AUGUST 2021

IN LOVE WITH LONDON

BY ANGELA ZAHER

August 27, 2021

As summer 2021 draws to a close, I am reflecting on how it has been compared to past summers. The words “unprecedented” and “like no other” have become a cliché over the last 18 months, I can barely stand hearing them. I am aware how privileged I am when I say that it’s our first summer in as many that we have not jetted off to the airport armed with too much luggage for a fortnight somewhere exotic, “exotic” here means with a guaranteed dose of summer sun. As disappointing as it has been not to feel the warmth of the sun on my bare skin, swim under bright blue skies and dry off within minutes after, gorge on peaches and tomatoes that have soaked up the Mediterranean sun and not lost any flavour through travel (this last I found the hardest to cope with), it has also been rather lovely. I have instead renewed my love affair with London. 

Anyone who reads my weekly blog on Instagram about food and life but mainly food, will be aware that I am deeply, unashamedly in love with London where I have lived for over 20 years. I did not grow up in this city but moved here for study and work after I graduated from university in Wales. I instantly fell in love with its energy, its buzz and bustle. I could go to the Edgware Road and order my food in Arabic, my mother tongue. I could walk around the streets of Holland Park and Kensington and gape in awe at the mansions sitting side by side with council housing and end up on the Portobello Road where stalls might be selling antique furniture for hundreds and thousands of pounds next to bric and brac 99p ones. London felt alien but intrinsically familiar, vast but cosy. It drew me in and I wanted to know more, to explore its wide streets and narrow alleys. I have been exploring ever since. 

Despite the many years I have lived here, and the extensive effort I have put into getting to know London, I feel I have only just scratched the surface. One lifetime is nowhere near enough to go much further than that. London consists of 32 boroughs and is currently home to a population of just under 10 million. It has a long and engaging history which has been most beautifully documented in Peter Ackroyd’s “London: The Biography”. I have been listening to this being read out by the rich, resonant voice of Simon Callow (if his voice was a smell it would be melted chocolate). But it’s not just the history of London that I find so entrancing, it's how it keeps on changing, there is always something new and exciting to discover. And it is full of delightful surprises. 

Staying in London this summer means that I have once again been able to delve into its cavern of treasures. Some of these require some effort in seeking out, hunting down and perhaps, getting lost in order to stumble upon a lucky find (i.e. resist looking at your phone).  Inspired by Lara Maiklem’s “Mudlarking”, I went to visit Eel Pie Island in Twickenham. Its name was enough to get me hooked and I had to see it for myself.  In the 1960’s, it was the site of an inn which housed a club that was a major venue for jazz and blues. It is now a private island with artist studios, housing, watersports centre and a boat yard. Whilst there, I wandered along the accompanying stretch of river as I have found that the whole character of the river changes depending on where you are along it. I was intrigued by the sound of gushing water and followed the path round to see where it came from. I turned a corner and was blown away by what I saw.  There in front of me was a large fountain with life size statues of winged horses and sea nymphs (known locally as “the naked ladies”). It was a surreal moment. I stood there blinking trying to take it all in. The statues were carved from the Italian white marble Carrara and it was thanks to a group of residents, headed by a spirited lady called Elizabeth Bell-Wright who in the late 1980’s raised sufficient funds to lovingly restore them to their full glory. In that little story lies the heart of London. The majority of people who live here take great pride in the city, we look after it so that it can look after us. 

The Thames itself has been a major attraction for me this summer, in fact, it’s a constant in my life. It’s only a fifteen minute walk away before I can enjoy the restorative effect seeing it has on me. There is something about being close to the river, it puts me in a happy place instantly, in fact it’s almost a physical need. If I have gone for two days without catching a glimpse of it, I get fidgety. There is so much life to see on the river as it flows by. The ducks bobbing up and down keeping a close eye on their ducklings, the geese who love moving in straight lines whether they are in the air or water, the herons on the look out for a poor eel for their next meal, the cormorants diving into the water for an unnaturally long time, leaving me to second guess if, when and where they might reappear. In my opinion, the Thames symbolises all life in London, our great melting pot, everyone busily going about their own business but happily co-existing, at least most of the time. 

For a deeper immersion in nature, I have been going to my nearest common which is Wimbledon Common. There are over a hundred registered commons in London ranging in size, when you combine these with the parks, heaths and communal garden squares (I can’t think of a garden square without that scene in “Notting Hill”of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant clambering over the high fence coming to mind), Londoners have a bounty of green spaces. The pandemic has meant that many of us have rediscovered them and sought out solace there as well as perhaps achieved a strengthening of family and friendship ties. For me, walking in the common, admiring other people’s dogs (wondering if one day I might take the plunge myself), the wildlife, flora and fauna is a reviving and life affirming activity. I have also had some of the best conversations when walking with a friend or family in the wide open space that a common affords. I suspect it’s the lack of eye to eye to contact and the fresh air that seems to facilitate this openness and soul searching. London has a big reputation for being glamorous and glitzy and it is all that in places but it’s also down to earth and offers an abundance of simple pleasures. 

Finally, the one single event that prompted me to write this love letter to London, was going to an open air (free) concert held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 15 August by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) directed by Simon Rattle. Whereas I am not a classical music afficionado, when I spotted a billboard advertising it a few days earlier, I realised how long it has been since I have listened to live music and felt compelled to attend. I am so glad I did. We were treated to the debut live performance with the LSO of the 14 year old British-Chinese violinist Leia Zhu. Her extraordinary talent and the emotion she brought to a piece by Saint-Saëns wowed the stunned crowd. It was also the first performance to a live audience of the LSO East London Academy (ELA); a group of young musicians aged between 11-18 who come from backgrounds under represented in professional orchestras.  Accompanied by the LSO, they played a world exclusive called DreamCity by Ayanna Witter-Johnson.  Ayanna was inspired to compose this piece by conversations she had had with the young members of the ELA on their experiences of lockdown in 2020. She states that “we are all linked through our experiences of living in one of the world’s most active and engaging cities…”. Listening to it played in Trafalgar Square, surrounded by other Londoners and tourists from all backgrounds, families, groups of friends, people who planned to be there and others who happened to be in the area and were lured by the beautiful music, the piece really communicated the energy of this city and I could tell from the faces of everyone around me, that we were all just so happy and privileged to be there to witness it. As I walked away from the square, somewhat suspended in a dream-like state thinking of how unifying this emotional and joyful performance was, I felt truly honoured and grateful to have spent my summer in London. I am not blind to its flaws but like with any other lover, its spirit and heart have won me over and I am smitten. 

Angela Zaher is a freelance Lebanese- British food and fiction writer. She was born in Beirut, Lebanon but has lived in Brussels and in Hong Kong making her home in London for over 20 years. Her two passions are food and writing and she has been dedicated to both since leaving the legal profession. She believes that you can eat your way to good physical and mental health. 

To follow on Instagram: @angela_zaher