So, today is our first day on half-term. I decided that I wanted to reward Teen tobbot & mini-tobbot for all their hard work during the school term by taking them on a walkabout through the parts of London I enjoyed as a teenager. And what does a teenager enjoy most of all? Why, shopping and exploring of course!

Now before you say to yourself, "Well duh, they went to Oxford Street, 'cause that's where the shopping is," well think about what Oxford Street actually is, i.e., nothing more than a advertising board for the same, boring old shops you go to in every shopping centre across the country. What I wanted to do was to give the girls a brief intro into the other shopping experience which is London, the often quirky, rather individual style which is totally British.

So, where to start? Well, why not Camden Town on the Northern Line?

Turning the corner off one of Camden's streets, we were immediately introduced to the area's eccentricities, by way of a rather odd estate agent's:


While briefly discussing how on earth they managed to put a bus behind bars, we then entered what I always thought was the 'real' Camden, starting off with Camden market and the High Street.


Camden Lock, in the heart of Camden itself.

The markets, shops and stalls have developed considerably from when I used to deliver to the area 20 years ago; you can still buy the ubiquitous Doc Marten boots, Gothic clothing and accessories and London souvenirs, but we also came across stalls offering 'try before you buy' Chinese food, Moroccan hookahs you actually smoked on the premises, enough body piercing and tattoo artists to give every parent across the country nightmares as well as organic food and retro furniture shops.


The very strange, yet exciting hookah bar.

After lunch, we decided to go back to our favourite haunt, Leicester Square, if only to explore some of the alleys and lanes 'round Covent Garden. We ended up buying American candy in a very strange shop called Cybercandy, which also offers chocolate covered ants and scorpion-centred lollipops!


While the kids were choosing their sweeties, I decided to visit Stanford's, the world's largest map and travel bookshop, which also houses a "Natural Cafe" a cafe with a difference. Well, tea is tea really, nothing special there. Apart from the fact that this was real leaf tea, served in an open tea bag, so you could actually see the leaves, something I haven't had in years. In fact, while looking through their range of sandwich fillings, salads, juices and coffee list I realised that nothing was really what it seemed; this was a cafe selling really high quality food & drink - in the centre of the West End, something quite unheard of! Yes, I have heard of Pret a Manger, but I'm sorry, the quality here was really rather special.

6 o'clock came, so it was off to Soho to London's most hectic Chinese restaurant, the Wong Kei. Those brave enough to venture therein will be greeted by a brusque "How many?" followed by a sharpish "Upstairs!" or "Downstairs!" There is no choice of table, and you will frequently sit with total strangers. However, the food is...cheap and excellent. The portions are generous, and arrive at the speed of lightening. The fact that the waiters expect you to immediately pay and leave once you've eaten is a mere detail!

All in all, the Tobbot clan had a wonderful day out. How was yours?