London Diaries #2

 It's Wednesday evening, which means that my second week in London has officially ended. This was a very tiring week: I had a lot of work to do for my thesis and I also had some events to attend here in London that I had booked. This was a week that taught me to slow down and try to enjoy the city and carry on with my work while still finding the time to rest. In fact, even if I managed to do things that I was very excited about and that resulted in amazing experiences, having such busy schedules slowly led me to not having the energy to keep up anymore.

On Thursday, I still had some research to do at the Women's library, so I spent the whole day there to study and write a few pages of my dissertation. I felt really tired having to spend so many hours at the library, but I had to stay until the evening, because I had to attend a very magical event close by: a ballet at the Royal Ballet and Opera House! This was a dream of mine and I can't emphasize how much of a magical experience this was. It was the show for the centenary of the school, and it included a series of choreographies made for the event, in addition to some passages from some iconic ballets, like Manon and Swan Lake. This was the most mesmerizing experience I had in London and I will treasure it forever.

On Friday morning, I had another very exciting experience to attend, so I prepared my lunchbox and then I headed to an event of the Bloomsbury Festival. It was a very interesting embroidery workshop, where I managed to learn some techniques. I would actually like to dedicate a specific post to this event, so I will not spoil much, but it was, indeed, a very enriching experience. In the afternoon, I went to the British Library to study, but I had to leave the library early, because I was starting to feel the weight of the last few days and I got to a point where I didn't have the energy to keep up with work anymore. That afternoon I understood that I needed to find a better balance.

This is why on Saturday I decided to stay at home in the morning and I continued to write a little bit of my dissertation in my room. After lunch, I went to the British Library again, this time not to study, but to read a poetry book that I couldn't find anywhere else and that I requested from the archives. The book is Dyke Jacket and it's a collection of poems written by Fran Winant, a not much-known author who wrote about her life experiences and emotions as a queer woman. Getting in touch with her inner world felt really precious, and I'm glad I got to read her work. Afterward, I went for a walk around Bloomsbury, as I hadn't explored this quarter yet. I went to look around in two bookstores, Gay's the Word and Skoob Books, and I just walked around the area and its parks without a destination. I was a very relaxing walk that really helped me to clear my head.

On Sunday I really needed a rest day, so I decided to stay at home, study and clean the house a bit, but first, I went on a walk as soon as I got up. It was a sunny day and I wanted to enjoy the nice weather a little, so I walked around my neighborhood until I reached Regent's canal and then I went back home.

On Monday, I felt recharged and it was time to go to the British Library again to keep working on my research. This time I decided to spend the morning at home and only go to the library during the afternoon, as I had noticed that spending the whole day there to study was starting to drain my energy and affect my productivity. 

Tuesday was a very emotional day for me. It was finally time to visit a new library and this time I went to the SOAS Library in Bloomsbury; this is my favorite among the ones I have been to. I really managed to focus well on my work and the library is very beautiful as the desks are in front of big windows that allow you to see the park outside. What I actually enjoyed the most was the fact that this library is very close to Tavistock Square Gardens, the park situated in front of Virginia Woolf's former house. At the end of my undergraduate, I had written my dissertation about her and her book To the Lighthouse, and she remains one of the writers I'm most passionate about. It was so touching for me to have the chance to walk around the same park where she used to take strolls too. I sat there to eat my lunch and I also managed to see the blue plaque on her house. It was such an emotional experience and I can't wait to go back to this library to have the chance to visit the park again.

On Wednesday, I still tried to balance my study time with some time to explore the city, so I wrote my dissertation at home in the morning and after lunch I went for a walk in Marylebone. This is such a nice area, full of parks, cafés and traditional houses. I went there to visit the Wallace Collection, a museum that I enjoyed a lot. It's a collection of paintings, handicraft and armors all exposed in the former townhouse of the family of the Marquesses of Hertford. So, in addition to the extraordinary decorative arts, the setting is also fascinating. The most famous painting that you can find there is probably The Swing by Fragonard, which was mesmerizing to see in front of me. Other than the paintings, I really enjoyed the porcelains and the inlaid jewelry boxes. This is a very beautiful museum and I really advise you to visit it if you ever come to London. Afterward, on the way home, I went to take a look around Daunt Books, a bookstore in Marylebone that I find very lovely. I didn't manage to find the books that I was looking for, but I still loved looking around and discovering new books.

As I moved here on Wednesday night, my second week in the city ends here (even if we're actually in the middle of the week). It was a week full of new experiences that I am always grateful for. I can't wait to discover more of what the city has to offer, and I will try to balance my time better to make the most out of this experience.

- Ambra