London Calling

"One thing about London is that when you step out into the night, it swallows you." - Sebastian Faulks, Engleby

Here’s the thing:

I’m in love with London.

London is my wonderland - I’m constantly amazed by how captivating, diverse and alive this city can be. There is so much to do, so much to explore and so much to discover – I don’t believe I’ll ever get bored or tired of it. It is true that living in and around London is a tremendous strain on a typical college student’s budget – four months here have almost exhausted my entire bank balance – but so much of it has been worth it. Before I came to London, I had pictured something similar to New York City. A sprawling metropolis bustling with people. All kinds of people. Skyscrapers. A busy, fast-paced lifestyle. It is very easy and in fact quite common to draw that analogy between London and New York, yet in myriad big and small ways, these two cities are very different from one another and unique.

In a word, London is classy - magnificent Victorian architecture and streets crawling with well-dressed, prim and proper pedestrians add to the majestic charm of the city. On a typical weekday you can see the roads bustling with tourists and sightseers; places like Oxford Street and Knightsbridge teem with happy shoppers around the clock while areas such as Canary Wharf and Victoria are alive with business and commercial activity. As the sun sets the city lights up brilliantly all around, transforming the landscape as the dynamic London nightlife begins. Pubs fill up around every street corner and people flock into the numerous bars around London town. Like any other newbie in the city of London, I did all the tourist-y things that there are to do, visiting the traditional tourist spots that everyone must visit while they’re in London – Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, British Museum, Oxford Street and many others. After almost four months, all that was new and fascinating at first has become much more familiar, close to my heart. London has definitely grown on me.

Charing Cross Station

Travelling around London could not be more convenient – getting from one end of the city to another is just a matter of minutes with the London Underground System. Personally, I love hopping on board the red double-decked London buses and watching the city flow by around me from one of the front seats on the upper deck. You can also hire bicycles from Barclays Cycle Hire points all around the city for as cheap as £1 an hour!

Trafalgar Square, looking towards Whitehall

The thing that I love most about London is that there is a surprise around every corner. You never know what you will stumble upon while taking a casual stroll on the streets – there are interesting odd-spots almost everywhere you go. When the weather is pleasant, there’s nothing like a walk around Westminster. Last Monday I spent my afternoon roaming the streets on my own without a sense of purpose, exploring the South Bank Christmas Market. Although I passed by the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament for the umpteenth time, I did not feel that the charm had faded away. The subtle beauty and invigorating atmosphere never fails to mesmerize me.

This city persistently does and will continue to blow me away.

Red telephone booth - a defining feature of London