FrancoisMaignen: London

Thursday, 6 June 2024

Stratford

Walk the line!

Look around! Unexpected things can surround you. I was at work in Stratford when I visited the Olympic park shop which is near our office in London. There was a map, called the Line. It was advertised as a walk, along the Lea river from Stratford to the O2 in Greewich displaying some artworks by Anish Kapoor (ok, I can see this one from my desk), Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst along the Greenwich meridian. Oh! Going from East to West around the planet in less than 1 meter!!! ... I invited Caroline to do it. We had a lovely, peaceful time along the Lea.

The Line is absolutely amazing ... It took us some time to find the start of the walk in Stratford. Not easy, my topographic skills are rusty, the olympic park is quite big. It's a maze, we did not know where to start. The map does not help but we found the way (without Lao Tzu's help, thank you!). We found our way. Pit stop, Bow, the 3 mills: tea, coffee, scones.

It was sunny with a light breeze. Happiness is a fine weather especially when I am with Caroline. Anish Kapoor is quite obvious to spot. Tracey Emin is quite discreet but worth the visit. Then you can admire Damien Hirst when you arrive in Greenwich.

The line reminds you that our planet is (approximately a sphere). We walked 8 may be 10 kilometers on the stone but it feels as if we had a lovely time of peace and quiet in an unspoilt area of London. I strongly recommend you to walk the Line.

Infomration and map available on the Line website. The Line. You can also find all the information about the artwork displayed on the Greenwich peninsula on their website: The Greenwich peninsula.