The first culture shock, coming from Melbourne to London is the size of the trains. As the London tube was built quite some time ago, some tunnels and therefore, some trains are like vehicular pringles cans; barely “just” enough for their contents. Warm air blows from the vents under our feet and the lights disconnect every so often. A stark difference from the high tech trains of Singapore and yet equally amazing. The history and resilience of these tiny old trains in one of the biggest cities of the world is astounding! One only has to look at a subway map to be reminded of just how intricate this system is.
Stepping outside into the fresh air it suddenly feels more real. This is the furthest I’ve been from home, I’m almost halfway around the globe and it only took, 24 hours(ish) in air time. Crazy! It feels like this should have been harder or longer to do. Do I even qualify to be in this sophisticated hub of nearly every book I’ve ever read? Looking at cool grey sky and busy Londoners scurrying to work, It takes, perhaps a millisecond to decide; “Why yes of course”, I love it!
It’s 4am and freezing. Moving away from the station and further into London’s crevices to find our accommodation, the people dissipated and I was left wondering if a vampire might be lurking in the darkened corners. Or if we might happen upon Sherlock Holmes inspecting a murdered body. But wait, Suddenly, all of these grungy thoughts disappeared! Because there… was a fox in the middle of the road! So cute!
After enjoying the back alley experience, the next morning we decided it was time to hit the main attractions! We’d been planning on visiting the British museum actually but, as so often happens with travel, the day decided on a flow of its own and we’d ended up just following our eyes and stomachs to the sprawling sights before us. A day of wondering.
We even managed to stumble upon the opening of the Queens Horse Guard. And we’d had a premium position until some other tourists decided to stand in front of the designated line. Not to be outdone… we angled closer as well; which put us all outside of the designated tourist zone. At this moment the regal horse came trotting forward with no indication of changing its course. “MAKE WAY FOR THE ROYAL GUARD” the accompanying guardsman bellowed as we all scrambled back, sufficiently chastised. I know it’s naughty but it was kind of fun being yelled at.
And to finish our London cultural immersion expedition, that night, we had a special treat planned. A week before we’d departed, my father had casually asked, “are you catching up with your cousin Ian?”… and I’d replied… “who!!?” Oh dear! But not to worry, a flurry of Facebook messages later and Ian & I were acquainted and timetables aligned.
Ian graciously organised a traditional English pub for dinner, a perfect match for the long day of walking in the cold. Here we spent a couple of hours enjoying good banter and festive spirit. Ian regaled us with tales of my ancestors and even provided a few clues to mysteries previously unsolved, namely why my maiden name sounds polish. Thoroughly amused by Ian’s good company, we ended the night with agreements to meet again on the other side of our travels. For now, we must continue to Germany!
6 Responses
I think we now have a King. But perhaps word of this has not yet reached the antipodes.
Haha! This is so true… it’s been so famously referred to as the Queens Royal Guard for so long, at the time of writing I completely forgot to update!
Memories… you just have to LOVE LONDON. Underground first open 1863 I think … amazing, & to think how many people sheltered in the tubes during wars. I get almost daily reels of horseguards yelling at tourists along with horses biting kicking & stealing hats. When we were there in 80 no restrictions ! Love you & your blog. RI
Yeah, I didn’t want to stand too close to the guards once they were in position for that exact reason. I reckon my hat would have been the first to go. Too funny. Glad you enjoyed todays post 🥰
London ancestors 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 So many sights in one day 🤩
Xox
We are going to be so fit once we’re done running around seeing everything haha. (Hopefully)