Gobsmacked

9/1/2013 - London

With 12 days scheduled for London, I was in no rush when I arrived. I planned to spend most of the day relaxing at coffee shops and catching a new film. It didn't work out like that. As soon as I started walking to the movie theater, I knew I was going to want to see the city immediately. 

On the way to the theater, I passed all sorts of places I only knew by reputation: the Natural History Museum, Hyde Park, Harrods, Green Park, Piccadilly Square, and Leicester Square. I was in a great mood, then I made a mistake and stopped in the theater to see the movie, an admittedly great documentary about war criminals called The Act of Killing. It's a testament to London that I was pretty upbeat shortly after leaving the theater and arriving in Trafalgar Square. From there, I walked to the Thames, Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, the Supreme Court, Parliament Square, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park, and Buckingham Palace. I hadn't planned to see any of those specifically; London's sights are so compact that it's easy to run into one after the other.

London is a new chapter for my travels, and a welcome one. I am glad I don't have to get on a train or a plane, or check into a new hotel or hostel for the next 12 days. I plan to be here longer than anywhere else, except Paris, so I really hope to get a sense of the city.

Pictured: Parliament, viewed from Westminster Bridge