Discovery day

Celebrity sightings and other wandering adventures

Earlier this week I had one of what I call my ‘discovery days’ when I go to a new place and walk around to see what I can discover. Post-pandemic, these kinds of days usually leave me unable to sleep as a result of overstimulation from all I’ve seen and taken in. However, this time I discovered if I walk waaay too many miles, I will collapse at the end of the day and sleep like a stone. It worked this time, anyway.

Pete was spending the day lecturing and meeting with colleagues at Queen Mary University of London, so I went wandering. Our hosts recommended a couple of places in the Shoreditch area that I hadn’t been before (I know, I’m very late to the Shoreditch scene), so I got off at a tube station and started walking. My rough goal was to visit Spitalfields Market at some point, and maybe see Leadenhall Market.

But first, my usual tactic is to just start walking. I walk with purpose like I know where I am going, but I very specifically do NOT. I head towards the street where I see interesting buildings, and then maybe where it looks like there are people moving around doing things (shopping, constructing, getting coffees, etc), or even where I might get a glimpse of something else that is interesting. It is not methodical at all. I look up, I look through fences, and take the time at stoplights to plan my next move. 

When I get tired, really lost, or the neighbourhood seems like maybe I should go somewhere else, I look at google maps on my phone to find the next place to aim, and/or find a cafe to stop in and get a coffee or tea and plan my next move. 

This morning’s wander I managed to walk under several of the enormous newish buildings including the Gherkin and the SalesForce Tower, and relish the warmth of lovely old brick and stone buildings including the venerable Bank of England, and several old churches tucked between the steel and concrete. I also stumbled unplanned into Leadenhall Market; even though the shops were all closed, I wandered through and ticked that off the mental list for now, but I want to go back again. I managed to look up and wonder at the light reflecting off shiny glass buildings, and through it all enjoy the juxtaposition of the very old and very new. That is always one of the delightful pleasures of London.

After what turned out to be randomly increasing circles, inadvertently retracing my steps and over an hour of wandering, I found myself a bit tired, cold and incidentally, near a very yummy looking Italian cafe. I looked in the windows and there were lots of people having business meetings as well as a random assortment of others enjoying coffees inside--perfect. I ordered coffee at the centre kiosk and only one croissant, and found a lovely little table to enjoy my drink and catch up on some correspondence. This table just happened to be in a little alcove of colourful lights and lots of on-sale chocolate. Oops. 

It turns out the coffee stop was very near to Spitalfields market, my other ‘goal’. So, after a bit of a rest, feeling restored and refreshed, I headed out for my next wander. Spitalfields is a large covered market space filled with stalls showing all kinds of goods. On this grey February Wednesday, the traders were displaying mainly fashion items, such as delicately woven scarves and shawls, repurposed and cleverly designed T-shirts and jackets, a range of silver, gold and semi-precious stone jewellery, and leather purses, belts and wallets. Most of the products didn’t look mass-manufactured, and the colours and textures were mesmerising. There were also an astonishing assortment of food stalls, with names like “2 Nigerian Boys” “Nilly’s Turkish Kitchen” and “The Indians Next Door”. I took a few spins around the various rows of traders, and then got distracted by some bright lights and a cluster of people I could see across the market. 

When I walked up to the group, and peered through the crowds, there was Gary Lineker, who, if you don’t know, is a quite successful and well-known footballer and current (and longest running) host of Match of the Day. For my US readers, football is soccer, and you may have seen Gary on NBC Sports, or possibly on the TV Series ‘Ted Lasso’. There is an episode in Season 2 of Ted Lasso, ‘Beard After Hours’, when Gary Lineker and Thierry Henry ‘commentate’ on Beard’s life on and off the football pitch.

Anyway, Gary was surrounded by a backdrop of bouquets of flowers (?) in reds, whites and pinks, and seemed to be posing with one after another person holding these bouquets while photographers clicked away. Afterwards the people in each photo walked away with the bouquets. I am guessing it was a promotion for the flower company in the run up to Valentine’s Day, and maybe people were paying for the bouquets and the chance to get their photo with Gary? Who knows! As you can see there were way too many people to get close enough to even ask questions. Celebrity sighting: tick. Seems to be a nice guy: tick.

Gary seemed to be enjoying himself and was very friendly to everyone he posed with as well as cheerfully waving hellos to other people. 

Later in the afternoon I passed another set where they were filming something, although both times I walked by, there were bright lights and only the guards just hanging out chatting, so clearly the actors weren’t there just then. It was the front of Shoreditch Church, and the adjacent Crypt building that was the setting, so if anyone is aware of what show that might be, let me know!

Eventually I wandered further into Shoreditch to a Museum that had been recommended called “The Museum of the Home”. Because the focus of this blog is roughly on thoughts about home, I was particularly interested to see this museum’s interpretation of home. London has such a long history and I have such a lot to think about from my visit that I am planning to delve into this museum and what I observed and learned in another blog. 

Other Shoreditch scenes from my wander

Late in the afternoon, exhausted from all the walking I stopped for a quick cup of tea and to rest my tired feet before heading back to Queen Mary. When I arrived, the academics were deep in discussion about a river restoration funding opportunity they are considering to extend work they have been doing in the London area. We had diverted a few times on our walk to the University this morning to observe various daylighting and ‘improvement’ schemes on urban rivers that they had either been part of or had students involved with. Looking at rivers is part of my life, and being in the middle of a densely urban area just makes the context a little different. 

Due to the train strike, we needed to take transport home that was another 20 minute walk from the campus (and because I needed more walking!). As we walked through Mile End and Bow, a densely populated part of the East End, and the dusky light was settling around us, I looked up as we approached a busy intersection to see a large fox, striding confidently off the pavement/sidewalk to slip behind the first row of cars waiting for the light to turn green. 

Honestly, it felt magical. In all that busy rush hour traffic, to see this gorgeous fox the size of a small Labrador braving the urban craziness was a sign of grace; time (and my exhaustion) stopped for that moment. 

It kind of summed up the day really: no matter how many things we humans do to adjust the world - building and adjusting and modifying our space - all of the world’s creatures still need food, and homes, and places to do our work, whatever that work may be. Humans make cities filled with concrete and glass structures where we can live and work, and roads for cars to move around. But we still seem to gravitate towards the pocket parks where you can see living things growing, and water flowing. The human-scale warm brick buildings are a relief from the harder surfaces of glass and steel. Markets where we can find woven and crafted natural products draw us in and delight us with their artistry. Food grown by people rather than manufactured in a factory tastes better and fulfils us.

And still the foxes find their way through the traffic and the loud horns and engine noise to find their food, and their homes, and to make their way amongst us, hidden until we catch a magical glimpse. I, for one, am thankful for their fleeting presence as it reminds me once again to be thankful for the grace amongst the noise; the old and sturdy, surrounded by new.

Happy February everyone! I am so happy to be moving into the brightening days with more light and a smidgeon more warmth. Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

Cheers,

Sabrina