Just to start out complaining, what really gets on my nerves in this great city is all the „sorry“ saying. I am great friend of politeness and apologies, but here the word is used like „fuck off“. People say it all the time with no meaning behind it. When people live together in cities and even more so when these cities are as crowded as London, you will face and slightly touch other people. So that is normal and what is the point of saying sorry all the time, even when nothing has happened and the other person is at a distance, just call „sorry“ to let him or her know your bothered or something is not right. That is what it sounds like to my. But I did learn the right answer. You say: „no worries“. Anyway I am always impressed how full it is in London. You ride the bus on the upper level and pass all these stores, department stores and big hotels with huge lobbies and it is full everywhere. You see these really great looking people or couples on the bus or on the street and somehow I think, it’s like a picture that’s to full, you can’t even see the details, the individuals, well you can, but they blend into the scenery like small flowers in a landscape. In Hanover it’s more like abstract art or ikebana, every flower has space and therefore will be seen or is more noticeable.
We had lots of space behind our gated walls and a day care center below as well as some nice old cars.
I loved looking out of the windows. By day and by night.
In the morning the school kids in their uniforms would gather around four or more table tennis tables standing outside the school. Starting out with only a few it got fuller and fuller getting close to school beginn, like watching the movement of a track of ants. They didn’t have padles to play but used their hands instead. It was fun to watch.
One day I got to see the other sporting activities. Colourful round plastic plates were set on the lawn by a teacher, with no recognizable use. Then the boys would get into a push up position, meaning hands and feet on the ground holding the body weight. In this position they would face each other and purpose of the game was to try and pull one of the opponents arms away to make him fall without falling youself, holding yourself on one arm.
When not looking outside the windows, we would watch some TV. A mixture between dating show and perfect dinner, where the candidate would pick 3 out of 5 menues, someone from the opposite sex was going to cook for him or her, deciding about the date just by the menue. I loved the dating shows, even the one I didn’t see, where the women get to see the guy and 80 % want to meet him, just by the appearance and then he starts talking about his hobbies like downhill bike riding and one woman after the other presses the „no“ or „I’m out button“ until only 6 out of 20 are left.
After we found out how the heating could be switched on, it was much more comfortable in our place. Although as good German women, we do travel with hot water bottles, which we also use. After return to Hanover I actually found the right bed wear. A white, angora, woolen sweater for the shoulders, so called shoulder warmer. It is great. Every year we are impressed and at the same time make fun of the English, who wear shorts in winter and women showing naked feet in their shoes or even naked legs, just wearing a skirt in the middle of winter like it’s a summer day. They make no difference. It is something we don’t see here and we don’t understand how it works. They are much tougher, the English and I am convinced they would have also worn shorts and flip flops in Stalingrad. The way they must do it was described by Darwin: survival of the fittest. You often see a baby outside in the winter in the stroller with naked feet or a naked bald head. As a German women you get „mother feelings“, as we say and want to put something woolen on the baby, but they don’t do that, which means, if the baby is to weak, it will die and cannot reproduce. That’s the secret of being able to wear shorts all year.
We did open the gate for the garbage collectors with their garbage truck one time. They said „recycling“ and „thanks“ for opening. When we got back, the recycling garbage was still full with a sign telling you that you can’t use it, so that was kind of a mystery.
Just across the street, Shacklewell Arms, we had this very cute café with old fashioned cups and plates like grandmother style and very good coffee and also snacks, like all butter flapjacks.
Next to that was the Yoga Studio called Yoga on the lane. My sister in law and I attended one of the morning classes, where the female teacher said interesting stuff like: „feel your teeth relaxing in your gums“. I had never tried that before. To some of the stores on our list, we didn’t make it, like „Tina, we salute you“. We just stood outside, but it looked promising anyway.
Right on the corner of Mouse & de Lotz and Yoga on the lane is a small area, where you can let your dog off the leash, a small park with some old trees and a monument in the center. Since I am in love with staffordshire terrier and other familiar breads, we often stood behind the wall, which is low and about chest high and watched the dogs run around. The owner would look at the dog pooing with a round back for about 30 seconds and then coincidently turn 180 ° to the other side and see nothing. Just like my cousin theoretically asked herself the question if she would buy our apartment and what actually speaks against that, I ask myself theoretically by every dog I see, if I would like to own that dog. In Dalston it’s about 90 % yes.
