Noel's Adventure(s): April 10: More Markets and More Chocolate!!!

This morning we decided to head to Up Market for an early lunch. My friend/roommate Lauryn had been there before and promised us amazing foods. She did not disappoint. There were ethnic foods there from literally the entire world! I ended up going with Chinese/Thai fusion, Lauryn went with Ethiopian, Mandy with Mexican, and Katie with Tibetan. It was all so good! After our lunch, we explored Sunday Up Market, which has a lot of vintage clothes and jewellery. I ended up getting a pretty gold-tone necklace made of three layers of chains hung with shaped leaves separated by little gold pearls. Then we went over a few hundred yards to Spittalfields Market, which is more mixed in its vendors. I found a pretty little painted ceramic Turkish plate made by two brothers from Istanbul in dark blue with pink and red and green floral patterns. I was hoping to find some heavy silver earrings but I just wasn't loving the silver options.

The odd goat statue that greets visitors to Spittalfields Market

Afterwards, my friends were all too tired to go to the chocolate festival again so they went home and I soldiered on alone. It was even better. Because it was the last day, they were giving out even more free samples so I was stuffed with chocolate. I also realized that we had missed a little tent-lined avenue that led to a whole other area of tents, making the festival twice as big as we had thought yesterday! I ate sooo many samples! There were also dishes made with chocolate. I really, really wanted a bowl of the chocolate chili with tortilla chips/crisps, but I just would have exploded! After doing the grand tour, I decided to get a bag of the mixed flavored white chocolate buttons, and a bag of cappuccino-flavored buttons from a stall called "Cocopod," then several more bags of the fancy mixed chocolates from "Artisan du Chocolat," as well as a bag of chocolate-coated caramel honeycomb. Mom, Rin and I will certainly enjoy in a few weeks. Then it was time to come home and rest my poor blisters. This could not have been a more perfect weekend! I am going to miss this city!!!