Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square
London was our longest stay on the whole trip and arguably our most difficult. A few reflections:
- London seems like a bigger, wilder version of Toronto. Downtown is a chaotic jumble of grand historic buildings, sleek high rises, barefoot beggars and Maserati clubs. The suburbs radiate out from train stations into long blocks of compact row homes. Yet London is really more than Toronto: it mixes the financial potency of New York, the cultural swagger of Los Angeles, and the political intrigue of D.C. into one giant city. The photos below can’t convey the noise, crowds and bustle.
- Our days were full in London: long rides on multiple trains to get downtown sometimes in crammed, sweaty Tube cars. Then we’d visit stunning museums, find the nearest Itsu for a meal, or see incredible live theatre – especially the storytelling and special effects of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It was both exciting and overwhelming to immerse ourselves in the human spectacle of a global city.
- Perhaps it was just us, but we witnessed a gritty side of the city as well – one woman fell down in front of us drunk and non-responsive at 10:00 am (with the help of a nearby construction worker we got her home). We upbraided schoolboys terrorizing newly planted trees near Mudchute Farm, noticed people openly drinking and smoking on the Tube as if it were a pub.
- If you close your eyes, you aren’t sure you’re in an English-speaking country. Countless languages are overheard on the street as well as a wide variety of English accents. Sometimes I found it easier to communicate in Paris or Athens.
- More than anywhere else I’ve visited, London has a palpable sense of class divide. A whole other strata of people operates behind rod iron fences, plays tennis in private parks, drives fancy cars to fancy meetings. The general public simply doesn’t have access to this world, but you can’t help noticing they are around.
- I toured John Wesley’s house and was struck by how he balanced contemplation and action. He literally did more before breakfast than most of us do all week. Yet each morning started (at 4:00 am) with an hour of quiet, prayer and planning for the day ahead. He had a small private room added to his bedroom for this purpose.
- We got a rental car the last day, and my first time driving on the left side of the road was harrowing. I landed up headed into the flow of traffic twice, clipped a hedge, violated innumerable driving laws, and was bewildered by driving circles. Google Maps pegged my return trip at 1.5 hours, but with all the wrong turns and traffic it took a full five hours. Thank God no serious damage was done. (A few days later the driving feels more natural and driving circles seem like a much better idea than traffic lights.)
- Despite some hard times, we leave London with immense gratitude for Phil and Barbara, our friend’s relatives, who hosted us in Ilford. Though we were strangers, they invited us in as if we were family, setting aside multiple rooms in their own home. We depart with a deeper sense of what hospitality and a fulfilling retirement look like. Eve loved their koi pond in the back garden and marvelled at the four fox cubs who visited nightly. Lily loved cooking and chatting with Phil and missed him when he was gone.
Photo Gallery
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