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as days went by in my life in a small and cosy flat on a quiet street somewhere close to Cișmigiu, one of my dearest places in Bucharest, I had absolutely no idea how Alexandra Palace looked like on a sunny Saturday morning. I did not even know precisely where it was on the map. I was completely unaware of how the smell of food from around the globe lured tens of thousands of people to the Camden stables market every end of the week to try its surprising tastes.
I had no clue about how long a trip by boat from Westminster Pier to Greenwich would normally take, or how that journey to the very top of Primrose Hill, splendidly placed in one of Regent Park's corners, would offer such a breathtaking reward to a pair of extraordinarily patient eyes. I never imagined the existence of a ride on the Emirates air line, with its storm of emotions and unparalleled sights, nor the overwhelming sound of music from a concert at Sommerset House in the middle of July, piercing your soul like a pin that goes through a thin piece of paper and caressing your ears in the same way the evening summer breeze would touch your face.
I was a complete stranger to how meeting someone in Tate Modern could undeniably change your life, just as I was to the flavour of a cappuccino in a small café in Wanstead, or to the sight of people queueing in a very orderly fashion whilst waiting for a bus in Finsbury Park. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the way Wembley sounded like the moment 90 000 spectators would stand up to sing God Save the Queen or how Covent Garden looked like full of people celebrating a royal wedding.
call me an ignorant, but I did not know that, by entering Spaniards Inn, you step into another age, or what treasures you can end up finding in a tiny charity in Crouch End. believe it or not, I did not know cool Old Street, posh Hampstead or green High Barnet, just as I did not know busy Clapham Junction, touristic Westminster Bridge or elegant St. Katharine docks.
but, somehow, all this has now changed. all of these and so very many others more have been and are still part of my everyday life and I honestly could not conceive my life without them. thank you London. it's been 4 magical years so far!