Tags
We’re back from London! It was a fabulous trip, though we completely exhausted ourselves and all I want to do is sit in a bubble bath for 3 days. But London–of course I was smitten. Didn’t you expect that? All the wonderful things I’ve heard were true, and then some. It wasn’t even that expensive, which was a worry. We highlighted the free museums, and managed to find great deals on food. Then we spent everything we saved on pints of frothy beer. Because hey, we were in London.
We were blessed with amazing sunny fall weather the first few days, and then traditional fog the last two, which was exactly how I would have chosen it. By the end all we did was sit in pubs anyway. I have scads of pictures and thoughts, so I’m going to break it up in to a few posts over the next few days. So stick with me!
A walk along the South Bank
For today’s posts, some general pictures and thoughts on London. It was a weird feeling to be there, to be honest. I’m used to traveling to foreign countries and seeing totally new things and cultures, but London felt…familiar. I didn’t realize how much of British culture I had soaked up, but everything felt like I’d seen shadows of it before, and it was all recognizable. It was crazy to be in a place where Charles Dickens wrote his stories and Queen Victoria lived, and every street we walked down had a plaque with another famous name on it. This is where things happen. To a point, the English-speaking world centers on this city.
Because I’m a child of English heritage and culture, I felt like everything was somehow mine. All the famous characters of Ebeneezer Scrooge, Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan, James Bond, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter lived in London, and you would be hard pressed to find a native English speaker who hadn’t heard of any of these characters (ok, maybe besides Doctor Who). I guess I’ve just never thought about how much London has seeped into my consciousness. I imagine that anyone from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand could relate to me, but I wonder if a child from France, Germany, China or Indonesia would feel quite the same way? Is it special to us English speakers because it influences our culture so much, even in the United States? Or are those stories so popular that even non-native English speakers would feel a sense of familiarity in London? Anyone with any insight, feel free to share your opinion!
A lampost straight from Narnia, and Peter Pan's statue
No matter where it came from, I enjoyed that feeling of being in a place that was home to so much of my culture, because even in Paris I felt like I missed out on a lot of things by not speaking the language. British English may be different from American English, but at least I can read every single plaque and sign!
Now that I’ve been, I’m sure that I’ll notice London even more in movies, TV, and books, and every time it comes up I can say, “I’ve been there!”
Coming up: some of my favorite museums, a trip to Liberty of London, and the delicious places we found to eat and drink!
Wow! Your photography skills are right up there with your aptitude for verbal expression. Your blog feeds my visual senses as well as my imagination. Love it! Love you, too. 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it! I’m not gonna lie, I was a little worried!
What fantastic photos. I have never been to London (unfortunately our European adventure has been postponed due to major changes happening next year), but to me it is a place that we in New Zealand are expected to travel to. So many mid-twenties New Zealanders take off on their OE (overseas experience – do you use that term?)to London for two years as though it is their right. And maybe it is. The first Europeans to discover NZ were Dutch but it was the British who truly made their mark on our country when the treaty of Waitangi was signed.
I guess, in my opinion, NZ is connected to London not so much through arts and culture, but our colonial heritage – we are still part of the Commonwealth afterall, the Queen is essentially still our governor.
I personally have never had a strong desire to visit London, or Britain at all for that matter. I have always been more attracted to the European continent. Paris, Barcelona and Florence invoke far more excitment in me. I think the foreign language is part of the intrigue. I completely understand the frustration of not being able to read about what you are looking though. It is even harder in a country like Japan when even the alphabet is different!
I hope my rambling thoughts make sense to you. Can’t wait to see more photos!
They do make sense! I’m similar in feeling more attracted to continental Europe, I think because London was just not foreign enough. But it’s definitely worth a visit! I hope you can still go on your trip, so sad to postpone it.
Did you try our jellied eels?
Slightly better than the Dutch herrings. 😉
Eek, I missed out on those! Maybe next time… though, I should try Dutch herrings first! Or maybe I’ll just stick with cheese.
Yay! Knew you would love it. It sounded like a perfect time.
Also, can’t wait to hear about your trip to Liberty…