London is an interesting city. The shear amount of history imbued in its streets, buildings and art is overwhelming. “Oh look, here’s a building that’s 500 years old, no biggie.” and “There’s another one that’s been around since before my country was a country.” Or even “I wonder how many people stood in this exact same spot before me?”
Quite the feeling.
I found that the population density is a stark contrast to the one back home, and that’s clearly reflected in the public transit system. The London underground is a magical teleportation system linking all the neighbourhoods in the city. The fact that pretty much anywhere in the city is within walking distance from a station is mind boggling for someone who comes from a city with a single, new train line that works only when it feels like it. I found the maps and signage to be very clear and easy to understand, and when paired with Google Maps, you can zip around like there’s no tomorrow. It also makes a great subject for photography.
I had the chance to visit a couple local markets, each with their own different vibe and feeling. Camden market was bustling with various shops, stalls and foods, full of different smells and colours. Nestled in old stables, the market reaches all the nooks and cranies of this old industrial area.
Covent garden had a more upper-class feel. More spaced-out, a large part indoors and decoreated, and more expensive stores. Much more touristy, probably due to its more central location. Also, lots of pubs.
I also had the chance to watch a Shakespeare play, in London’s Globe Theatre. A real throwback to grade 11 English class. The entire theatre was built like it was in the 1600s, and the play was portrayed in the same manner; the costumes, the props and the language. The Elizabethan English was hard to understand at first, so the play started off a little confusing. But as it went on, more and more made sense. The actors were excellent, delivering every line with volume and precision. The comedy of errors was written by Shakespeare in 1594, and it’s surprising how much the slapstick comedy, puns and mistaken identities are still funny to this day. I can really see how this was the primary source of entertainment back in the day, and now we have movies, sometimes even about the same story, just flatter.
London’s Globe Theatre
The food in London was fairly similar, yet different. Like in Canada, British cuisine doesn’t have much to offer itself. Sure, fish and chips are good and all, especially when the fish is fresh, which usually isn’t the case back home. But to get good stuff, you need to look at foreign restaurants. I’m talking Indian, Turkish and French, môsieur, hon hon hon.
Similarly to my exchange in Manchester in 2020, walking in London felt similar yet different. I don’t know if I can ever get used to traffic on the left-hand side, and the amount of bikes, scooters and motorcycles weaving through everything adds to the confusion. Western culture is still very present, so consumerism at every corner is pretty much the same. The language is also the same, though the snippets of different accents add some spice. But walking around the touristy areas, seeing the typical London landmarks reminded me, that in fact, I was in London.
Overall, I had a nice visit in London. I’d say four nights was just the right amount of time to see what needed to be seen. Obviously, I’d like more time to soak in more aspects of the city, but maybe during another trip. I haven’t travelled in a while, and I’m feeling my stamina for adventure starting to get low. The lack of routine and stability will take some getting used to, and the fact that close friends and family are on a different time zone make staying in touch challenging.
However, I really enjoyed the photography. New and interesting things are always around the corner, and expressing myself with my camera is something I’m growing quite fond of. I look forward to the rest of my journey; both my physical one as I move across the world as well as my mental and spiritual one as I embark in reflection and exploration, both within and without.