The London Eye is an easily recognizable landmark along the River Thames in London.
London’s Buckingham Palace is accentuated by the gardens and statue of the Victoria Memorial dedicated to Queen Victoria.
Early in the morning, foot traffic is light along the River Thames near Tower Bridge.
While the original playhouse, where most of William Shakespeare’s plays debuted, was destroyed by a fire in 1613, Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the original.
St. Paul’s Cathedral, an active Anglican cathedral, is where the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place.
The moment we exited the train in Paddington Station, the flow of fellow passengers enveloped us and carried us with it to the exit. Outside, lines of iconic black cabs waited to collect the now dispersing individuals and to transport us to our respective destinations.
As we pulled away from the station, two lanes of cabs moved toward us to collect even more people. And just like that, my husband and I entered the flow of London, England.
Our destination? Covent Gardens to check in, stash our luggage and then rejoin the day already in progress. Not just a visitor, but a participant. Not just an observer, but a partaker in the action of our surroundings.
After lunch at Shakespeare’s Head, we filled the afternoon visiting sites we’d already determined were non-negotiable: the British Museum and the British Library. Outside, a group of 20-somethings lounged around the entrance of the library. Shoes kicked off and legs criss-crossed. Locals. Inside, the Rosetta Stone and a Gutenberg Bible, respectively, awaited our perusal.
The following morning, we awoke early to continue to take in those sites at the top of our priority list, beginning with London Tower. We’d overbudgeted on the time we allowed to get there, so we had a few minutes to wander along the River Thames before joining the entrance queue. How long before the sidewalks became crowded with people? Would they be locals or visitors like us?
After our time at the tower, we boarded the subway headed to Westminster. Immersed in a novel, a man clad in a blue Oxford, khaki cotton jacket and olive-green jeans leaned up against the wall near the sliding doors. Beside him, a woman rifled through her purse. We noticed them, but they were oblivious to the travelers from Kentucky who were also transitioning from one place to the next.
Under a bright blue sky, we explored Westminster, enjoying a different perspective of the Thames waterfront. We navigated Parliament Square, the Horse Guards Parade Ground. We got sidetracked by a cafe while traversing St. James Park and stopped for ice cream and a moment or two to rest our legs.
All around, fellow travelers. People whose actions mirrored ours: focused on interpreting maps, pointing in different directions, stopping for pictures.
We exited the park on the side opposite of which we entered and began the long walk down The Mall until we reached the gates of Buckingham Palace. What could possibly be going through the minds of the individuals on the inside looking out at us on the outside?
We topped off our day meandering through the market at Covent Garden and at the restaurant where we’d eaten the evening before. Did that make us regulars?
Following a tour of Westminster Abbey the following morning, we filled the day wandering and wondering along various streets that took us to the Millennium Bridge and to Shakespeare’s Globe, to St. Paul’s Cathedral and to Twinings tea shop. To Fleet Street and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, where Twain, Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were regulars.
Early in the morning of our fourth day, a black taxi collected us from our hotel and transported us to the airport. We may have been the first passengers for our driver that day, but we wouldn’t be his last. And I couldn’t help but feel envious of them.
(Note: Marjorie Appelman is an English, communications and journalism teacher at Mason County High School and co-founder of Tales from the Trip, which is on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. She can be reached at [email protected].)
"flow" - Google News
October 04, 2020 at 02:46AM
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Going with the flow of London - Ledger Independent
"flow" - Google News
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