We're back b*tches! Life's been good lately. I've come to London to wrap up a couple of last experiments for my PhD. But even with this twist, the challenging idea that I will not finish the thesis in the following centuries still remains in my head, amen (you never know when God is listening in case she wants to help with the writing). Once Ari said that God is a woman and if Ariana says so, then that's it. I imagine myself with the trembling voice of an older woman "and the results I have obtained in this experiment are...". Disclaimer: you should never ask a caffeinated PhD student when they are going to finish their doctorate (it is an unwritten rule). They may go mad at you.
Here in London I live in an apartment that's both nice and dodgy. I don't know how these two opposite words can merge to describe my site so accurately. I live in the Borough area, in a residential place where more and more tourists are creeping in as we leave behind the winter solstice. It is an incredible area that has become very popular since the stablishment of the Borough Market back in 1756. However, its origins date back many centuries. Trading in Boroguh became popular in 1550 and since then, it has survived several fires and policies that were positioned against it due to the disturbance it generated in the streets.
Following the course of the Thames from Borough to its mouth, is one of the most beautiful streets in London, Bermondsey Street. Full of charming cafes and bars, it even has a fashion museum, which, looking at its façade, seems to be under the sky of Los Angeles. The rooftop palm trees that have survived thanks to climate change add to the Californian vibe. However, even in Victorian times, back in the 19th century, Bermondsey has been associated with the brown, dirt and mud of the docks. English writer Charles Dickens described the wooden houses here as dirty, with stained walls and decaying foundations. It may not have been the best place to have a picnic, but today the district is full of cozy, old-fashioned shops, nestled next to others that appeal to the area’s chic new residents.
In the same direction of the water along the banks of the Thames, is Tower Bridge, often confused with London Bridge. Tower Bridge is characterized by a much more sophisticated architecture and features a lower horizontal walkway opening mechanism. On the walk (the favorite of the few runners in central London), are often seen traveling families, workers leaving the financial City of London behind, solo tourists and people who have made the walls of the bridge a place to take refuge from the wind and cold.
After coming across so many faces with distinct features forgotten during the pandemic, I head home. I walk slowly, with coffee to go still in my hands, as if I never wanted to arrive. I go against the current of the river, which tonight lies calm keeping afloat HMS Belfast, a museum ship of the British Royal Navy, spectacularly illuminated to pay tribute, and to remind all who observe it of the greatness of the English in the waters that surround and protect them.