(Description)
I had never liked big cities and always tried to avoid any contact with the huge agglomerations of any kind. But when I went to London, I felt astounded at its homeliness and almost artistic outlook. Pure curiosity led me to that city. When several years ago I visited my brother in Great Britain, I thought it would be a shame not to go to London, one of the most famous cities in the world. According to the encyclopedias, it is the largest urban zone in the European Union. But being there, you feel like you are in some familiar place. Its undoubtedly exquisite architecture is not overpowering but inviting, and it feels like its life goes without any pressure.
That city has few attributes that, when recalled, immediately associate only with that particular place in the world. For example the Thames river, which winds through it from south-west to east, or imposing Big Ben with the Parliament buildings that nestle at it. Nowadays, also the London Eye is the next hallmark of London. It is an enormous ferris wheel perched on the riverbank. Wherever you are within the city center, you can see The Eye looking at you. In any event, this is the odd object, that disturbs the aesthetics of the landscape. But, obviously, I could not resist to take the flight to the top of it, from which you can see the whole picturesque city and much more sky.
In London there is an abundance of bridges over the Thames – each built in a different style, which makes a long walk along the river really interesting. The most majestic is the Tower Bridge, that looks like taken out of some old legend and placed in the middle of a modern city. All the other bridges, located far away from each other, are considerably less ornate and impressive than the Tower Bridge, but still worth seeing. As to the river itself – I reckon there is no other so neglected river in the world. So when you look at it, you see a bleak gray-brown liquid, that does not even resemble water.
The tourists that come to London, usually want to see the Buckingham Palace, which is situated in the center if the city, but I did not see anything amazing about that building – the huge inhospitable residence surrounded by the tall fence covered with gold ornaments, which, I assume, should indicate the splendor and elegance, but in my opinion – shows only the attachment to elaborate kitsch. That is why I would rather go to the nearby Green Park to sit on the bench and watch the tranquil fountains or feed hungry pigeons among the golden trees.
Going north-west through the Green Park, you will get to the Piccadilly Street, where you will find a place really worth visiting, if you are a music lover - Hard Rock Cafe. In the dungeon of that cafe you will have an opportunity to see the original guitars of the famous (mostly dead) musicians, their characteristic clothes or personal effects. This is like a small museum of music. You can also buy there some souvenirs, old-school t-shirts, and guitar or drum accessories.
Leaving Piccadilly Street and heading north-west farther, you will pass the lush Hyde Park full of vast grass clearings ready for the dogs leaving their warm “souvenirs”. Than, as you get to Nothing Hill, you will easily find Portobello Road, famous of its Market, which stretches for around two miles along the street. On a crowded Saturday afternoon it takes quite a while to walk from end to end. But it is worthwhile. You can find there a great deal of antiques or simply old things, second hand goods, fashionable furniture or clothes, books, records and many more. Sometimes you can come across musicians busking by the vegetable stall or in the trailer of a truck. The road undoubtedly attracts original and eccentric people who come there to buy or sell some of their spellbinding properties. Also the outlook of that road is unusual. Many quaint tenement houses painted in different light colors, a great deal of art galleries or music shops in those houses – all of that makes that place almost impossibly interesting for an artistic soul. The amount of eyecatching pictures will strike you after just a few seconds there, not to mention how many things you would like to buy after few hours spent there.
Another, almost iconic object in London, is the Underground, so-called Tube. It sprawls out under the large part of the city, and connects over 250 stations. The Tube often runs very deep down, which surely makes it unforgettable for people with acrophobia to slide down escalator.
But the places and events that I described are just a small piece of what London has to offer. There are many more parks, streets and markets to check. To really get to know that city, you would have to spend several months there and have plenty of free time and cash – which I wish I had, because I find that city fascinating and worth exploring.