Two days will obviously not be enough to visit even the most important sights of London, but even a short one or two day visit is worth it for exploring a part of the city – such as East London, around the busy City of London and the Brick Lane area with its multicultural vibe and vintage markets. Here, every street is different and walking just a few blocks can bring you from the centre of international banking to small art galleries and a vibrant migrant community.
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City of London
The City of London is the historic core of modern London and a blend of historic buildings and skyscrapers that mirror its unique mix of old traditions and new businesses. After 5pm, pubs that have seen hundreds of years of history go by are now filled by business people in suits and ties, while tourists from all over the world flock to the Tower Bridge for a sunset selfie.
Brick Lane
Just a few blocks away from the glittering skyscrapers of the City, the area around Brick Lane could hardly be more different: a vibrant quarter of people migrants and artists, with English pubs next to Thai restaurants and small art galleries next to mosques, next to coworking spaces for digital nomads. Every street corner is painted with a graffiti that might be replaced by another image within a few weeks.
Brick Lane Vintage Market & Spitalsfields Market
The area around Brick Lane and Spitalsfields is also famous for its vintage markets – check out Brick Lane Vintage Market and Spitalsfields Market where you can find all kinds of treasures, from clothes to music, to vintage decoration (and my personal favourite: vintage film cameras). Here you will still get things that are unique and different to what is sold in every shopping mall. The area is also frequented by carnival groups who go out during carnival season – but also at other times of the year – to show off their fancy fashion creations.
Bengt Beier - travels and photography 