We couldn’t help but notice that in other areas of London, more posh, they have totally different dog breeds, like only white dogs (racist) and lots of poodles and Westhighland terrier. Barking away, unbalanced dogs with no leadership or rules, boundaries and limitations, as Cesar would say. I do love Hyde Corner, especially the large horse head there. But you could tell the neighborhood by the dogs and we definitely lived in the right one. Not only the Dalston Superstore can be highly recommended, also it’s heaven for fans of vintage clothing. I really shopped myself happy at „Beyond retro“ and they have a café next door as well. Here vintags shopping and coffee treats with some Carribean Cuisine and Turkish fashion.
Then they have a vintage store called „Pelicans and Parrots“, which is maybe one of the best names for second hand I have come across.
Then there was Mint, also very cool and they had two matching handknit sweaters with bowling pins on the front and then a woman and a man bowler on the back. Really great. Twin set for a couple, they suggested, we pick it. We didn’t. I did buy some things, that were really necessary like a cotton bag I will use for sport activies with the words „Will flirt for gin“ in a rather blurred writing. I love it. It was really good investment.
Not all the stuff I bought wanted to stay with me. My tweedbird, a bird made out of tweed material left me on the last day, probably at the „Keu“, the Banh Mi Sandwich place. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
Right around the corner:
We also liked the cemetary we accicently came across on our first day. No kind of gardening taking place here. Just nature taking over the memories some people have left. It still must be in use, but also has old graves. The founder of the Salvation Army is burried here as well as some people who fought slavery. I loved it there. A small church was off limits and there were some young people living there as well with the suitcases next to them eating something.
The christmas tree of the fire station.
There was this really funny „moth trap“ as big as a trash can and I said to Stephan, wow, I need that for home, but how does it work. So he says, the moths fly inside and there are no clothing their, so they starve.
This was a African funeral place. Loved the plants and not only the banana, the other one, which has exploded as well….
We also liked the l´Atelier on the main street with old school stuff like boards explaning the body of a horse or some stuffed animals. The toilets have walls made out of school boards with chalk at hand so everyone can leave a message and it always changes. Good idea!
I cannot help writing: „Dalston rules“ with the pink chalk. And Dalston does rule, it is cool around every corner and different everytime up turn around. Like close to Stoke Newington station, all of a sudden everything is Jewish. Kosher store and also stores selling only black clothing and the black hats. Very interesting. I like it a lot.
Some serious moustache stuff in the Dalston hood.
My shopping results after 1 day (used clothing and cookies):
I did attend 3 yoga classes during the holiday. One is „Finding your dog“ with Natasha and is very theoretical. She shows us a lot about the right postures and what her shoulder does in this and that movement and what to anatomically correct and thanks to her anatomy, you can see every bone and muscle of her body. It’s kind of like „Körperwelten“, the exhibition using prepared die bodies. After this class we have really spicy food Indian at the Trishna, an Indian restaurant we tried for the first time.
Then I go to Mimi at Triyoga. I am a big fan of hers and tried to invite her to Hanover to teach at a yoga school, but it didn’t work out. Her class is inspiring. Buddas path of meditation. „When you’re breathing in, know that you’re breathing in and when you’re breathing out, know that you’re breathing out“. She shows us the shoulder stand using 5 blocks and I will definitely share that with my yoga class in Hanover, since the neck has more space and the whole pose is so much more comfortable. This must be a great help to those, who have problems in this pose. In the relaxation pose, she reads a poem, which a find very touching. English is such a great language for poems. The guy is called David Whyte. So a look it up at home:
The Winter of Listening
“No one but me by the fire, my hands burning red in the palms while the night wind carries everything away outside.
All this petty worry while the great cloak of the sky grows dark and intense round every living thing.
What is precious inside us does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence.
What we strive for in perfection is not what turns us into the lit angel we desire, what disturbs and then nourishes has everything we need.
What we hate in ourselves is what we cannot know in ourselves but what is true to the pattern does not need to be explained.
Inside everyone is a great shout of joy waiting to be born.
Even with the summer so far off I feel it grown in me now and ready to arrive in the world.
All those years listening to those who had nothing to say.
All those years forgetting how everything has its own voice to make itself heard.
