Hot & Cold

MY COFFEE PIT-STOP IS NOW AN ICE-CREAM STALL

I recently did a walk across the Olympic Village and posted about it for the Pinmapple community. In there I mentioned taking a pit stop at what used to be my regular coffee fill-up station. To my surprise, it had become an ice-cream stall - Ice Cream Dessert Club. Luckily for me, they still serve coffee, so I took a break from my photography walk to recharge and refuel, just like the old days.

It had been two years, at least, since I had last visited the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A lot had changed there. If not for the Stadium and some larger structures like the swimming pool building (I'm not sure what the official name is), the place had become almost unrecognisable. There is a very nice calisthenics set that has been installed there that made me wish I still lived in the area.

I ordered the usual - black Americano. I sat down under the shaded area and took a quick sip and immediately spat it out. It didn't taste bad, quite the contrary. It just burnt my tongue. It was some of the hottest coffee I ever sipped. I don't know why it was hotter than usual - perhaps their machine heats the water to a higher temperature than usual, I don't know. Maybe this was their way to get people to buy ice cream 🤣

I ended up sitting there without drinking the coffee, because it was too hot, watching people go by. It was a moment of nostalgia. Back in the past I'd sit and watch the water flow by in the canal and enjoy the empty sky space ahead. It was a rare thing back when I lived in the area to have a clear sky to watch, so the Olympic Park was a place I went to experience the decluttered skyline. Not anymore. The skyline is full of towers and construction cranes now.

The park was also celebrating 10 years since hosting the games in 2012, so signs to that effect are dotted around the park - so there was a lot of pink there. Pink was the colour of the 2012 olympics.

I ended up not actually drinking the coffee at the pit stop at all. I instead carried it with me for half an hour on my walk and eventual sat down at Hackney Wick near the canal water there to enjoy a less lethally hot cup of coffee.

Now, it wasn't artisan coffee by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it was the generic stuff you get at places that serve coffee, but are not necessarily a coffee place primarily. Having said that, however, this was marginally better than average since they were supplied by "Street&Co Coffee" who at least provide quality Arabica beans that they claim to be "100% hand-picked".

Ironically, because the coffee was so hot and I didn't get to drink it in time, I ended up drinking it near where would have been my second pit stop and is amongst my top 5 favourite places to have coffee. As such, I didn't get to go that time and would have to return to the scene at some time in the near future ☕️

Peace & Love,

Adé