I said I’ll be talking a lot about London, and I wasn’t lying. I’ve visited the city a few more times (and am now ready to branch out into other parts of England, don’t worry) and thought I’d share my experiences! You know you’re excited.

                I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned that taking the high-speed train from Canterbury to London is so convenient, and I highly recommend it.  I bought a railcard, which gives me a 33% discount each time I ride, and this makes the round-trip ticket price to and from London St. Pancras International about 22 pounds (right now, that’s about 36 dollars, which doesn’t sound as good as 20 pounds…so I prefer not to do the conversion).  It’s only a 45-minute ride, which for many people in the U.S. is their morning commute. Interestingly, here, living “very far away” is living an hour away by train, and, although it varies, most locals seem to avoid London except for the occasional field trip. I guess I do the same with New York City, but then again, I consider myself close to that, and I’m actually 5 hours away. Anyway, after the train, I use my OysterCard (basically a gift card for the tube that you scan each time you enter and exit; it charges you based on how far you go) to get around the city: I can’t emphasize enough how much I love the tube. Others may disagree, but it’s very convenient, unique, and the maps are easy to read. If you’re thinking of coming here, you can pick up this handy-dandy map anywhere here:

                Moving on: this past weekend, I met up with some friends studying abroad in Ireland to show them around London (which I jokingly pretend to know well). Of course, it was actually my friend who found out about this amazing, free tour of London’s sites. (I can’t quite remember the name, but I think it was something like Royal Heritage Tours.) You have to register beforehand, but the tour meets at Wellington’s Arch, by Hyde Park Corner, and our Londoner tour guide walked us around  the city, entertainingly telling us the history, legends, and scandals associated with each place. The tour included the gates of Buckingham Palace, Victoria’s Arch, St. James’ Park, St. James Palace, Trafalgar Square, Nell Gwynn’s house, and of course, Westminster.

                At Buckingham, the guide mentioned a few facts about Prince Philip–the husband of Elizabeth, Queen of England–most of them being about how he is often viewed as a bit racist and impolite. When a few tourists asked more questions about this, the guide replied, “I can’t talk about that here, but when we get to the next stop on the tour, I’ll answer that.” Our guide had a bubbly, open personality, and the whole thing was so strange–why couldn’t he say whatever he wanted, right here? So, as the tour moved on, my friend and I asked him what he meant:

                “Well, since the flag is flying”–the white one, not the British one–“the queen is in, so we can’t say anything unflattering that she might hear. The guards have given me dirty looks, and we’ve had problems like that before.” He said this off-handedly, like it wasn’t a big deal. My friends and I couldn’t believe this: England–for all the “police state” jokes we may make about it, stemming from 1984 and also the cameras constantly monitoring everything– is a relatively very free country. I guess I just assumed they have very similar rights and freedoms as I do back home. While this is generally true, this instance showed me that it is not completely true–and this (arguably little) suppression of freedom bothered me immensely. It was just such a different view of government and freedom of speech–I’m still surprised about it, honestly. I’ve been having a lot of epiphanies here lately about the different governmental philosophies, in fact, and I’m interested to see how these experiences influence my own opinion on the American political system.

              The tour, however, was amazing, and ended at a pub in Westminster–after seeing the Houses of Parliament and hearing a sobering story of the Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot (sometimes I forget London has a very present dark, brutal side)–where we ordered fish and chips…and warmed up! After that, my friends and I rode the Eye on a foggy night, saw Piccadilly Circus lit up at night, and went back to our hostel in King’s Cross (but not after checking out platform 9 �, of course). The next morning, we headed to the British Library–where I’d never been and which I would definitely recommend! It was better than the British Museum and had original copies of, for example, Woolf’s rough drafts of Mrs. Dalloway and a very old Canterbury Tales. A giant glass section of rare books stands in the center of the building, looking colorful and literary. There’s even a moving picture downstairs (you just have to go to see what I mean). Admission is free!

We also got to see the Tower of London–home to the Crown Jewels and complete with a conveyor belt to keep tourists moving–although I didn’t actually go in this time. Something happened to my foot, so I waited in a Starbucks right by Tower Bridge, and although I was lame, it wasn’t bad. The absolutely gorgeous day, the River Thames, and a mocha Frappuccino made up for it. The Tower Bridge, pictured to the left, is iconic (and really beautiful), and I still think it’s funny that London Bridge is no big deal. Also intersetingly, Starbucks isn’t very expensive compared to other local businesses in London, so if you want the best price for coffee, Starbucks is your place to go!

       I headed home after that. Even though I feel more familiar with parts of London, there are still so many things left to see: Kensington, Windsor, Harrod’s, and The Globe! I’d also like to see a play on the West End. I’m looking forward for spring to bloom in the parks as well!        

Location: London, UK