I love London, it is my kind of town. Now I know that to most people this would sound as if I am plagiarising some advertising copy for either New York or Chicago but in this case I truly mean it.
I have lived AND worked in London for well over 30 years and I have seen everything come and go, good times and bad times.
From the bad old days and the darkest hours of the terrorist bombing campaigns of the Provisional IRA in the 70’s and 80’s to the good times when the announcement was made that London had been awarded the 2012 Olympics and the Queens Jubilee. London has seen it all and treats both with the same respect.
I remember travelling through London to return home to Northern Ireland where I now live on the day the news broke that Princess Diana had tragically been killed in a car accident in Paris and the sense of grief and shock were overwhelming as total strangers just blindly made their way to Kensington Palace to lay flowers at the peoples memorial. Then at the other end of the spectrum you have London the day of the “Live 8” Festival in Hyde Park where the city centre was brought to a standstill with blaring rock music belting out across the entire City Centre.
There is so much history in London, real live, vibrant living history in London that sometimes when you live there it just passes you by and you take everything for granted.
Take the changing of the guard for instance. This happens everyday at Betty and Phil’s place at the end of the mall. OK I should be slightly less flippant. I am of course referring to Buckingham Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh found at the end of the Mall. Perhaps the most notable of the Changing of the Guards in recent years was held shortly after the awful events of 911 when instead of playing God Save the Queen the band of the Guards performed what turned out to be quite an emotional performance (certainly for those visiting American tourists in the audience) of the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States of America.
Perhaps the significance of this passed most of the on looking tourist by but it was a first in living memory that any other national anthem other than the United Kingdoms own God Save the Queen had been performed at the Changing of the Guards ceremony.
Perhaps it is little incidences like these that sum up exactly what a rich cornucopia of the historic and modern, the city of London actually is. Unlike other major international capital cities, London may lack perhaps the historic grandeur of the Parthenon in Athens or the Coliseum in Rome but through out London you will find examples of perhaps a more modern architecture (though no less splendid and impressive) such as the mother of all parliaments, the Houses of Parliament in Westminster or the serenity of St Paul’s Cathedral a survivor of many centuries and in many ways every bit as impressive now as in the days of its design under the architect Sir Christopher Wren.
If nothing else the building of St Paul’s Cathedral is a testament to survival itself having both survived the Great Fire of London in the 16th Century and then four hundred years later the Blitz in World War II.
Perhaps this encompasses the overall appeal of London, the historic blend of the old and the new.
Come and visit London, it won’t disappoint.
<p>Steve Morgan writes about a number of Travel and Tourism based issues such as
<a href="http://www.homefromhome.co.uk/site/vacations">London Vacation
Accommodation</a>. A keen proponent of all aspects of free and independent services
available, he advises clients to look at the whole mix of online services
available at <a href="http://www.homefromhome.co.uk">
http://www.homefromhome.co.uk</a> </p>
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