LONDON – A mosaic of history, culture
and joy
“What do you associate London with?” When I ask this question, usually people say things like heavy
rains, unbelievably high prices, boringly formal British people, so on so forth. I used to think like this too
– I could never imagine myself visiting such place. That is until my boyfriend bought us tickets to go on
an adventure full of mystery and wonder.
The moment you step on the asphalt of London to the last view of the city full of might, fascination, the
interesting connection between Victorian buildings and modern skyscrapers, full of royalty strength… it’s
remarkable, truly. You feel like you’re entering a place that’s like a closed book, like a puzzle you have to
solve in order to experience the beauty.
My experience and reflections on home
When I was in the city, I never felt like a stranger – there were a lot of people of color with interesting
backgrounds and cultures, foreign languages that could be heard everywhere. We visited this clothing
shop called House of Keems in which they had a variety of African jewelry and blouses that were
decorated with various interesting patterns. I not learned a lot about African culture that day from a
lovely black African woman named Ashanti who worked there, but also thought a lot about how
different things are here compared to my hometown in Singapore. We’re all caught up with working all
day with no breaks there that we often forget to learn something new every day and have fun with life.
We could use a tip or two from people who live in London. They really know how to have a time of their
lives in the pubs.
A step back in time at Ye Old Mitre
Speaking of pubs, I’ve always found pubs in London fascinating. The mixture of ancient architecture
from the 16th century and contemporary style was something that really caught my eye. One of the pubs
in particular that left a large impression for me was Ye Old Mitre in Clerkenwell, known not only for its
history lessons about public houses but also for its difficulty of finding it. It is said that felons would
usually seek sanctuary in this pub from London, as at that time it wasn’t technically a part of it. We
barely found it but it was worth it – the pastries were well-made and satisfied our stomachs.
The enchanting splendor at Hampton Court Palace
During our trip, we’ve visited plenty of places but one place struck out to me the most – Hampton Court
Palace. When I looked at that palace at first glance, I felt like I fell in love again. It was probably the most
beautiful building I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I don’t think I can begin to describe how its style
complemented Decorative Tudor brick chimneys, with its Anne Boleyn’s gate. When we visited the
place, there was a festival with the same name as the palace. We decided to stick around for a while for
the festival and it was one of the best decisions we made in life. A lot of music genres such as classical
and R&B dominated there and we had lots of fun dancing together when a classical romantic music
would play.
The final puzzle piece
I wish I could write a lot of other things that make London so unique. Yes, the prices are ridiculous
however the best things are free such as Queen’s House and British Museum, where you can learn a lot
from kind guides that you meet there. However, I’m afraid I’ll be out of words if I begin to describe all its
wonders. I’ll just say this – I might have left missing pieces of puzzle, but after you visit London, you’ll get
a beautiful picture.