All those years forgetting how easily you can belong to everything simply by listening.
And the slow difficulty of remembering how everything is born from an opposite and miraculous otherness.
Silence and winter has led me to that otherness.
So let this winter of listening be enough for the new life I must call my own.”
David Whyte
„In everyone is a great shout of joy waiting to be born“ or „forgetting how easily you can belong to everything simply by listening“. I love it!! While laying on my back, I examine my neck and it feels strange. I later compare it to a penis. Not really of course, but the consistence is weird and I can feel all the small, round balls, working on keeping you healthy. I ask myself, am I tolding my tonsils in my fingers? Mimi is doing a retreat and I am a bad listener and say: Oh Umbrian in Italy. I later see on the flyer that it is actually in Mexico so that is not really close. Anyway, I’m not flying to Mexico for Yoga classes.
After that yoga class we met up for the Nopi, all six of us on the birthday of Halina. They also had restrooms worth a shot….
We did visit markets, with some old stuff and some handmade stuff, but especially lots of food.
Very delicious Mexican food and Shrimp Burger and Vietnamese coffee in large cups for 1,50.
This guy gets angry as I take a picture of his „property“, a children’s tea set, vintage for 120 pounds. I can’t afford to buy it, but at least wanted to take a picture. I say, well I am just a tourist and making pictures for happy memories and private purposes. I didn’t see any problem. Then he turns nice and wishes me a nice stay in London.
We also find the new trend snack. Fried and crispy Kale, we know it from stews, but in London and New York it’s the new potato chip. For Stephan we finally do buy some vintage clothing at „Dandy in Aspic“. The same guy we met there last year. Really like him. Must be a pain in the ass working in your own store 7 days a week and no sun light just loads of tourists every day, like the movement of the ocean flooding them into your store and you have to be nice to them all, funny and friendly and in a selling mood. There was a moustache flash mob. The first one I attended but only 8 people took part, so I think that doesn’t count.
Loved the market around Dalston Junction. More food from exotic places that doesn’t make its way to good old Germany. Plantain. Looks like banana and more of that stuff.
At the station, which is London overground there is this stand up comedian. He takes the mic and comments on the stuff going on. I hear a voice coming out of the speakers „we have a baby in the house“ and I’m like looking around, where is it coming from and how can he see it. CCTV in operation? And then a see the guy on the other track with the microphone in this hand just enjoying his job and making it fun for himself and everyone else.
We did get a great suggestion to visit the Sketch. I love this place. I was worried that a had ruined the plate, after eating my sandwich and the writing was messed up, but it was just a stencil writing made out of beet juice jelly. I really like the looks of that place, furniture and lights and pictures on the walls as well as the way they serve the food!! Even some Italians ordering the Tramezzini like sandwiches with a nice cup of tea instead of coffee. It tastes even better, actually. I guess they know that too. Stephan wanted the banana porridge, but it was ten past 12 and the were only serving breakfast until 12, so 10 minutes too late. He choose the mac and cheese with a double espresso instead.
We also did High Tea in a fancy place. We had made a reservation already. Next time I will do it a the sketch as well. It’s more my style.
We did have a Gin and Tonic almost every evening and they taste well. My sister-in-law and I sat in a booth at the Dalston Superstore as the young male with moustache approached to ask if we were having some food. We booth simultaneously chirped „gin, gin, gin“ like little hunger birds. Order at the bar, was the answer. You can even have Gin and Tonic watching a movie. „Double shot?“. We saw Don Jon and I loved it. Scarlett Johansson with a New Yorker accent chewing gum non stop. Great acting. Julianne Moore did a great performance as well and also the message of the movie I found very true and well explained. So, if you have a chance to see it without a terrible German translation, please do so.
Here we just watched the scenery on the ice…
I loved the department store christmas decorations at Selfridges I took a picture of almost every window. Winter landscapes of different kinds.
The lighted shopping streets…
T
Then there was another store with animals made out of vacuum cleaner brushes and espresso cups. Very well done! Love it!!!
