Southbank: For Cultural Arts and Food
If Central London accumulated most the city’s historical landmarks, the other side of London showed a more dynamic scene.
After spending a night at my uncle’s place, I took the Elizabeth Line towards the city centre. On the next stop, a group of school children boarded the train, breaking the morning’s silence with laughter and chatters. They were accompanied by two teachers and one first aider. The female teacher applied thick makeup and wore a fashionable long coat. I would never imagine Malaysian teachers rocking thick coat or cat eyeliners.
“Where are you going?” I heard the guy next to me asking the children.
“To the museum,” a child replied. They probably were not aware of stranger danger, or they were fine with talking with strangers without precautions. Then, they moved on to having a passionate discourse on breakfast and dinosaurs. The guy left, leaving an empty seat for the children to occupy.
The train was idling. Sometimes it halted midway before it could reach the station. The curious and anxious children were tired of waiting, even though the first aider explained to them the previous train had malfunctioned. It took a whole to reach the Tottenham Court Road station, where I had to transfer to the North Line. The children and teachers too left the train to reconvene before heading towards the nearby British Museum.
Waterloo, Couldn’t Escape If I Wanted To
I once thought Paddington, King Cross and St. Pancras stations were impressive with its busy traffic. Waterloo Station was another level of spectacular. The wide-stretching platforms made navigation and transfer easier, unlike the stations in Reading or Guildford. Above the ticket machine was a row of digital boards updating the upcoming departure time and platforms.
Among the lively station with people wandering around or rushing to board the upcoming train, no one seemed to bother about a group of static individuals in one corner. The bronze statue depicted a family of three in travelling clothing and luggage, commemorating the Windrush Movement in the 1950s, where Caribbean families moved to the UK.
Heading out the exterior I met Victory and her comrades-in-arms. Poppies were lined around the entrance to commemorate the fallen soldiers in the wars. Surrounding it were the posters of The Crown with the new casts for Season 5, notably Imelda Staunton who played the late Queen Elizabeth II (I still can’t escape her role as Dolores Umbridge) and Elizabeth Debicki who bore an uncanny similarity to Princess Diana.
Winter Market in November
I might have arrived a little earlier than expected. There was still a small gap before the food and book market began operating. Taking a walk around the riverbank gave me a new scenery and discoveries in London. Take the majestic London Eye as an example. I just realised it was near to the Waterloo Station. People were queuing up, desperately waiting for their turn to have a 360-degree view around the city.
The way UK people celebrate Christmas was the same as Chinese people playing New Year songs in the middle of December. Traces of Halloween pumpkins were long gone, being replaced by green pine garlands and glittery baubles. Winter markets had been popping up around the city like mushrooms after rain, even there was one right under the Hungerford Bridge. Muller wine and gingerbread were the spotlights of the season, but other goods like old maps or handcrafted scarves were equally eye-catching.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall was a venue reserved for world-class performance and international exhibitions. Exhibiting Southbank’s appreciation towards arts, surreal clay and metallic sculptures were displayed around the outdoor walkways. The building right beside was the Royal Festival Hall, where they had an archive of poetry collections. As I walked further, a skate rink full of expressive and neon-bright graffiti underneath the hall’s terrace was an unexpected encounter. Such a mismatch of highbrow artistic platform and mass entertainment had become a norm in the City of London. People could either enter the halls to enjoy artworks that were worth millions or stay under the sun to spectate the skaters challenging themselves to perform slick flips and jumps.
Never Depend Much on Google Maps
As much as I love to rely on Google Maps to navigate unfamiliar territories, this app can be cuckoo.
While looking for the Book Market around Waterloo Bridge, the app first directed me to go up the stairs to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in order to reach Belvedere Street. Walking down the street I would reach the bridge near the King College London’s Waterloo campus until the app said, ‘You have reached your destination’. There was no sight of books, but buses and cars dashing towards the heart of the city.
How strange.
I cast my phone aside and looked around the area. It was neither at the opposite of the bridge nor the centre of the bridge. That left to one possibility: under the bridge. I went back to square one and spotted a small crowd gathering around rows of tables. I went for a closer look to find second-hand books laying on neatly on top of the table.
I felt like a fool.
The Book Market sold second-hand books for as low as two pounds. Fiction titles ranged from Sci-Fi to historical, and Terry Pratchett became a genre of its own. I knew the writer from my Fantasy module which we would read one of his books ‘The Colour of Magic’. Unfortunately, I could not find a physical copy among the wide range of Pratchett’s works. There were hardcovers that had survived for a long history and vintage records for exclusive collectors.
There was a lack of non-fiction titles on the table. I was about to leave until an old man fished out more books from a locked chest. Who was this man? Santa? And how did he store all these books safe overnight in the middle of the busiest city in the world?
Street Food from All Around the World
If you would like to have a taste of street food in London, South Bank Food Centre would be the ideal place.
The colourful tents spreading across the area reminded me of the Tuesday bazaar in Notts. There were Japanese katsu don, Caribbean delights, Indian curry, and coffee. There was a Sicilian stall full of triangular pies and pasta, but my attention was drawn to the round fried balls. I learned their name: arancini and bought one with the mushroom and cheese filling. After I bought my daily dose of caffeine, I sat on the bench and bit into the crunchy ball. It tasted like Japanese onigiri but covered with breadcrumbs. As I reached near to the hollow centre, my teeth pulled out a long string of cheese. I had fallen in love with this new street food.
Obviously, that small treat was not enough to fill my belly. Time for more food.
I had my eyes on a dessert stand with banana and strawberries. I asked for a banana and strawberry skewer dipped in rich dark chocolate. The seller asked if I would like to add other chocolate flavours, but I refused. Dark chocolate was sufficient. An extra layer of golden crunched hazelnut on top was like adding a layer of cream on a frappucino drink. Once the chocolate drip had solidified, it would stick on the paper tray, making it harder to pick the skewers up. I picked the fruits one by one in an ugly fashion, while being careful not to drop anything on the ground.
Heading Back to Guildford
Truth to be told, travel around with a backpack full of clothes can be exhausting. I spent the last hour wandering around Waterloo Station and bought dinner along the way. Watching the updates flashing across the board, I waited for the call for the train to Guildford.
“Calling for Guildford at Platform 2.”
There was my cue. After scanning the digital ticket, I made my way to snatch the best seat near the window for the best view. I read my book while waiting for the train to progress. More people came in and it was a little hot in the carriage, yet the train did not bother to move.
What’s with today and delayed trains?
The reason we were stuck was the train conductor had yet to receive a signal to travel past the next station. We were trapped for over forty minutes, and the train only budged like a snail. Once it reached the next station, the travel back to Guildford was smoother.
Date of Visitation: 18 November 2022
Southbank Winter Market
Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm (daily)
Address: The Queen's Walk, London SE1 8XX
Southbank Food Market
Opening Hours: 12 noon to 9pm (Fridays); 11am to 9pm (Saturdays); 12 noon to 6pm (Sundays)
Address: The Queen's Walk, London SE1 8XX
Southbank Book Market
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 7pm (Wed to Sun)
Address: Waterloo Bridge, 337-338 Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX (under the bridge)