Discovering London

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben at night from across the Thames. Simply stunning.
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I have always had a love for England, from its history to its people, and when I decided to take a trip this past summer I knew it had to be London. I had been there before but only for a day on my way to an event in Manchester, and that first trip made me desire to return, and soon. I was hoping to see perhaps the greatest city in the world in all its splendor, and I certainly was not disappointed.

My girlfriend loves to travel as well so she accompanied my on the trip, and we decided not to plan too much out but just to have fun in the city and go wherever we felt like on any given day. There were only three things that were planned: the play The Lion King, STOMP and a soccer game between Arsenal and Everton. Other than that we had seven days to explore.

Perhaps the best part of that trip was this walk along the river and past some of London's oldest and newest sights, lit up so majestically.

A view of the inside of the Tower of London from a royal bed chamber. The home of the Crown Jewels is in the White Tower straight ahead.
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The day we arrived was actually the day of the Parliamentary elections, which made for quite an interesting conversation with the taxi driver on the way to the hotel. When we got to the hotel, we were both a bit tired form the plane flight so we took a nap and woke up in the late afternoon to some incredible views across the river out of our hotel room window. As the sun set the London Eye (the massive ferris wheel for those of you who don't know it) looked simply incredible, quite the modern architectural stunner. After getting dinner at the local Sherlock Holmes restaraunt, we went for a walk along the river and witnessed some beautiful scenes. London at night is extremely interesting and beautiful, and our first night even more so because it was election night. The Eye was all lit up in blue and seeing it across the river from the Houses of Parliament radiating with a golden color was a view I will never forget. We walked along the river and crossed over past Big Ben and up to Trafalgar Square with all its lights and traffic. Perhaps the best part of this trip was the nighttime walk along the river and past some of London's oldest and newest sights, lit up so majestically.

The lion and lioness resting after their meal. They don't do much to watch but they are still increbible creatures.
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In the next few days we visited several small markets in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere. My favorite was Covent Garden, which was not at all small. It was almost a mixture of market and shopping center, with some permanent stores and some temporary. It had a wide variety of beautifully handcrafted jewelry and clothing, as well as paintings and other little goods. There were also street performers, including a classical quartet and two comedians.

We visited the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Picadilly Circus, Harrods, the Natural History Museum and a host of other locations. The Tower is certainly a place to visit as the sense of history it gives off is incredible. Standing in the middle of the enormous castle, within a hundred feet of various execution spots, dungeons, royal bed chambers and museums holding some of England's most historical artifacts makes one feel as if they were in Medieval London. If you have not yet seen the Crown Jewels, they are worth the trip to London themselves. The few minutes spent gazing at those gems are worth the airfare. Those jewels are simply astounding. I thought for a second what it would cost in the modern day to purchase the lot of them, and it almost made me sick. The amount of gold and other precious gems was amazing, and the finished pieces were some of the most beautiful objects I have ever laid eyes on. St. Paul's is also a very interesting spot, offering some incredible views from the top of the cathedral, that is if you can survive the ascent on dozens of narrow, winding staircases that look as if they could crash with any weight to heavy. And of course no trip to London would be complete without a visit to Harrods, the largest and most absurdly priced department store in the world. I almost didn't feel comfortable touching any of the watches, suits, jackets or whatever because it seemed as if it was more a museum than store. What might cost me a thousand dollars here in the States could cost me five thousand at Harrods, but one goes there more for the experience than the actual shopping, unless money is no factor.

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The crowd grows quite large so get there early and save a spot to see the spectacle. It is quite a show.
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When we were in less of a touristy mood we headed over to the London Zoo, which housed some pretty interesting animals. After an interesting experience with a gorilla named Johnny (apparently apes have a thing with red hair, and my girlfriend learned that one pretty quickly), we went over to see the lions and tigers kind of lounging around following their afternoon snacks. We also went into the petting zoo, which made me a little nervous when I thought about the cases of Mad Cow disease in Britain, but I figured the London Zoo would protect against that well enough. The aquarium was a little disappointing, but I am not such a huge water person so it didn't matter too much to me. Overall the zoo was pretty interesting and had some quality exhibits.

Highbury Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club. This was one of the most exciting soccer games I have ever seen.
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We decided one morning that we had to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and we were not disappointed. First off, the palace is beautiful and extravagant, certainly the place for England's royal family. The roundabout in front of the palace filled up quickly, so you must arrive early in order to have a decent view. The event finally began and the discipline displayed by the guards was incredible, and it was quite a treat to witness. Certainly a touristy thing to do but fun nonetheless.

An Underground train rushing by. The London Underground system is the most efficient and cleanest in the world, without a doubt.
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Something that I enjoyed quite a bit was just walking around the parks in and around Westminster and Chelsea, like St. James' Park and Green Park. They were quiet and pretty, with several benches offering a nice rest from walking around all day. We just sat down in the park and watched people stroll by and took in our surroundings. On the side of the road next to the park were several painting displays put up by artists looking to sell some of their work. Some of the paintings were quite nice and I actually bought a few of them. It was thoroughly enjoyable just walking by the strip of displays and seeing some art from London residents adjacent to a beautiful city park.

The highlight of the trip for me, though, had nothing to do with the city's history or tourist sights, but with the most popular sport in the world: soccer. The English league is one of the world's best, so, as a huge soccer fan, I had to get tickets to a game. A game between the teams in second and fourth positions was the contest we attended. Arsenal, in second, are one of the greatest teams in Europe, and play some of the most attractive soccer in the world. Everton, fourth, were the surprise team of the English season, as many expected them to end up in the bottom five, out of twenty. What we got was not at all what we expected. Sure Arsenal are one of the world's top teams, but Everton were doing extremely well themselves, so the 7-0 drubbing Arsenal put on their visitors was quite a surprise. The Gunners (as Arsenal are lovingly called) displayed their incredible attacking talent with some of the nicest soccer I have ever witnessed. That game was one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting, sporting event I have ever seen. I strongly advise anyone interested in sports to try and get tickets to see a game in England when you are there. It is an experience you will not get in the U.S. and is it quite a fun time.

There were several other sights we visited, but I think that is a pretty good summary of the trip. Nothing will ever really capture my time in London, except for another trip there. London is a unique city in the world. Its present is just as incredible as its past, and both are among the world's greatest. It is a beautiful, modern and exciting city with a huge amount of character, and one certainly worth visiting if you plan on going to Europe. Oh, and one last thing, if you are there, make sure to ride the Underground, or Tube as it is called by Londoners. It is the world's nicest subway and an experience on its own.