Saturday 13 February 2016

London, my London


Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club’s headquarters, White Hart Lane, stayed behind as I cycled on, on this – already – pretty warm August summer morning. My three-stadium bike tour was just getting going. Haringey’s High Road morphed into the A10 at Bruce Grove train station and the smooth surface gave a much-needed respite to my calves and legs.

Before you arrive at Stamford Hill, Stamford Hill is already coming out to meet you. Even before you get to the traffic lights on the intersection of Clapton Common and Amhurst Park, this north London district’s distinct feature makes itself known to the visitor. The conspicuous, high-crowned-black-hat-wearing, frock-coat-sporting Haredi were out en masse. To see them was to transport oneself to 18th-century Europe whence these strictly-Orthodox Jews apparently originated. It is estimated that more than 20,000 Haredi live in this five-ward area of London. Their solemn-looking demeanour concealed a feverish, almost demented passion. I was aware of their ecstatic approach to praying, even if I had never ventured into one of their synagogues.

N16 is also renowned for another more recent, gentrification-related phenomenon. To some, the demarcation of Clapton Common to the east and southeast, all the way to Victoria Park, southbound Stamford Hill itself (including when it turns into Stoke Newington Road and eventually into Kingsland Road), Commercial Road to the south and Essex Road to the west, constitutes the Hipster Republic of North, North-eastern and Eastern London. Unfair, some others might say, after all, not everyone in Shoreditch or Hoxton has a £5-a-bowl cereal for breakfast or wears checked shirts. However, the label has stuck and the deeper you go into east London the more heavily hirsute mugs you come across. Ironic beards, never forget the irony.

I did not go down that way on this day for my date was with two other stadia: Arsenal’s Emirates and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. To reach the former I turned right on to Manor Road at Stoke Newington train station. A sensuous ease took over me as the combination of the late-morning warm sun and a – now – downhill trajectory allowed me to soak up my urban surroundings better.


An Arsenal fan: probably still waiting for another title... 12 years on
This was provincial London in almost-the-centre-of-the-city. The N16 postcode changed into N4 as soon as my front wheel crossed Green Lanes to get to Brownswood Road. Cars were advised to slow down as this was now a 20mph zone. Speed bumps became ubiquitous. Roads narrowed further down. All that was missing was a donkey-drawn cart to take me back to the trading days of the Nag’s Head market in the 19th century. I do not know if any other major city in the world has the same knack as London of conveying intimacy, even when I knew I was getting closer and closer to its sought-after, much-visited tourist hub. These were not the suburbs anymore. N1, Islington is a tourist attraction in its own right with two main hubs, one, Islington itself, around Angel tube station and the other one, in Nag’s Head indoor market. I was only a short distance away from the latter. I had arrived at the Emirates, Arsenal Football Club’s stadium. I was still, however, on enemy territory. The sun had reached its zenith and the temperature was fast climbing up to the 30s. I needed to get away quickly, not only because on taking the photo accompanying this post people took me for a Gunners fan, but also because I still had to find my way to SW6, Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge. The next stage of my bike journey would take me through central London and along the Thames, a ride I was really looking forward to.

©2016

Next Post: “London, my London”, to be published on Tuesday 16th February at 6pm (GMT)

30 comments:

  1. I'M ENJOYING YOU BIKE RIDE THROUGH LONDON, AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE THAMES.

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    1. This whole bike tour was a wake-up call for me. I have lived in London for close to 20 years and I have been around a lot. And yet, there is always something new to find and discover. More to come! :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  2. Echoing Stephen Hayes. Temperature in the 30s? I didn't know London did that.

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    1. It does indeed. On this particular day the temperature must have been 31 or 32 by the time I got to Stamford Bridge. Luckily on the way back I went through the West End. That's yet to come! :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  3. I find gentrification projects interesting. Have seen some wonderful ones in both Washington D.C. and NYC.

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  4. lol I hope no donkeys are ever needed, then you'll have more things to watch out for than speed bumps

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  5. Hey Cubano, it is very fun to go on these road trips "with you." I am not enough of a football fan to know much about the different teams--I've heard of them. And I had not heard the term Heredi. (Am I spelling right?) In New York, we have Hasidim in various locations. I used to live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where there was a little neighborhood, and ironically, I live near the town of Fleischmann's in the Catskills now, where there is another little group. One feels always a little surprised as the people dress so beautifully and look as if they are coming from another century--or two. There are Lubavitchers in both places who were furred hats and knickers. And it goes with a certain ecstastic approach to religion, as you say. Anyway, London is certainly a hub for many. Thanks. k.

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  6. While you write about riding your bicycle in the torrid heat of last summer, I sit here reading your words with a midday temperature of minus twenty-one Celsius. Quite a contrast. Not many bikers out hereabouts these days, but a few.

    It would be interesting to know your views regarding the significance, if any, of the gathering of the earthly trinity composed of Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis and Raul Castro in Cuba the other day. The world is becoming intricately interesting again.

