The Charming Covent Garden / 迷人的考文特花园

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Covent Garden is one of my favourite places in London.

Located within the busy streets of the West End, Covent Garden is London’s main venue for some of the world's best theatre and entertainment. Apart from the multitudes of shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants scattered around, the street entertainers there are also a welcome addition too! Every time I pass through this picturesque part of town, I just love soaking up the colourful and historic atmosphere in and around the famous Covent Garden.

So today, I would like to take my Steemian friends to visit this beautiful place with me! Upon arrival to Covent Garden tube station, you will come out directly onto James Street. Not even one minutes walk heading down the sloping street, you should reach the well-known Covent Garden's The Piazza.

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The various markets situated within Covent Garden are very popular hot spots. The most famous one is Apple Market which opens seven days a week, filled with unique stalls selling handmade goods such as jewelry, prints, antiques and beautiful crafted cards.

Over on the south side of The Piazza, there is Jubilee Market. This is literally a "gem" of a place. Mondays caters for antiques lovers whereas Tuesday to Friday is more of a general market with household goods. Saturday and Sunday are reserved for custom-made crafted gifts, mainly for curious tourists looking for some distinctive, unique accessories.

As you must have gathered by now, Covent Garden is a great shopping venue, packed with a variety of shops and boutiques. From fashionable clothes retailers to make-up and traditional book shops. Everything you can think of, Covent Garden will probably be good for! Or for a more relaxing evening or afternoon, you can just explore all that historic beauty this cool place has to offer and also check out some street performances at the same time. Many of them are really very talented, I must say!

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While you are here in Covent Garden, you must try Ben’s Cookies. They are the best! To be honest, I am not a "that" big fan of cookies but this cookie store made me change my mind real fast. The smell of the freshly baked cookies will automatically draw you near to the store.

The cookies themselves are quite big in size. I also love the fact that they are not perfectly round or even, each one being a slightly different shape as they have that "homemade" feel. The taste is simply out of this world! Soft and warm, just melting in your mouth!

The shop serves a great variety of cookies here, including the classic white, milk and dark chocolate chunk, ginger, Raisin, peanut butter and more besides. My favourite though has to be the coconut cookie and Triple Chocolate Chunk. The chocolate chunk even has dabs of soft melted chocolate concentrated in the middle! Just so exceedingly rich and scrumptious!

The cookies are sold by weight but they so provide gift box options as well. You can get a box of 5 with 2 extra ones for £8.95. Not cheap but totally worth it after your first bite. The perfect snack as you wander the rest of the markets!

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There is a large area in the middle of The Piazza between the shops, where people can take a rest and eat yet more great selections of food. It is also the ideal spot for street artists to come and perform in front of the relaxed crowed. You'll find many of the "best" ones located there.

Covent Garden is one of the most popular tourist places in the whole of London. And it's easy to see why given the range of things to do and stuff to see. What I love most about it is the nice mix of street artists, market stalls, cafes and shops. Always busy and bustling with activity, this is one landmark in the heart of London you won't want to miss.

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考文特花园是我在伦敦最喜欢的地方之一。它位于伦敦最繁华的西一区，聚集了众多世界一流的剧院和娱乐场所。这里也是伦敦最热门的景点之一，有品牌汇聚的店铺和历史建筑物，以及热闹的街头艺人表演。每次经过考文特花园，我都特别享受这里艺术多元化的氛围！

所以今天，我要带大家来看看这个非常有特色的地方！从考文特花园地铁站出来以后，就是 James街。往下坡路步行不到一分钟，我们就来到了著名的考文特花园广场。

考文特花园是一个综合集市，拥有非常悠久的历史。最著名的是位于考文特市场大楼内的苹果市场。这个一个从星期一开到星期日的跳蚤市场，淋漓满目都是卖手工制作的摊位，有珠宝，古董和精美的卡片等。它不像传统市场在室外，这里顶上建有一个巨大的玻璃天幕，所以无论是晴天雨天大家都可以尽情地逛，哈哈！

而在集市大楼的南边，还有一个露天的禧年市场。这里售卖的货物每天都有所不同，星期一是迎合古董爱好者； 而星期二至星期五则是普通的家庭用品市场；星期六与星期天以手工艺品为主，以迎合众多游客的需求。

据说原本考文特花园是一片牧场，后来被改建成为了雅致的意大利式广场！而今，这里被许多独立精品店，时髦的服装店，传统的书店，以及特色餐馆环绕着，简直是购物人士的天堂！这里另一个特色是特别多的街头艺术表演者，有人把自己全身涂成金色或扮成木乃伊，也有人表演唱歌。市场每天都洋溢着欢乐的气氛！

如果你在考文特花园，一定要尝尝这里的Ben’s Cookie，他们家的曲奇饼是最棒的！以前，其实我并不是太爱吃曲奇饼。不过这家饼干店让我改变了想法。新鲜出炉的饼干，热烘烘的味道，相信没有多少人能抵挡得这种诱惑，呵呵！

这家店的曲奇饼比外面卖的个头要大，而且并不是完美的圆形，每块饼的形状大小都略有不同，让我感觉这更像是自己家里做的一样！新鲜出炉的曲奇饼真是无敌，趁着余热咬一口，浓浓的椰子味里夹着奶香，松软酥脆，太美味了！

店里供应有多达20种不同的口味，包括经典的白巧克力，牛奶巧克力，黑巧克力，生姜，葡萄干，花生酱等等。我最喜欢的是椰子味和双重巧克力块。值得一提的是，巧克力曲奇饼入口即化，中间还有浓浓的巧克力夹心，大家有机会一定要来尝一尝，呵呵！

Ben’s Cookie 是按重量来出售饼干，也有提供数款盒装优惠，比如说买一盒五块曲奇饼另送两块，也就是多买多便宜！吃着美食，继续逛市场，太幸福了！

考文特花园广场中间有椅子，让游客们逛累了可以坐下小憩或享用食物。这里时不时会有街头艺人的精彩演出。

考文特花园是整个伦敦最受欢迎的热门景点之一，一个相当富有情调的地方。我最喜欢这里热闹的集市，精彩的艺人表演以及特色美食。这的确是伦敦市中心的一个地标，大家有机会来伦敦可不要错过这里哦！