Since I visited Englnad for the first time, Covent Garden has become one of my favorite spots.
They say that Covent Garden used to a vegetable market. Now, it has become a unique market which is crowded with some cafes, many shops and stalls which sell handcrafted goods, illustrations and so on. If you go there, you can see some street performers showing his or her talents. When I see such performances with the audience, I always feel as if I can adjust myself to England.
I have walked from Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square, then to Covent Garden many times. It isn't so far, but I sometimes use the underground to go to Covent Garden when I haven't enough time. Then, I walk around and breathe in the air of the place.
I still remember the taste of the cauliflower gratine which I ate at Covent Garden, when I visited London for the first time. I was on a package tour which my university had arranged and we stayed at London for just two nights. We had a late lunch at Covent Garden. When I ordered the gratine, two of the girls in our group ordered the same. However, it tasted strange! We ate a little, but we couln't eat so much. The other two girls who ordered a different dish shared their food with us. Poor students!
If it happened now, I think that I would l order another dish. Probably, I could have bought another dish at that time, but I didn't because I was a university student who was not used to using money. I smile when I remember this episode.
Allow me to say, food such as quich and cakes in the cafes at Covent Garden are really tasty! I like eating something there!

Usually, small musical groups which include violins, double bass, and so on, play classical music in the semi-basement area which is approached by going down the stairs.









Left is a candle shop in the semi-basement area. I saw somebody making candles in front of the shop before.









I think that the stalls which you can see in Covent Garden are constantly changing.
One day, I found a pair of mice dolls, which were made of cloth. They wore wedding dresses. I wanted to present them to my cousin who was newly-married. However, they were a little expensive for me, so I didn't buy them. After thinking, I decided to buy them and went there a few days later. I found a different stall in the same place. After that, I went there almost every day until I came back to Japan, I couldn't find the mice dolls. It means that if something appeals to you, buy it.

When I visited Covent Garden this year, I went down to the semi-basement after having not been there for several years. I found out that a shop which displayed windup dolls had gone. I missed that shop. I liked visiting the place. Whenever I entered the shop, I chose a few dolls and put some coins such as a fifty pence into the machine. Then, I waited for the doll to move with eager anticipation.

(2002.7.9)

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Trip to England

I really love London!