The man who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world.
Oscar Wilde
My first thoughts while in London were about the Underground-every city in the world should have the Tube. The stations are clean and orderly, the trains run quickly and frequently. The tube maps are easy to read and understand. We had no trouble wandering as far as our heart’s desired, knowing we could get back to our hotel as long as we could get back to the Tube.
Of course, public transportation is only part of the great city of London’s charm. There are also McDonalds and KFCs, and many other American fast food joints. They all seat about two hundred and are often a couple of stories tall. I mention these little bits of home as a reminder that the world is getting smaller all the time. The shops and restaurants have a certain familiarity to them, but they are in London and the kids behind the counter all have those great accents. There are all kinds of great restaurants in London, your hotel is sure to be close to something interesting.
I have always been a fan of flea markets and antique shops of one sort or another. Camden Lock is filled with odds and ends, there are shops selling everything from old paperbacks to old leather coats to all the latest hot fashions. There are places to get Fish and Chips and Camden is just down the road from the London Zoo. As with all the major Tourist Spots, there is a Tube station here. The last Hotel I stayed at in London was a couple of blocks from the Tube Station. But then, I was not buying a lot of stuff, so it didn’t bother me much.
London has a lot of parks, museums and attractions that are free, like Regent Park, the British Museum, the Changing of The Guard-though I found the Changing of the Guard to be a bit boring. I found the best way to see London was from a double decker tour bus-there are a lot of companies offering tours of London. Some Hotels have bus tours for sale just outside the door. This makes it easy to see London and then get back to your room. Jet lag will make you want to crash pretty early in the afternoon, so don’t plan anything much that first day.
I loved London and found it a brilliant city to visit. There seems to be something historic, or just plain ancient, at every turn. The people are in hurry, much as they are in every big city in the world. But if your going to the Tourist Spots, you’ll just being seeing other Tourists anyway. My trip was almost two weeks and we just had time to hit the Big Items-The Tower of London, The London Dungeon, The British Museum, The Sherlock Holmes Museum, Harrods, and all kinds of odds and ends that are the city of London. It’s a great place to visit.
