and just love blogs overall but I don’t know how I go about finding some new ones. Thanks!
Absolutely, I will email you with some suggestions! I’m really touched that you love my blog by the way!!! XO
I live in London and Shoreditch happens to be one of my favourite boroughs! I am not a big fan of the Spitafields Market, my favourite one is the Borough Market where I go to quite frequently. I also happen to LOVE street art, it’s definitely adding more character to the city! I hope you enjoyed your visit to London! 😉
Yes, I enjoyed it very much, though it was only for a day and a half and I’d like to return for a longer amount of time with my husband. I have heard great things about Borough Market. I really liked the look of Spitafields! Such a shame I didn’t get more time in it.
So much fun!!
Yes, sooo much fun!
Wow- Love the artwork. Such a special gift and such a unique way of expressing it. Rarely do we see this type of ‘public’ artwork here in the US. It more seems like graffiti.
Yes, you’re right, although San Fran has some gorgeous street art. 🙂
I love the architecture. It looks just as fascinating as Paris!
Yes, that is true!
Very cool! These posts have me missing London so much!
Happy travels 🙂
Awww sorry about that, hopefully you can return soon!
Definitely art! And these are beautiful. How interesting to know something about the artist who created some of it. So far the best I’ve seen (in person) has been in Valencia, Spain. Some really colorful work.
I will definitely have to check it out! I’ve been dying to visit Valencia actually.
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What gorgeous pics Andi!
Thanks Lindsay!
I was going to comment on how grey and dreary London looked until I came to the photos of the colorful bright street art. It really really adds something to the city! Some of those pieces were hilarious and intricate.
Yes! I agree, that’s another reason why I like street art, it can change a city like London from dreary to dazzling!
So looking forward to visiting the market and trying a hot chocolate!
You have to let me know what you think!
I enjoy well-done graffiti, and that piece that Beau Stanton is working on looks like it’s going to be really interesting. Glad you got to see another side to London!
Yes, I wish I could have seen Beau’s final product, it looked really, really interesting!
I love the street art! I could understand how it could get overwhelming and detract from the natural beauty of the architecture itself, but overall I think it’s so unique!
Agree completely!
I used to live in this area of London, its my favorite part! Im a big fan of all the little things you see at a blink of an eye. the graffiti is great around this area, always changing
What an amazing place to live you, you lucky girl!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful post! I haven’t tried those places introduced in this post. 🙂 I’m gonna use this info when I plan a trip to London.
You’re so welcome! Glad I could help you! You’ll love London!