From the 26th of November until the 2nd of January I was overseas with the family in England (Manchester and London) and Paris. I just wanted to spill some of my favourite parts.
MANCHESTER
First of all I'd like to say (because I can't keep it in any longer) the Northern Quarter in Manchester is my heaven. Filled with cute quirky cafes with the best food I've had (for a cafe) and best of all - so affordable. The Australian dollar is incredibly good right now!! The shops are mostly all vintage. There were many jaw dropping moments at the prices that I still can't get my head around.
CAFE
It was 2 degrees outside and only just adjusting to the climate and decided to give this cafe a go. We made our way downstairs and entered into the Nexus Art Cafe on Dale Street. I loved the quirky, vintage furniture and art. The atmosphere was so relaxed with people catching up over coffee or keeping up to date on work (they have free wifi). And finally the food was amazing, to keep us nice and toasty to face the chilly weather. This place is definitely worth a visit for a sit down to unwind.
SHOPPING
Like vintage? quirky? or even gothic? or just for a different experience. Go to Afflecks Palace (of course it's in the Northern Quarter). I liked the way Nick Grimshaw described it as an 'indoor Camden' here.
I also visited Ryan Vintage on Oldham Street. I was attracted by the significantly large 'VINTAGE' sign for their store which I am like a magnet relating to anything with a similar title. They have a huge range from clothes to accessories to furniture or knick knacks. I personally get a thrill out of rummaging through racks and racks of clothing or even bins for the cheap stuff which are definitely worth the effort - which is rewarding and exciting!
The fluorescent blue lighting area upstairs is bins filled with clothing all for 1 Euro. There is quite a step ladder/staircase that takes you up there. When there are lots of people there it is chaos and too hard especially when it feels like 40 degrees up there particularly because we all have coats and layers on. Definitely need to go back in the warmer months. However if you take the time to put your bag down and dig through the piles of clothing you will find some one off good quality pieces. Overall just from the 1 Euro bin I bought roughly 12 garments all for 12 Euros, it's crazy.
It is best to go when it is quiet otherwise you become a bit flustered and people getting in the way can be time consuming. All in all despite the mayhem it was the best! All my clothing bought in Paris was from Free P Star (except 2 tops from a little vintage store which had Chanel that was cheap!!). Oh and they close at 9pm which is fun - so you could spend all day going around the three stores. I wouldn't say no to that offer...
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| Being restricting with my money I only bought a cardigan. |
If you prefer a slightly contemporary approach to the environment of the store I suggest you visit COW. The prices are a bit higher as everything is more organised and spaced out (and bright). There is a wide range of selection (lots of floral, summery prints - which was good for taking home for summer).
LONDON
I love London. I loved wearing coats and wondering the streets at night with all the Christmas lights and decorations. Particularly Carnaby Street and Oxford Street after a late dinner at around 11 o'clock at night. As I only had one and a half days I only had time to check out a smidge of London. Staying in Camden we took the bus into the city then walked HEAPS. The end of a tiring day (and after just finishing the book) we managed to find our way to the cinema in Leicester Square to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower which was amazing. Logan Lerman did an incredible job!
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| Carnaby Street - 'Carnaby Christmas it's only Rock 'n Roll' |
The day of leaving we walked to the original Doc Marten store known as British Boot Company which is known for the place where bands such as The Sex Pistols, Morrisey, The Clash have shopped at. I of course had to buy some for the experience (plus to get the Docs I have wanted for a while and they are so much cheaper than at home). It felt so cool knowing that so many bands and famous stars have sat on the same seat that I was sitting on. The staff are also really nice and chatty!
PARIS
The main shop I visited was Free P Star (well there are 3 all 5 minutes walking distance apart). Vintage clothing and accessories scattered through the store on racks or in this bin section where it is filled with clothing all for 1 Euro! People bending over, bumping into others or squeezing through people holding your coat and all your special finds. You can't leave the store without buying something, it's impossible.. well I couldn't.
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| One of the three stores - 61 rue de la Verrerie |
Just a quick little ish post of my trip and some of the highlights. I am sure I will be revisiting the trip in later posts to come.
I will put some photographs up of some of my purchases from Free P Star in another post!
