I was fortunate enough to be in London during the Olympic and Paralympic games of 2012! A truly spectacular display and such a great atmosphere – I kind of didn’t want it to end… As soon as everything kicked off here in London – it was, without a doubt, the best place to be in the world! (And of course, I got to see real-life Olympians like Nathan Adrian!) 🙂
I was lucky enough to see a few events, from basketball, Athletics, and the opening ceremony. One of the great things about these games is how much regeneration is now going on in East London. The heritage and culture (both old and new) of the local communities will also add to make Stratford a great area of London to visit!
Things to see & Do: There are many things to visit in East London! If you like Shopping, you have one of the largest shopping malls in Europe, Westfield Stratford. If you prefer to visit the Olympic site or the Orbit, these will re-open again in the coming year! From historic cuisines of jellied eels, to a greater heritage of world foods on Brick Lane from Bengali, Ethiopian, Jamaican and Chinese to name a mere few, East London can provide it all!
Top tips: My favourite is Tayyabs, a Pakistani/Indian restaurant, very reasonably priced, all food is made for you using traditional methods – my tip is to arrive early, queues are very long to get a seat, and remember if you do like a little tipple of alcohol, take your own (there is no corkage fee).
For a true feeling of East London life – be sure to visit Shoreditch,an area of East London filled with art galleries (such as my favourite Whitechapel Gallery), Vintage clothing stores (Beyond Retro is awesome!) and of course the free Shroreditch Festival, of music, foods and stalls each year around July. A great place to explore the vibrancy of East London!!!
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