I take your entrance back... can't let you roam inside my head (Pearl Jam)

Westfield's Stratford City Mall, London, with SWMBO's happy place!

Monsieur Gros in his book A Philosophy Of Walking says 'one always walks in silence'. Specifically he is talking about walks out in the country where the cutter of city noise is left behind and where 'all is calm, expectant and at rest'.

Recently, during our holiday break in norf London we've been taking the superb London Overground service from Canonbury to visit  the Westfield mall at Stratford. 

As you'll see from the photo, it's quite big - spread over four floors - there are over 30 places to find food alone.

Mr Gros would hate it! We went before Christmas - dumb dumb dumb - and it was a mad cacophony of noise and thousands of shoppers. We've been a couple of times post school getting back in session and it's now a manageable place to visit. 

Still, he wouldn't like it! Chatter is all pervasive - a wash of murmur that grows as more people arrive during the day.

Gros on chatter - chatter deafens: it turns everything into nonsense, intoxicates you, makes you lose your head. It is always there on all sides, overflowing. running everywhere, in all directions.

Hard to argue with him but I don't actually mind it too much - voices become largely indistinguishable - everything blends and after a while the brain just accepts it and blocks a lot of it out. Then the only thing that comes through are the ones with louder voices close to you. Some English people have piercing voices!

On our first visit (before Christmas remember so PACKED) a women started yelling close to us after we went from Marks and Spenser's to get to Zara. She was pushing a stroller with a couple of other kids in tow. 

Clearly her boyfriend/ husband, whatever, had done/said something she didn't like. Very loudly she started telling us all about it, passionately and LOUDLY shouting ' you're a f-ing wanker, a f-ing wanker. Everybody - there's a f-ing wanker in the mall!' And then she really let him have it. 

We did our best to slink away - hard given the relentless press of people and attendant body spam.

Clearly Christmas is a stressful time!  Remind me never to go to a large city mall before Christmas day again, okay. Instead - a long walk in the country sounds just the ticket.

Love and peace - Wozza