A long time ago, when I was young and got to spend my hard-earned money on frivolous things like world travel, I went to Europe. I was having a quarter-life crisis and it was suggested to me that I spend some time travelling.
So I did.
My first trip to Europe was a big extravaganza. I visited Sweden, Paris, and London. I’ll write about Sweden and Paris another day. Today, I want to talk about London.
My first encounter with London was after a long day of travel. The Channel Tunnel was not yet complete, and rather than fly, I decided that I’d do something different. I took the train through the French countryside and then ferried across the English Channel. After that, I got on a train to London.
Trains are nice. I come from a long line of train geeks, and I must admit that I quite like them. They’re so much more relaxing than airplanes, and there’s room to stretch out.
The boat was another story. I didn’t know until then that Channel crossings are known for being rough. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I fell asleep, because the other alternative was losing my lunch.
I arrived at Victoria Station not quite knowing where to go, but I figured it out. I took the Tube to Oxford Circus, because I wanted to stay at the YHA Oxford Street hostel. Yeah, I did the whole youth hostel thing, and it was a lot of fun.
When I got to Oxford Circus, I knew I wanted to walk east on Oxford Street. Being from the East Coast of the US, I associated east with the Atlantic Ocean, and started walking towards that. I realized my mistake after only a block, so I didn’t get too lost. Being tired, hungry, and a bit seasick is not good for my navigational skills.
I got to the hostel and encountered Cat. It seemed like I had interrupted a party, but she was cool. She told me they were booked up, but when she was checking a nearby hostel for available beds, she suddenly remembered that she had a cancellation not too long before that. Luckily, I got to stay. I dumped my stuff in my room, grabbed some food at the nearby Burger King, and joined the party in the lounge, where I met other people from around the world and had a bit too much to drink. Woohoo! Welcome to London!
I spent most of my days out and about, doing the whole tourist thing, then partied at the hostel in the evenings. I had a grand old time in London, which is how it should be.
I went back a year later, full of boredom and wanderlust. I stayed at the same hostel, but Cat was gone. I still met plenty of interesting people.
Another year or so later, my college roommate and I went to London. We also visited Edinburgh, York, and Bath, but London was and always will be my favourite.
When I first arrived in London, there was something familiar about it. I don’t know if it was all the British movies and TV that I watched, or the British home decorating magazines that I spent a fortune on, or the fact that I had just spent the last 2 1/2 weeks in countries where I couldn’t speak the language, but London felt like home to me – almost like I had been there before. I don’t recall encountering any real culture shock there. I didn’t even have any trouble looking right to cross the street, to the point that I almost got hit by a motorbike on a one-way street, where I should have looked left (the American way). Everything about London felt natural.
I did all the tourist things – Tower of London, V&A, Harrod’s, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, open-top bus tours, Covent Garden, Museum of London, London Transport Museum, Greenwich, Buckingham Palace and the Mall, and lots and lots of walking. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The Museum of London was a great bargain and I got to learn a lot about the history of London (even though I had to dodge hundreds of obnoxious schoolchildren), and I had a few perfect peaceful moments in Covent Garden one Sunday afternoon, listening to some grunge rock band in one ear and a string quartet play Pachelbel’s Canon in D in the other.
I also spent time at “ordinary” places – Tesco, Boots, John Lewis, and many other shops and restaurants. I love getting a feel for a place by hanging with the locals like that.
I love the accent, and don’t have any issues understanding anyone. Of course, I didn’t come across anyone with a strong Cockney accent, so I can go on believing that I understand Londoners perfectly.
I haven’t travelled much since buying a condo, selling it, and moving to Las Vegas. I wish I could.
Mister wants to visit London someday. He gets goosebumps watching shows about London on the History Channel. If we ever get a chance to go, my only fear is that he will refuse to come back to the US with me. He’ll like it that much.
In the meantime, we’ll watch BBC America and visit the local British-style pub for some proper food as we dream about all the things we’ll do when we finally get to take that London holiday.
And because I couldn’t leave this post without just one picture…
Hey, look kids!
