A Bittersweet Afternoon

As most of you know I spent the fall of 2009 attending UCL in London as a semester abroad experience. My semester in London singlehandedly changed the entire direction of my life and is the reason that I am now studying at Royal Holloway. During my time there I learned how to truly be independent, think on my feet, and to create a beautiful and new existence out of almost nothing. I established friendships that helped get me through the lurking loneliness and came away with one of the best friends that I could have ever asked for in Heidi. All in all, the fall of 2009 is a golden time in my life and one that I will forever look back on with a pang of nostalgic happiness.

This being said, the place that became like a second home to me was Farringdon Road. This was where my flat was located and where I spent endless hours roaming the streets and corridors of Islington. I loved my neighborhood and I found such utter tranquility living there. The days always seemed brighter when I could look out my window and see Londoners heading to work for the day or popping over to Exmouth market to grab a take-a-way. I enjoyed slowly melding into the folds of everyday life in the city.

I decided that since it had been nearly two years since I last lived at Farringdon that it was time for me to revisit it. On Monday I took a trip down memory lane and arrived at Farringdon station (which is undergoing massive construction at the moment in preparation for the 2012 olympics) and took off down the street that I grew to know so well. 

Our local pub

outside my old flat

I spent the noon hour in Exmouth market, a street nearby where vendors set up vans and stalls selling food during the work week to workers in the area, and had a salami baguette and a samosa.

I then decided to walk up to the Angel area which has a beautiful old high street on the way up full of deli's, butchers, flower shops, and produce markets. It looks like what I imagine London looked like at the turn of the century when people still had locally owned vendors that they went to for all of their different needs. While you can still find this in places like Italy or France, I struggled to find many areas of London with as many shops of the kind in the Angel area. Needless to say, I would give anything to be able to live here again.

local shops in Angel

After my visit to Angel, I headed over to UCL where I visited the campus as well as the Waitrose grocery store that I used to shop at. I then hopped on the tube and picked up a book at Waterstones near Piccadilly Circus. At this point I had been walking for something like five hours and my hoofs were tired and aching. I had been told by my housemates that the four storied department store Selfridges was worth a visit and being near Oxford Street I decided to make a pit stop there. Selfridges is similar to a giant Nordstroms and while it has floors and floors of designer bags and perfume, cookware, clothing, and shoes, it also has a food hall. It is more of a food goods hall selling products from all over the world (including Skippy peanut butter, oreos, and pop tarts which I just about died seeing). I figure if I am ever in need of some rare ingredient for cooking American food I can probably find it at Selfridges. I decided to freshen up with an afternoon tea break and sat for an hour calmly enjoying my tea and eclair while watching through the window the pedestrians swimming through the busy high street outside. 

tea at Selfridges

in the cafe

While exploring the food hall I also decided to check out the new Pierre Herme macarons counter. Ever since visiting Paris for the first time I have fallen in love with French macarons. Because these little cookies are so delicate and difficult to make, you rarely see them outside of Paris or France. I was ecstatic to be able to take home a sampling of such flavors as creme brulee, mint, grapefruit, and sea salt caramel. I bought seven different kinds and once I got home I popped them in the freezer so that I can slowly enjoy them for several days this week. It was a perfect end to my visit to London and soon after, as it was beginning to get dark, I headed for Waterloo station and onwards to Egham. 

Pierre Herme Macarons

My day revisiting the past was indeed bittersweet and left with a quiet sadness for what cannot be again. The past is in the past and while one can always attempt to revisit, one can never quite recreate it. I enjoyed seeing the sights and sounds of my old neighborhood and hope to one day be able to live near there again. My current plans are to apply to schools in London for my doctorate and my visit Monday reemphasized how much I truly miss living in London. The city invigorates and energizes me in a way that no other place on earth does and I look forward to creating new memories there rather than simply lingering on old ones.