Maybe the most embarrassing thing was us mixing up the stores, but those with brand names. So Halinas boyfriend works at Ben Shermans. So Stephan tried on wax jackets at a Fred Perry store, so he might get a replacement for the „Club RTL“ jacket from the fair, he got for free about 100 years ago and it looks like he is a security guy at some porn shop. Then asking for a retail just to find out, he can’t help us out, he works at the other Fred Perry, Ben Sherman. How can you explain that to the young people? Dementia? My only excuse is that I always mix up Mercedes and BMW as well. There is no difference to me or it’s hard to tell. I guess it’s the same here, although I do know that the Fred Perry sign looks like. Whatever! I like the boyfriend because he knows that washing clothing will ruin a lot and this at young age, so that is very sympathetic and wise as well. He tells my cousin, you’re not supposed to wash jeans. She looks like a car, as we would say in German. By the way, literally translating words and sayings is very funning. As we hear an announcement, „the bus is not stopping at the next stop“ Stephan says: „are they spinning?“ and I almost pee my pants.
Great Indian Food at the Cinnamon Kitchen.
Our waiter is this young guy from Berlin, who has lived in Moscow and Iran and is only 25. It makes me sad to look at the lunch offer for 7,50 pounds and with a flavored lassi for 10,50, which is laying on Stephans desk. I would love to do that, but I can’t. I will write them and ask for a store somewhere in Germany, because they will have no one to match up, so it will be an easy game and we will come anyway, Berlin, Hamburg or Munich. The only thing I am not jealous of has to do with Turkish kitchen. Like East London has some Turks and late night stores and a hamam, but when I see the baklava places, I get really confident about Hanover and really think we can kick ass even compared to London in that area at least. So that does help getting over London.
I still have a 2 shilling coin in my wallet. Somehow a got it for change and thought it was 2 pounds. It’s old money you can’t use, so I might put it on the train tracks in front of our house and see what happens.
On the day of leaving our suitcases are heavy with Sainsbury shortbread and Lonsdale sport bras. Stephan decides to put down his moustache, like aggressive dogs are treated on the Cesar Milan show or at least they refer to it that way. We leave the packed stuff in the apartment and head for our last adventure. Fortunately Halina picked the Keu for the last Vietnamese sandwiches of this trip.
We also visit Halinas place and the street behind it with a monster store, where they sell Jam, called Brain Jelly or earwax and everything looks very old-fashioned and cute and that’s just enough to run a business, just ordinary stuff with a good package. We have the Westminster Abbey on our list. I end up paying 108 pounds for 6 people, so that’s 18 pounds admission for a church!! They do have headsets, also in German so we visit the famous graves of Mary Stewart of Scotland and also the poets corner and hear Schubert songs as well as a Gregorian choir.
We have a last Rooibusch-Tee at Mouse and 2 flapjacks and then the place is closing and I ring the door at James place. He is the guy doing the check in and check out. My sister in law had told him, that we want to meet at 4:44, strange time, but these Germans. Then I get really nervous and want to leave earlier, so he says, „you’re early“ and then: „I like your bindie“. He is very relaxed and believes us, that we didn’t smash up the furniture or tv. I tell him, he has to let us out and wave goodbye. No, because of the gate, we wouldn’t have a key anymore. He says, there is a trick to that, but it’s too late to learn tricks for the Independent Place now. Who knows, maybe next time.
I did love the patterns on the public transport…
We also loved eating at the restaurant that sounds just like my office. They’re doing a great ceviche. It was incredible.
The Vietnamese food from the first evening (Cay Tre). The aubergine that looked like a vagina. That’s what I said at least twice and I’m not implying anything about the banana dessert!
Nice London skies:
My zebra in London without the new bone decoration (I will show this later)
and Stephans frozen riesling
I am eating my cranberry tablets from Boots (3 for 2) every day. My zebra for 50 pence from the Charity shop has a really cool environment now, since friends of ours brought me lots of bones from the woods, hollow ones that have been cut with a saw, you can see the marks as well as a jaw with teeth, it is triangle shaped and probably belonged to a dear. Next to the thin zebra made out of coil, it looks like a friend of his. I will definitely make something about of this arrangement. In exchange the friends got shortbread from Fortnum and Mason in a nice tin with a stag and deer and nice checkered prints showing castles and hills in Scotland. I don’t have to keep everything I buyed.
We eat cookies and cheese, we brought back every day and think of all the places we were. I like the idea of writing in English. It will keep me in practice for California next year. I call myself butterpuss then, I guess.
