Amarcord: About streets, bridges and clocks.

È stato un weekend molto lungo in Belgio, cominciato giovedì: ne ho approfittato per rivedere, finalmente, K. e M., dopo quattro anni dall'ultima volta che ci siamo viste tutte insieme. E sono ripassata per certi posti, e alcune cose sono sempre uguali, altre completamente diverse, un po' come capita di solito quando passano degli anni che sembrano ere geologiche.

Il blog nacque appena mi trasferii a Londra e sebbene ad un certo punto sia partito alla deriva, qualche cosa che mi fa piacere rileggere c'è: allora ogni tanto, aspettatevi un po' di amarcord.

[Originally written: 16/09/12]

I was walking towards my bus station, after work, and I was along my street.

My street has nothing which is particular; it is not even so nice, right now, because of some works that are doing on a building.

My street is behind the Lyceum Theatre, so nobody cares about it, because the interesting part is at the opposite side.

I can't even remember the exact name of my street.

But my street is MY street.

It is the one that I walked through the last four months, almost every day.

It saw me at half past six in the morning, in both directions: going to work or coming back home.

It is the one that I know most.

And it is going to be one of those that I will miss most.

You understand that you really lived in one place when you know that you are going to miss things and places that most of the people do not care about, or do not even know; and you will miss them because they were yours, they were there when you were looking around to find something familiar, something that could calm you down when your mind was running too fast, when you felt a little bit lost.

They were those that made you feel home, whenever you were not sure of being in the right place of the world.

So I am not going to miss the noble, classic clock of the Big Ben, but the vey simple one of the Shell Mex House: the one that I look at every day, most of the times thinking "I am too early. Again.", sometimes "What the hell, I have FIVE minutes to go to work".

I am not going to miss the London Bridge, or the (horrible) famous Tower Bridge, but the Waterloo one, my bridge. That bridge that I decided to cross on foot when I was overthinking, or when I had a cold beer in my hand and just wanted to relax, or when we were going back home after a fun night and we said "Let's cross the river on foot!".

[And, let me stress this: there is the best view of London, from the Waterloo bridge.]

I am not going to miss the shopping Oxford Street, but I am going to miss my street, which is so important that I do not even need a name, for it.