Experiencing the most of London in just a few days
Day or night, London thrives with life. A city that seems to
have never fallen asleep from the time of its first founding,
everything that one might want to experience can be found within
the city center. “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of
life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” The
writer Samuel Johnson said this in the 18th century, and it can
still be said of today’s contemporary London. Naturally, a city
that offers all that life can afford needs numerous
explorations, but with just a few days, one can experience the
rich taste of this flavorful city. To start with, every visitor
to London must dab into the city’s history, from the first days
of its founding to its dark medieval secrets to the monarchy’s
priceless crown jewels. Next on the menu is the pure pleasure of
London’s aesthetics; the city’s center is full of charming parks
and English gardens, narrow streets which unexpectedly disclose
the scents of exotic restaurants, and various shops and markets
selling from the most tasteful and chic to the most trendy and
unconventional. When night hits, it rocks. The drinks pour, the
laughs are loud, the beats pump, and the dancing is intense.
London is a thriving city, and day and night it keeps its
visitors entertained with its history from its first
foundations, its city center’s physical beauty, and its
nightlife, making it a city that never sleeps.
London’s history is so rich and so vast, that the highest to the
lowest level of history fan will be interested. While London
acknowledges its first century Roman founding, it honors
Boadicea with a statue near Parliament. Boadicea was the British
queen who raised an army and fought back the Romans to London,
where she burned the city. Those who find such violent female
figures interesting will enjoy museums like Madame Tussauds, a
very lifelike wax museum, and the London Dungeon, where the
horrors and terrors of medieval London come to life, including a
selection of Britain’s most infamous women throughout history.
The Tower of London houses the crown jewels as well as tales of
mysterious prisons for important prisoners. Fusing history and
art, the National Portrait Gallery depicts portraits of
Britain’s most famous people throughout the centuries. The
British Museum has one of the largest and best archeological
collections of worldwide artifacts, including the Rosetta stone
and Lindow Man. Fortunately, while these museums give a good
feel for London’s past, the visitor does not actually have to
deal with the battles, plagues, and fires that London has
survived.
And relishing the calm and beauty of today’s civilized London,
the visitor can peacefully enjoy London’s aesthetic city center.
A walk along Oxford Street brings out the consumer in all, while
nearby Hyde Park still manages to provide the serenity of the
countryside in a city setting. Except, of course, speaker’s
corner, where people proclaim their message for the world to
hear. Northeast of the park is Portobello Market, one of
London’s many outdoor markets, selling the best in antiques.
Between the parks and busy shopping streets are quaint streets
of times past, leading to unexpected surprises like central
London’s Covent Gardens, where flower girls still sell beautiful
bouquets. Seeing all this from a bird’s eye view gives a
comprehensive overview of what lies below, and the London eye
shows just that from the center of the center. A free option
offering a bird’s eye view is Primrose Hill, a small park in the
north of London perched on a hill, overlooking the rest of the
city. Hunger is bound to strike at some (or many) points of such
jam-packed days, and the city’s flavors will suit all tastes.
>From traditional English fare to such exotics as Indian
restaurants, which are quickly assimilating and becoming typical
London fare, any array of food can be found in between. And what
better time to plan the evening out than during mealtime, when
feet are resting and stomachs are happy!
The day is done, the eve is planned, and as night approaches,
day is just dawning for those that never sleep. A typical London
night out will start at the pub with a group of friends,
enjoying the local beers on tap and friendly conversations
speckled with bursts of laughter. Of course, if it’s a football
or rugby night, the atmosphere will be quite serious and
concentrated till the winner is known. After whetting the
whistle at the pub, many will go on to dance at one of London’s
countless dance clubs. In such an international city, dancing
will include every type of dancing, like techno, trance,
hip-hop, Latin, ethnic, and raves. After the drinks and dancing,
some late night chow down will soothe the stomach in the
countless late night or fast food restaurants lighting up
London’s night streets.
Experiencing the most of London in a few days is so enjoyable
with London’s rich history, its delightful walks through its
sophisticated and beautiful city center, and ever amazing
transformation into a nightlong party. A world-class city aged
2000 years and still growing in popularity, London has aged
better than a bottle of good wine. London never reached ‘a’
perfection - it continually recreates perfection for every
generation that shares in its life, and that is why no one can
ever forget this city.
