A recent short business trip to London after 2 years made me realize why I like this city so much, I had lived in London in 2008 for some time and got to know the city very well during those months. Having experienced the underground network of London once, it always makes it easy for future visits.
Been living in stockholm, the city I like as well, there is no shortage of sunlight and greenery in spring and summer which is good 6 months of the year and I love the snow in winter as well so all that is fine so what is about London which has its own unique charm?
1. London Tube & Bus Network- which is huge and well connected. It can be overwhelming for the first timer but once you get the hang of it and get used to all the lines, The Jubliee, The Piccadilly and rest and of course the DLR, its not so difficult to get around. Stations can be overcrowded in peak hours and most of them are only stairs, no escalators, still they have this antique feeling about them considering this system is more than 60 years old and still running. And the Tube itself are unique design. From outside, they look so small that I wonder how anyone will get in, but everyone does..
Also that typical underground sign is never far away from the street and huge escalators which can take you so below the earth that you will loose mobile signal. The best part, you can be assure that you will not be bothered about people next to you talking on the phone loudly, you can read your book in peace..
on the other hand, the charm of double decker busses, stops are strategically placed so you always have one near by and pleasure of sitting on upper deck and watching the traffic go by below you is something to experience..
2.Buzz of the morning Rush hour-
Going to office in morning via public transport has this refreshing feeling in London. for some people it might be stressful as Tubes are crowded but coming from India, crowd doesn't bother me. Also , there is common theme and understanding between office goers, a common london office goer will dress in suit and tie, with overcoat, a briefcase and umbrella in hand and either listening to music via earphone, reading newspaper (ah..the free copy of Metro) or a book, which is being replaced by e-readers..
Also , the understanding is quite evident when its time to get in or get out of the tube at your stop, no matter how crowded it is, every one allowed to get off first, they all get out in queue one after the another, no pushing and then every one gets in , one by one and you can always squeeze in..
3. London Taxis- the unique looking old black taxis are best way to get around, the best part of the taxi is internal design, the boot space is removed and converted into spacious sitting area, where you can stretch your legs, and even sit comfortably when you are 4 people or have big luggage.. and they can take you anywhere, no matter how short and long distance you need to go..
4. London parks and places to go- you always have someplace to go during weekends, in summer, its mostly the parks, which are huge anyway with children play areas. No. of attractions & sights to visit. In evenings , the choice of theatre and movies are unending and not to mention the amount of restaurants you can choose from. the evening crowd on weekends on the streets gives that feeling that it's happening city.
5. Lord's- Ofcourse, how can we miss that, the Temple of cricket which is the place to be in July and rest of the summer, there is no other cricket ground like it..it would be dream to watch a cricket match over there and see your favorites up & close., Having been inside the visitor dressingf room and seen the famous scoreboard and the Ganguly balcony, I can say its the place for every cricket lover to be..
6. A sight of London residential street- a sight to remember in London suburbs, mostly identical houses on both sides of road with house nos. in even and odd orders, with typical british door, with street lined up with Cars on both sides but wide enough for traffic.
7. CBD area- Canary wharf, the best commercial address in London which houses all financial institutes and all global companies, the view of London eye from high rise buildings and the sight of those buildings with huge company logos on top of buildings.
8. Telephone Booths- A typical London telephone booth can be recognized in any part of the world, a signature sight of any london street
Not to mention the typical english tea , which just tastes better in london..2012 is big year for this city with so much lined up, including the biggest one, Olympic 2012.. Seeing the preparation, its going to be huge and also a chance for 10.5 Million visitors to visit this amazing city, sure most of them will be there for the first time and will come back again..
looking forward to another visit to London some time soon..
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