Spitalfields

Princelet Street. Spitalfields

I often make a detour and turn off Brick Lane onto Princelet Street, leaving the inviting smell of curry behind me and instantly stepping into the tranquility of time travel in East London.

This street has been an anchor to me since I moved to London, and I find myself returning here. Perhaps it's the beautiful Georgian architecture with it's smart brickwork and polished windows, shuttered off to the world or maybe it's my history that gives me a deep sense of home.

On my Mothers side of the family we were originally Huguenots Fleeing from the abolition of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, the Huguenots lived in the first ghetto in London, using these beautiful buildings to weave silk in the lofts. Later, in the 19th Century thousands of Jews moved to Spitalfields, and this is linked to my Dad's side of the family.

Of all the places I could have chosen to move to, I somehow anchored myself to this place. A part of London that for the last 400 years has been a home to anyone who want's to absorb it.

It's well worth a wander down if you haven't already. If you walk up to the top (leaving Brick Lane behind you) and turn left, and then right by the huge and weighty Spitalfields Church you will find on your right an incredibly sweet little cafe - hidden inside one of these beautiful Georgian buildings it gives you a chance to sit and watch the legs of passers by from the basement window. A worthy trip.

I cycled down Regents Canal just as the sun was setting and the shadows were getting long. Everyone was bathed in a golden light and slightly tipsy at their various drinking holes.

Proud barge boats with flowers and herbs potted on their roofs, and people holding cold beers and prodding distractedly at the BBQ whilst laughing. Children on scooters and dogs sniffing around on the towpath.

I reached my destination, our friends new acquisition 'Lotte' and sat on the deck whilst preparing Dinner, and the sounds carried across the water, flat owners sat on their balconies talking, someone practicing on their trumpet, music softly drifting over to us.

As it grew darker, candles were lit and the golden light bounced around our faces whilst we sat and talked shit. People walked past us and looked down enviously.

The cycle home much later that night was perilously dark - the narrow towpath going under bridges where barely any light crept in. A low mist hung over the water, edged by Victorian Ironwork and the shadows of huge old trees.

It's moments like that, when I don't want to leave! What could top it? And what could top knowing you belong there?

Local Exploration - Stepney City Farm

Hidden away on a corner of a road that doesn't appear to have anything else to offer is this mircro farm in the city which DOES have a lot to offer. Aside from being a great place to bring small city children who grow up knowing nothing other than concrete and glass and Tesco, this is an enchanting place to stroll around even as a grown up. Little pens, tended lovingly by volunteers, house everything from Goats and Sheep to Donkeys and Guinea Pigs and mulched paths take you through garden vegetable plots growing a lot of the produce which you can eat in the cafe  at the main entrance to the farm.

We started off at the cafe and fueled up with their bacon brioche roll, served with deliciously sweet plum jam by Husband and Wife team. It's extraordinary how different home cured 'proper' bacon is from the flabby stuff I slop out of the packet at home which oozes a white liquid into the pan. 

We set off with the scrumptious sweet and salty bacon brioche happily resting in our bellies to meander around some of the animal pens. There are some donkeys, which quietly ignore everyone and plenty of Chickens (mostly rescued ex battery chickens) running around - mostly escaped from their cages, there are beautiful Ducks, arching their thin long necks and inspecting you distrustfully, Brilliant blue eyed Geese, inquisitive Pigs (see photo),  KITTENS, and a petting zoo of deliciously soft and fluffy friendly rabbits, constantly followed by a crowd of small children. 

A low barn is home to 3 skilled trades, a wood carver, ironmonger and a potters. I loved watching what they could create with their hands - and many of them offer classes if you're interested in having a go. On Saturdays the farm also hosts a farmers market, with a few stalls selling meat, fruit, veg and cheese all local, organic and tasty. 

To experience food as it should be - understanding where it comes from and how to respect it over a well priced and delicious breakfast was a lovely way to spend a morning. A recommended trip for old and young. 

The Piggy Bank

I had worked up to booking the flights. But it's actually more of an anti-climax than you would imagine, because all you do is click 'Buy' and enter in your card details and then you close your laptop and punch the air because you feel you should. The truth is, it's still AGES away.

There has however, been one noticeable effect, in that by committing to non refundable plane tickets you know that this IS actually happening and then you do the thing where you go to your savings account and do :

(savings) divided by (number of days abroad) = not enough money to even sleep in the slummiest cockroach ridden swamp pit hostel on earth

...and you realise it's time to start saving more, MUCH easier to do with a ticket under your belt. I've worked out what I think a comfortable daily spend in Brazil will be (to start with) and now I think of everything in that value - so instead of £30 for a pair of shoes - think 1 night in Brazil or a pair of shoes, it's pretty effective.

So just how much is enough for 6 months of travel?

I wanted £8k but I think it's really important to leave some money growing in a pot somewhere for your return - especially if living at your parents isn't really an option. It's good to have enough put away to put a deposit down on a flat, and spend a month job hunting and feeding yourself. I'm lucky in that I can share these costs with my partner (does make it easier) so I'm leaving around 5k at home for that purpose.

For travelling -
Pre travelling expenses : (1k)

• Insurance (£200)- Buy before the flight to make sure you're covered for cancellation! I NEVER normally buy insurance but for a long trip I think you'd be mad not too. Chris and I did lots of shopping around and found Insure and Go to be the best - make sure your getting multi-stop insurance and check if theres a limit on how long you can be away. Tailor to your needs - Chris has brought a more expensive package than me because he's more likely to throw himself off a mountain.

• Flights (£600 for me)- don't be conned into booking these too early, take the time to make sure you're flying into the best possible airport and not on a major holiday/weekend when prices go up. We researched and found that for Brazil the prices only went up a couple of months before flying so we didn't need to hurry into anything.
• Jabs (£120) For us, all we need is Yellow Fever, and even that isn't mandatory. Some local GP's offer travel jabs, and some of them are free because they don't want you bringing diseases back into the UK - But some of them aren't and it's worth researching and remembering this might cost you some
• KIT (not got yet) I'm really trying not to get swept up with the whole kit thing. I'm using an old backpack which has done me a good service and also won't have the 'I'm a new traveller look'. There are endless kit lists on the internet - personally I'm headed down the minimalist route - I'd rather buy stuff out there because you're bound to get it wrong from the other side of the world. Tech wise - I'll be going old school with a cheap phone, real books, and a disposable camera - so no biggy if the pack gets stolen.

Travelling expenses:(5k) 

I worked out what a comfortable amount to live off per day would be - this includes staying in hostel dorms, and a little money for food. For me that's £30 per day. But this DOESN'T allow for any tourist excursions, extra travelling costs or unexpected taxes. I just don't have much money, so the way I'll be balancing that out is with a hammock in safe rural areas sleeping under the stars and couch surfing - I'm pretty lucky in that going with Chris, I feel safe in doing that together. I probably wouldn't consider either of those if I were alone.