Arrived In London
31 July 2012
Busy. Crowded. Vibrant. Lively. Enticing. London is a madwoman with a vibe of life's essence and enchanting with an extended hand teetering on the precipice of passion and danger. London is not a dangerous city, but her calling is overpowering and fascinating.
Entrenched in history of overwhelming proportions, it's mind-blogging to this naive traveller a Primary School was built in 1594, a time before my home country, Australia was discovered by Captain Cook, and here I am looking at it.
The United Kingdom fits into the space of Victoria, Australia. The city of London is 2.9 km-squared. The city of London and the outside metropolitan parts of the city of London houses over 13 million people.
It's a little busy here in old London town.
I am living in the south-west of London; the outside metropolitan part of London, not in the 2.9 km-squared part. The photo you see is taken from Trafalgar Square, looking towards The Elizabeth Tower which houses the Great Bell, Big Ben. The Tower is at the north end of the Houses Of Parliament. Many, many historic locations in London are all within walking distance. Buckingham Palace overlooks Hyde Park and Green Park. The statue you see, the back of a man on a horse, is Admiral Nelson, overlooking the Parade heading towards Buckingham Palace.
The River Thames is almost twice the width of Melbourne's Yarra River, fiercely flows back and forth into the ocean and was once the lifeblood of the Southern part of the United Kingdom, separating London between south and north. Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus is where you go for all the shopping you need and the roads in between these "roundabouts". And of course, there happens to be a theatre or two in this city; ok, there's a theatre literally on every corner in the city of London. London offers some of the world's best theatre, from world-famous musicals to West End shows and cutting edge plays and most can be accessed between £10 and £20 and all within walking distance along The Strand, Shaftesbury Avenue and many other streets.
On one side of the River Thames is Tower Bridge and on the other side is the National Theatre. I could rewrite the entire internet of information about London, but all I know this is a place I now call home.
Welcome to London. There is much to see and do.