Traveling for New Years has become a yearly tradition for me. This year I decided London was the place I wanted to spend it. I picked London because of how much my peers that have been there talked about it, even drawing comparisons to New York City. This was something I had to experience for myself.
12/29/19
My first day in London I arrived later than scheduled because of the flight departure getting pushed back. I scrapped my itinerary for that day and opted instead to walk around the city aimlessly taking in the sites. As I walked, night took over the sky and the temperature dropped precipitously. I put my hands in my pockets to alleviate the numbness on my fingertips as I moved through the vast crowd of tourists . One of the first spots I came across was Westminster Abbey. I was excited to take a look inside until I saw the price, £16. I didn’t care how beautiful the inside of the church was, there was a 0% chance of me paying to see it. I’ve been inside of dozens of nice churches all over Europe and paid nothing so the fact that they were charging annoyed me a bit. I headed to the Big Ben clock tower nearby only to see that it was completely covered in scaffolding. As I stood staring at the tower, I noticed the London Eye in the distance shining bright and red. I walked in that direction to get a closer look, crossing a bridge over the River Thames. The building adjacent to the London Eye also shone bright but with both red and green colors. These lights reflected off of the river, enhancing an already incredible view. Out of curiosity I inquired about the price to take a ride on it. My eyes bulged out when I read the sign that said £37. I was dumbfounded they were charging almost $50 for a Ferris wheel ride. This, along with the fact that so many were standing in line willing to pay that price was crazy to me. I shake my head in disbelief and keep moving. This is when I came across a walking path with street venders on both sides selling ethnic foods from all over the world. I was filled with excitement seeing the variety of options. I purchased from a few vendors and my excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The portions were small, tasted bland, and were overpriced. Cold and annoyed with London so far, I decide to head back to my hostel. As I’m about to enter the train station, I get an unexpected message from someone looking to hangout through the Couchsurfing app named Ron. I turn around immediately and walk a mile to meet up with him and the others that were with him. I don’t remember most of the others’ names so I’m making some of them up for this storyline. There was Ron from Germany, Paula from Italy, Titus from the UK, Khalil from Algeria, and later Sandy from Canada. We were all visiting London short term with the exception of Titus. Ron, Paula, Titus, Khalil, and I were on a mission to find food. Titus and Paula are vegan so we wanted a spot that accommodated their needs. This proved to be more difficult than expected. As we searched for food we spent time learning more about each other and our respective cultures. So many behaviors and customs in one of our cultures might be bizarre in another’s. It was exciting and educational to see these differences and the sociological effects it had on who we became from childhood to adulthood. There was a hilarious moment where Paula said she couldn’t tell an American and British accent apart. To the rest of us they sound completely different so we lightly made fun of her for this statement. It wasn’t until Titus and I recited different words together that she was able to hear the difference. Paula is still learning English so she had so many questions about the nuances in the language and pronunciations. For example differentiating between “keys” and “kiss” or “sheet” and “shit”. Her English is significantly better than my Italian though so I had no room to judge. An hour later we finally find a spot with vegan options. It was a Mexican restaurant. Paula hated the way it tasted though so she left our group to find something else. I got chicken tacos and it was easily the worst Mexican food I’ve ever tasted in my life. Minutes later we were joined by Sandy, a traveler from Toronto Canada. Together we devise a plan to drink and see the nightlife in London. Titus obviously knew the area best so we followed his lead. We walked through a neighborhood with a hipster vibe to it. The blocks were filled with active bars pumping loud music and people outside socializing. It seemed to be an area where the locals hang out. Titus led us into a dimly lit bar where the DJ was playing all the 90s hip-hop and R&B jams. I sang along to every song as I sat sipping on my £15 cranberry vodka. As I enjoy my drink and people watch, an attractive brunette woman makes eye contact with me and motions me to the dance floor. I ignore her pleas and she swiftly runs up to me, grabs my arm with both her hands, and forces me up. I resist at first but she was persistent so I got up and started dancing. We sang at each other and danced all night. The music was so loud I could feel it vibrate through my body. The temperature of the room rose as more people streamed in from outside. It was starting to get too crowded and it was late so my new acquaintances and I decided it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes and I boarded the train back to my hostel. It was 4am and the streets were dark but I felt safer walking alone here than anywhere in the United States. My first day in the UK didn’t go as planned but ended better than expected.
