I know it's a little bit of a cliche title, but I couldn't resist! That catchy song by the Clash was on my iPod when I first flew into Heathrow, and it followed me back on my trip to London, which, by the way, has been the best time I've had so far! I can sum up my 4 days in London with a haiku (written by me, of course. And you thought you were going to be able to escape my crappy poetry this time..heh heh.)
Ride the London Tube,
Images before my eyes,
Black things in my nose.
I'll break this thing down into three parts.
The Underground/Tube pretty much dominated my trip through London. I mean this in the best possible way. Now, I'm not really used to underground transportation; it's pretty much impossible to do back home. Riding the tube my first time in London was a pretty stressful experience. I had just gotten off of a plane with two suitcases and an extreme case of jet lag. Needless to say, I was not in the mood to handle the crowds gushing into the cabin and being pushed around and packed in with smelly, loud people. This time around, however, the tube was a pretty nice experience. Sure, it was dark and hot, and deodorant was a rarity, but it was VERY convenient. After a few tries, I could successfully find the way to my next destination via the tube. I prefer London's underground transport to Manhattan's any day! Thanks to the tube, I got to go to all of the touristy places; I wanted to get most of my sightseeing done this week, so I can go back and enjoy myself later. I hate being a tourist. Back home, I can spot the tourists just by looking at the crowds in the French Quarter. Actually being one is a humbling, yet self-loathing, experience. Still, I did snap lots of photos and thought that all changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace was pretty neat! Next time, however, I'll work on my 'local' skills.
Needless to say, I saw lots of things while in London. Parliament/Big Ben is definitely something one must see in person in order to grasp it's magnificence. It's absolutely HUGE, and I couldn't get over how shiny it was! Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, London tower/bridge, and Piccadilly Circus are also must-see attractions. I think my favorite place in London is SoHo. It includes the fashion, theatre, and artsy side of town. Also, it has a lot of gay bars, which reminded me of home! Camden town is also one of my favorite places; you get all of your cheap shopping done there. I also visited Oxford, aka the world's snobbiest place. Sure, the colleges were nice, and it was pretty cool to see one of the best universities in the world, but the town itself has nothing special. I don't understand why the people in Oxford are so stuck up. OK, you live in a college town; sure, it's one of the BEST college towns, but still, you live next to university students. Congratulations, you couldn't live anywhere else exciting. Please stop taking your frustration out on other people. I did buy an "official" Oxford shirt. It made me feel slightly smug. Visiting the Burberry factory also made me feel smug. Even with the purses being on sale, I still couldn't buy anything special there. Sure, a 800 pound purse on sale for 300 pounds is a great deal, but it's not great enough for me. I'm just that special :p I DID buy someone something from the factory, but I'm not telling until June! Anyway, London was definitely a sight to see! I think the best images that flashed before my eyes were simply the glimpses of city life. Keele isn't in a very developed area; there's not much to do. I was starting to go a little stir crazy; New Orleans isn't anything like NYC or London, but at least there's always something to do no matter what time of day/year/month/life cycle/etc. I really missed just being able to go out and sit in a cafe or go window shopping at nice stores. I am definitely not cut out for the "country" life. The sad thing is, Newcastle is still a pretty decent town. I guess I'm more of an urban girl.
Now for the black things in my nose bit. Riding the underground will give you this experience. You can't zip halfway through London in the blink of an eye without getting some retribution. The soot in my kleenex after the first day sort of startled me, but then I remembered the same thing happened in New York. It's just a little souvenir from visiting a major city. Other things stuck with me after leaving London. One of them is the feeling of amazement from being in such an old and powerful city. Seeing things, such as the London Tower, helped me to attempt to put the world into perspective. I experienced something similar when visiting Bath. It's just insane to thing that you're standing before something that has withstood the test of time and remains in the modern world, especially in the middle of such a busy city! Hyde Park had the same effect on me. Outside, there was the traffic, people, and noises; but inside, there was calm. There were children feeding the ducks, elderly couples going for strolls, joggers, and people just lounging on the beautiful grass. It was comforting to know that amidst all the hustle, one can find solace. Another lasting impression was that of the city itself. I remember having my afternoon tea next to two men who were having a business interview. One guy was trying to merge his small business with a larger English one (yes, I am a very skilled eavesdropper.) I thought to myself, 'here's a place where the world happens. Where things start moving.' It made me want to start moving my own plans in life forward. Everyone has dreams he/she wants to fulfill. Being in a city that gets those things done makes you want to check things off your own agenda. It's a very empowering thing!
English city culture isn't the only type of culture I've experienced over these past few days. I also had my first hostel experience, in a Korean hostel. My friend, Soohyun, recommended that she, my other friend Kristina, and I stay at this hostel. It's run out of a Korean house that is close to Victoria Station (a pretty convenient location for those ignorant of London geography.) The price was 20 GBP a night (pretty decent price) and included two meals (makes the price pretty AMAZING.) The only setback was that the host knew very little English, and the hostess knew none. However, I took on the challenge as a learning experience. And learn, I did! I had to take my shoes off before entering the house, had my first taste of Korean food, and I even picked up a few Korean sayings. 안녕하세요! (the first greeting I learned upon entering the house) Since the hostess cooked dinner for us, we had to return to the hostel by 8:00 PM and could not be out later than 12:30 PM. She also woke us up (Mom-style by turning on the light and talking in a loud voice) for breakfast around 8 each morning. I didn't mind having the curfew and human alarm clock. There was something comforting about being woken up and served breakfast and dinner. Also, the beds were super comfortable and the bathroom was clean. Is it sad that I miss my hostel and would rather live there than my dorm room? Yeah, I thought so. The host and hostess were very nice. The host was quiet, yet sweet; and the hostess was quite the chatter-box. I didn't understand a word she said, but she spoke in a very exuberant manner and would sing to herself in the mornings. She also watched Korean dramas while we had our dinner. It was also comforting to be in a house after living in my solitary dorm room. I would recommend this hostel to anyone (who speaks Korean) that wants to be in a convenient location in London and likes Korean food! And to my Korean hosts, 감사합니다!
There are still many things I'd like to see in London. I didn't get to go into any of the museums, I would like to see Abbey Road, and I hope Kings Cross platforms 9-11 is open when I return. Also, I would like to experience the London nightlife above all other destinations. At least I got most of my touristy things out of the way. I feel the best way to gain a sense of a place is to walk and talk like a local. I look forward to my next trip to London!
