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Published: August 26th 2008
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'Hallelujah' screeched the woman a few seats away, 'God will save us.' She didn't actually say how or when this was going to happen but seemed utterly convinced that it would. She, unknowingly, had a captive and unimpressed audience. She continued shouting, and I think almost singing (if that's what you call it). She was even overcome with tears at one point. It was a great performance, although sadly I don't think she was really that aware of us. The suits - charcoal grey, black, pinstriped - were trying to ignore her. Some plugged into MP3 players or IPods, emitting audible repetitive beats, to block out the noise; others desperately trying to pretend she wasn't there disappearing further into their newspapers and books. The tourists - alarmed to start with, then almost enjoying the entertainment laid on for them. The couple - too engrossed in themselves to even notice. The family - children asking just loudly enough to embarrass parents what that strange lady was doing and why she was shouting so loudly. And me - trying not to smile, trying not to stare, trying not to let it annoy me - catching the eye of a guy opposite me who
was also trying not to smile. That fleeting glimpse into the eyes of a fellow passenger was rare. It's not done to bond with a stranger on the underground so it was almost something to be savoured. In that second we had shared the fact that we found a screeching woman on the underground slightly amusing and annoying. We were glad we weren't like that - making a scene, disturbing the peace. We were better than that...weren't we?
She left the carriage and new passengers boarded the train - unaware of the events that had taken place a few seconds previously. She would be forgotten by some, remembered by others. She would be added to their 'strange characters on the tube' or 'commuter hell on the way home from a long, shitty day at work' stories that they would relay to their friends later on in the pub. It's one of those common occurrences on the London Underground and, some would say, not something worth writing home about. However, I think it's what makes London interesting - or different, irritating, amusing, unfriendly - there are lots of ways of looking at it.
I found it particularly poignant listening
to this woman. I remember the look of both pain and hope on her face. She was so passionate about what she was saying and wasn't really talking to us at all; completely oblivious to the people around her staring, laughing, huffing. It was one of the first times I'd been on the tube since coming back from my travels and I guess I was seeing London through different eyes. I'd forgotten about the characters that make it the place it is.
It's not just about the buildings, the tourist attractions, the bars. Not that there's anything wrong with them. In fact, London has a wealth of places to offer and I hope you enjoy all the photos that I've taken. The old mixed with the new. The Gherkin building from one angle almost looks like it's sitting inside the Tower of London - such different architectural styles - both beautiful in their own way. I wonder what the Tower of London thinks about all the new buildings surrounding her. Whether she approves of what's happened to her London over the years.
London is about those unaccustomed odours that afflict the nostrils. The suffocating smell of car fumes
if you stand too close to a busy road junction; the delicious aroma of coffee wafting from one of the hundreds of cafes lining the streets that makes your stomach rumble in anticipation; the sweet and overpowering smell of perfume floating out of the department stores that hits the back of your throat; the pungent intoxicating smell of dirt and sweat that tags along behind the man who hasn't washed for a few days and buzzes around your nostrils like a fly until it finally gives up and moves on.
The car horns, the constant hum of traffic; the drilling from the road works rattling your bones; the snippets of different languages that you don't understand and snatches of conversations you catch as people walk past; the silent swish of cyclists flying past to deliver yet another urgent letter or parcel; the sudden hiss of brakes from buses and the heat you feel from the engines as they drive past - the warmth an almost welcome relief on a cold day and an unwanted annoyance on a hot one. It's the irritation you feel as you stand on fresh chewing gum on your way to an important meeting. It's
the surprise and happiness you feel when you bump into an old friend unexpectedly on a busy street. It's the characters you don't want to meet and the ones you do. It's the fast pace, the excitement, the anonymity.
There's also another side to London if you get away from the busy streets. The peace and quiet of the parks and green spaces is a welcome haven. The parks are places for Londoners to watch the world go by and to relax. The stress slowly ebbing away with every breath. Watching Londoners change as they turn off busy streets into the calmness of a park is almost like watching a bottle of fizzy drink after its been opened. The bubbles race around inexplicably, bumping into each other as they charge to the top. No time for apologies. Eventually they slow down until they're barely moving and not really noticeable to the naked eye, although you know that they're still there if you shake them up again.
You can have good and bad experiences in London (I have plenty more 'tube' stories to tell - I spared you the worst one) and most days you’ll probably see something you
weren’t expecting. Everyone sees London through a different pair of eyes and there are many sides to it - many ways of looking at it. But, however you want to look at it - it's still the same place. Still the same London.
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Edmund Hornby
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Le Neve Foster!
My grandmother was a Helen le Neve Foster, daughter of Sir Clement. I guess we're related, but how? Glad you liked London. I live there. and I like it too, knowing all the places and photographs, as it is a great town to walk about and watch the theatre of life.