London, England
June 29, 2008 I just spent my first week in England. The flight was not as bad as I thought it would be. The person in the seat next to me was a no-show so I had two seats to sleep on for the 9 hour trans-Atlantic flight from Edmonton to London. What a good start to a 75 day trip!
Accommodation is much cheaper when you book online. One hotel told my grandfather and I the cheapest room was £60. When I went and booked the same room online it was only £35. So half price on an uncomfortable bed ... is still half price for a bad nights sleep. What can you do.
When people mention how nice the train system is here they are not joking. It only took me a day or so before I felt totally comfortable taking the tube or the National Rail trains. It should be noted the tube is pricey: £4 for a single zone, and there are many zones. London is a pricey place.
My first impression of the people when I got there was an air of business: of going to work and getting a job done. But I found when I got to know many of them in their own homes most of the people are wonderfully kind and loving. They called me “love” and “honey”. While out and about in the city, I did get a few very stereotypically British pick-up lines such as “Do you want to be my rock star?” which caught me by surprise the first time as I thought out loud, "Do I what?!" People here seem to apologize more than I'm used to: if they cut you off in the street or ... you cut them off. It's hard not to take notice of this and observe that they are just really trying to treat each other with respect, but there is a fine line before everything starts to feels guilty.
Central London is very busy and crowded. The quieter areas are more quaint and are beautiful. I visited some people in Twickenham and was delighted with its peaceful and elegant charm. It's a very nice area of the city and it is well worth a visit. I also really enjoyed staying in Chelsmford. The area between Standstead airport and Chelsmford Essex is exactly the stereotypically charming, cozy countryside I had hoped to see in England. With school children coming home in their uniforms, lush green fields full of horses and white cross-trimmed buildings it made me feel right at home.
Other Places I Visited in England