Biking to The Buroughs Market

I'm becoming a bit more adventurous in my bike riding around London, and with the help of the website

www.tfl.gov.uk

bicyclists can find routes around the city that hopefully avoid some of the more congested areas. The corollary that may not be true is that this will make it safer. You can also order bike path guides as well as download PDFs of the routes to your iPhone, which can then be used in conjunction with the GPS system and compass as an en route guide.



I made plans to meet my friend and coworker Paul at The Buroughs Market for a breakfast food expedition. There is a world famous coffee roaster in London called Marmouth Coffee, and I planned to go and get a cup of their finest. I went to the tfl site, and punched in my zip code, N1 7AD, and I punched in the tube stop next to Buroughs Market, London Bridge, and up came the recommended route which took me from Angel down St. Pauls Street, over London Bridge, to the Market.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, so it made for a very nice ride. I rode past the beautiful dome of St. Pauls Cathedral and the throng of tourists with their buses, and felt so fortunate to be on a bike and able to navigate around them, skirt in for my requisite pictures, and quickly be on my way. I did make a note that at some point I would need to return to see the inside of the cathedral.


Upon arriving at Buroughs Market, I took a great risk. I locked my bike up to a rail. I'd heard how horrendous bicycle theft is in London, but I'd been told to always consider two options when locking my bike up in a public place: 1. How busy it is with passersby and 2. How clearly visible the bicycle would be to them. I found the busiest, most visible spot I could., said a little prayer that my bike would still be tethered to the rail when I returned, and set off into the market. I did however remove my bicycle light, as I'd been told that these are bound to get "nicked" if left on the bike unattended.

The Market is a cavernous space under the above-ground rail service. It is a very urban experience to be shopping and hear an occasional train rumble by overhead. I quickly found Marmouth Coffee, as it was one of the first stalls I came upon. It smelled of fresh roasted coffee, and they were making individual filtered cups. It reminded me a lot of Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco/Oakland. The coffee was wonderful. I ordered a filtered coffee, and when they served it, there was a type of raw sugar I'd not seen before. They explained that it was truly raw sugar. Not the stuff claiming to be "raw" that you see at the grocery store. It looked like dirty sand or Malt-O-Meal. I tried it. No foodie like myself could pass it up. It had a sweet but slightly starchy taste to it. Very unique.

I wandered around the different stalls trying many food delights. One vendor was selling gen-u-ine English muffins. Had to buy one for my breakfast the next day. I tried a couple different types of cheese before buying small pieces of two different cheeses to bring home. About this time, Paul showed up, but announced he'd been drinking too much the past couple weeks, and planned to fast that day. . . pity. with all the eating oportunities at the market. . .oh well.

Another vendor was cooking some wonderful smelling Curry in in these huge bowls. I made a mental note of these for later.

I ended up buying a few more items that seemed unusual - Turkish Delight and a couple Meat Pies, one with Lamb and Mint. As a kid I'd read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and always wondered what Turkish Delight would be like, and now I finally could try it. It is a light and fluffy sweet candy - Slightly more dense than Meringue.

With hunger satiated, and my foody budget spent for the day, Paul and I wandered off around the South Thames/Buroughs neighbor hood. We found a replica of an old ship that had traversed the world, and we eventually wandered down to the London Tower Bridge, walked across it, and journeyed back along the north bank, passing the Tower of London. I made a note that I would need to return here too.

Upon our return to the market, I was happy to see that my bike was still there, and thanks to the iPhone and GPS, I retraced my route safely back to the apartment via the Millennium Bridge. 4 different bridges over the Thames in one morning all together.