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    1. The first word that popped into my head when I read about the meeting was a German term: "Teufel". I have no idea why. Perhaps becuase I was reading an article in German at the same time. The Lord works in mysterious ways! :-)

      Greetings from London.

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    2. As a descendent of the 1918 teufelshunde, I am in agreement with you, CiL.

      But, I wonder if triumvirate might have been a better choice of words.

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  7. I really enjoy riding with you. Using a word like 'demented' in regards to any distinct group of people makes me uncomfortable. Just wanted to share that as I consider you a friend. Wishing you a fabulous weekend!

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    1. Agree with you on the use of the term "demented". However, in a figurative way, it means "out of control", or "losing self-consciousness". I have used it on myself to describe my state of mind when I am teaching an Afro-Cuban dance workshop and it is working well. There is a frenzy, a madness to it that I cannot describe. In fact, good music makes me "demented" in that sense. I do take your point, though. Written language and the ways we interpret them are tricky to navigate.

      Thanks for your comment and appreciation.

      Greetings from London.

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  8. I found this particularly interesting, especially about the Haredi. I had no idea they still wore those outfits. My knowledge is sadly lacking.

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    1. They are a close-knit community, very much keeping themselves to themselves. I have been around this neighbourhood several times. I buy my "mate" tea from a healthy food shop on Cazenove Road. There are a couple of yeshivas on either side of the High Road.

      Greetings from London.

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  9. Hi ACIL - your bike rides are great for giving us flavours of London life - the Jews have had a chequered history here in the UK, as too elsewhere ... one sort of wonders why there was little tolerance. It's a strange mix .. and some time I hope to get some basic ideas ... we have the Rothschilds who no doubt were great at business, but were philanthropists, and interested in all things ... they started the Society for the Preservation of Nature Reserves; Rembrandt (I've just learnt) in Amsterdam in the mid 1600s mixed happily with the Jews ...

    30 degC .. it is hot - and we have our moments for hot weather .. riding bikes would be very puff making. You will find loads to write about - and if it's hot .. not travel too far! Fascinating about the Nag's Head - I'd never heard of it ... I wonder about it's earlier history - before the 19th C ... it looks to be a wonderful area.

    As you say about London - so much is hidden away, then what can be seen today, and what is buried or found just under the surface ...

    Love the snippets - happy Spring riding is to come soon .. cheers Hilary

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    1. I have already seen signs of spring on one of my bike rides a couple of weeks ago. I still need to sit down and put my thoughts on paper. Of all the cycle journeys I have undertaken in the last six or seven months, this one was by far the most enjoyable. Not much of city, I'm afraid, more of London countryside and M25 border. :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  10. Oh Stamford Bridge ... The scene of so many Saturday afternoons in my teens, standing (we stood then) in dreadful weather and yelping my head off!

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    1. That's nice to hear. This was the next stage of my journey and one I enjoyed thoroughly. I must admit that the ride was very, very smooth . Fulham Broadway was a welcome sight in the midst of the summer heat.

      Greetings from London.

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  11. I enjoyed coming along on your bike ride!

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  12. Great description on this bike ride, filled with vividness and longing. How are you doing? Have a nice week and greetings!

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  13. Enjoyed your little bike tour. i am a cyclist too, and i think i would enjoy your itinerary. Our roads here are not too friendly for bicycles, but we do have a good network of cycling tracks for the parks.
    i am a Gunners fan (yes , we do follow the EPL over here) and i hope this is the year they will get the title. :)

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    1. Oh, can you? :-) Anyway, good win today. I think you will probably win the title this season.

      Greetings from London.

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  14. I think a combination of walking and biking is the best way to get to know a city. Horse-drawn carriage would be nice too but not nearly as practical. You are an excellent tour guide, sharing the flavor and vibrancy of your beloved city.

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  15. Tan solo he estado unas horas en Londres con lo cual poco conozco de la ciudad aunque bien pude darme un buen recorrido, pero me imagino lo que debe de ser poder dar un paseo en bicicleta y recorrer algunos barrios.
    Un abrazo.

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  16. Thanks so much for the virtual tour. You should consider writing a guide book!

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    1. I might be! :-) It wouldn't be a guide book, though. I don't think I would be suitable for that and there's too much competition. better than my writing, I can assure. :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  17. London is such an interesting place and soccer is so British! They really love it with a passion. I have attended a match in London on a cold and snowy day and enjoyed the atmosphere.

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  18. Gosh...what I wouldn't give for those temperatures here today!
    Can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your vividly described trips, CiL. As I read, I can clearly picture the changing scenes in my mind's eye...and I long to be there physically too.
    I am really looking forward to your ride along the Thames...it is probably over 20 years since I last walked there...:)

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  19. Love taking a ride with you! It's hard to believe London is so hot this time of the year.

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