“Aguafuertes Inglesas”- December 2007
Day 1
“Urban angels have blue eyes”
… I guess I still see myself walking through the streets of Russell Square.
I arrived to London on a Thursday rainy night in December. I didn´t know where to go. I was at Luton airport and asked for somewhere to stay in a centric place. I can declare I was assigned the elegant zone of Russell Square by pure chance.
I had to take a bus, a train and a metro to arrive to my place.I will never forget the gentle Sir that carried my suitcase in the bus and train. He had those beautiful blue eyes, those trembling diamonds full of water, those kind of eyes that make me feel a strange peace, a mirror of spleen, or a connection with some old forgotten charm… The incredible was that he helped me without asking me first. He seemed to be there for me: he had grey hair, was dressed in a blue suit and his appearance was the one of a typical business man, he was like an urban angel to me.
He got off the train before me. I was nervous, so the outskirts were dark and cold for me. I didn´t know what to observe first. I felt confused…
When I arrived to King´s Cross station I found a nun on my way: she was dressed in black and seemed very serious. She was kind to me…
I finally arrived to Russel and started asking for Compton Place street to anyone.I felt desperate about finding the hostal. I was tired and excited.
The zone was marvelous: old, elegant, with fences here and there, stairs, parks and rain, rain, rain… over me, over everybody.
Someone sent me to the opposite place, so I had to walk a lot until I found the right address.
It was about nine at night. Some shops were open. I even entered to pubs just to ask.There he was serving drinks: this blond-as-gold-guy with that difficult accent that reminded me to the Manchester one. He gave me an important clue. I went out of the pub knowing I was very near. I thought about catching a cab. Left driven old strange big black cars would have been another adventure for me, but I decided to continue walking. This time there was a tall dark hansome fella walking on that park under the rain. He finally told me the exact direction I had to take. I arrived to “The Generator”. It surprised me the glass with the blue light outside. The front of the place had one of my favourite colours!… I felt like home…
“Miss Victoria, are you ok?”
One of my first impressions is related to black people living in London. They are not like any other black people I had seen in other places. They are always smiling. The guy from the hostal reception was so kind… He was busy as hell. The place was overbooked -I suppose a city as London is always welcoming tourists- but he observed me, looked worried so he took the time and asked me many times: Miss Victoria, are you ok? I never found warmer and nicer words that these… I needed so much to hear something like that… He even went upstairs with me to show me were my room was. (I was so nervous and tired that I couldn´t find it alone on the first time).
A funny thing happened in the second hostal I moved. My room was downstairs and the bathroom was shared and upstairs.
I went upstairs to take a shower and when I finished I went downstairs all wet covered with a red towel to enter to my room. In the reception there was this another black guy. He looked at me and automatically laughed when he saw me because the manager of the hostal had entered to my room to do the cleaning.
Anyway: I won! I entered to my room to dress me up in my exclusive Scottish dress!.
Day 2
“knights from fairy tales”
The second day I moved to another place. I went to “Goodwood” bed & breakfast on a street called Tavistock Place.
That morning I visited the British Museum (an amazing big place with all the stolen pieces from Rome, Greece, Egipt and more).
I later went to see “my” guys: the changing- guard at Buckingham Palace, but first I saw the horse change. I walked throught those beautiful parks on my way to the palace. (some tourist said “this is the park where Madonna comes to do jogging”, and I thought “wow, she has good taste!”. The squirrels played around. I had never seen them so close!
There were also pelicans but I was scared when saw a black crow on a tree. When you see things like these, you remind yourself that you are in a city full of mistery and scary things. No matter the normal life you see on the streets,
technology or modern ways of life… That city, its inhabitants and arquitecture leave a macabre stamp on your thoughts when you least expect it.
After the Buckingham ceremony I walked through Hyde Park. I couldn´t believe the guards were so nice to the people: they smiled and said things when near the fences. I really have to say I had never seen so perfect and handsome men in my whole life. They looked like knights from fairy tales. You really enter to another epoch when you are there.
This was the only sunny day and people went by through Trafalgar Square happily and relaxed, so did I and entered to the National Gallery. I took many buses that afternoon. When I was on one of those typical red double floor buses (“double-decker buses”) you see on the movies,I received a phone call I didn´t expect and that made me feel very happy.
The paintings of the National Gallery are amazingly colourful. To be there it´s like tasting delicious plates from different places, but you taste them with your sight. From here to Oxford street: an amusing block of shops, people and souvenirs. London. Lond-on: bright lights, style, crowns and punks.
The typical red phone boxes everywhere!
“You will be loved in Camden”
An unexpected visit came to my hostal, so I spent the rest of Friday with him: Leceister Square, Covent Garden, a dinner in Soho,Buckingham at night, Victoria Station… The night was extremely cold so I was freezing! he gently gave me a scarf and hat I still have and this was another gift for me.
I couldn´t believe so many persons that didn´t know me at all were so gent to me. I felt protected and welcome all the time. We took many undergrounds and buses together. Walked a lot. Hand in hand. Arm in arm. It was a surprising adventure for we both. I will never forget that day and some nice things I heard… He seemed to think in a loud voice: “the way you are dressed…”
“you will be loved in Camden” or “they will love you in Camden” (I don´t remember the exact words), “yes… you like music” and he smiled…
(…)
Whatever happens to his life I will never forget this walk. We were probably two strangers but we were important for the other just for some hours of our lives and that´s the sparkle, that´s the miracle.
Day 3
“Mixed emotions”
In the morning: British museum again… Picadilly circus in the afternoon. What a lovely zone… I bought some souvenirs in a street market.
Went back to the hostal, went to a cyber, went to the hostal again. Received another unexpected gift: a phone call from my friend E.!from the USA. I was shocked! After this I took the tube to Camden. I wanted to see where was this place to go the following day.
Many emotions. Mixed emotions. Many beautiful things, faces, advertisments, walks, words, clothes…
Day 4
“Camden Queen”
According to the previous opinions I received about me and this place, I will name myself as a “Camden Queen”, (and you will deduce why).
I arrived to Camden Town on Sunday morning and fell in love with the place at first sight. It is that kind of places where you find all the non official, all the strange things you could never even imagine you could find.
It is a zone with pubs, punks, markets and people from everywhere. It is under, it has sweat and smell. It is different. It is like a scream: if you are not in conformity with the world, you must visit this place. So much life as death. It is intense.
I spent many hours visiting the stall markets. I bought exclusive clothes -as usual- and avoided to see many music stores because I couldn´t resist so many emotional impacts… that place it´s a paradise!
After a long while I was so tired… I took the tube and went to the tower of London… the famous site for famous historical prisoners… The sea under the tower bridge is macabre… you see it and you imagine a suicide. The sky was grey and started to rain again…
That rest of the afternoon I spent it at Victoria Station and later at Luton…
What can I add..? In London my name´s everywhere… on the buses, on the underground, on the train… Charles Dickens´ museum was almost round the corner of my hostal but I couldn’t go due to lack of time.
At five o´ clock life finishes on the streets. Everybody seems to be at home or in pubs. The view from my hostal was amazingly beautiful! Everything was a page of a fairy tale mixed with a Dickens chapter: working class, multicultural people driving buses and at shops. Many accents, kinds of food but only one last adjective:
“Elegant”
How much a heart can hold…?
I post below the lyrics of a Pet Shop Boys song. This is my gift for anyone reading my blog. This is my MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all:
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-Many Thanks to Helen for travelling with me! |
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