12/30/19
The following day I went on a 14 hour tour which took me through Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. Windsor Castle was the first stop. I grabbed an audio guide and headed inside. The building itself is an incredible architectural site but the most interesting part was the hundreds of years of history each room provided. Knowing I was walking the same grounds where past monarchs walked, slept, ate, and had ceremonies felt surreal. I was surrounded by artwork, furniture, and tools from as far back as the 11th century. Each room in this castle tells a different story of the people who occupied this space over the centuries. The current queen, Elizabeth II, also spends much of her free time here. The next stop was Stonehenge. There isn’t much to say about it. They are rock formations that appear to be part of a ritual but nobody knows how they got there or their true purpose. These are enormous boulders weighing about 25 tons each that were transported to this location from 20 miles away. This occurred before the wheel was invented so allegedly no technology existed for humans to be capable of moving such large, heavy rocks. There are multiple theories out there, including aliens. This is one of those things that may always be a mystery to mankind. The final stop on the tour was Bath. Bath had a serene and exuberant atmosphere. Simply walking through the streets filled me with immense joy. From the numerous shops to the Georgian architecture to the canals with cascading water, it felt like heaven on Earth. Numerous famous writers like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Mary Chelley have personal connections to this wondrous city. It has inspired many of their works. Bath is a special place. After Bath, we headed to the city of Lancock for dinner. We ate at a pub called The George Inn, which has existed since 1361. I ordered fish & chips because it seemed like the most logical choice being the UK. It was decent but not great. I’ve had better fish & chips in the USA to be honest. I headed back to London after a long day and rested before my next adventure.
12/31/19
The next day I joined a free walking tour to learn more about the city of London. I look for the Strawberry Tours in every city I go to because of how historically informative they are. They not only give a positive account of the city but also talk about the ugly history. If you want an impartial history lesson I highly recommend them. Our tour guide JJ took us to the top sites like St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace, giving us a thorough history lesson on each location. I learned loads of new information including things I thought I knew but had completely wrong. For example, it wasn’t until this tour that I learned the Tower Bridge and London Bridge were two very different bridges. While JJ talked it hit me the impact the United Kingdom has had on every country in the world. I couldn’t help but wonder what this planet would look like without their colonialism and influence. Our religions, borders, languages, conflicts, wars would be different. Chances are I wouldn’t exist! These were the thoughts going through my mind. Halfway through the tour we stopped for lunch. I ordered a pasta from the list of menu items. My mouth salivated with anticipation. When the food arrived it was tasteless and not filling. I sat quiet and upset as my stomach growled loudly. I begrudgingly paid for my meal and the tour continued. Anyway, during the tour I befriended a woman named Maha. We were drawn together because we were both alone with nobody else to take pics of us next to the London sites. Maha had recently moved to London from Iraq to do her masters degree at the university. I jokingly asked her if she hated Americans given the history of the two countries and we had a good laugh about it. After the tour I thanked JJ for his time. Then Maha and I continued hanging out and taking pics. We walked around for a couple hours taking in the sites and the city lit up as the sun went down. Talented street performers drew attention from passersby. Christmas lights lined every corner of the streets. Crowded markets sold hot drinks, food, and handmade trinkets. I had a plan to meet up with another group of travelers to celebrate the New Year and I invited Maha to join me. We arrived at the meeting point and waited for the others to show up. After every person was accounted for we walked to a nearby pub. The beer at this pub was cheap but high quality. At this point it’s 8pm, there’s 10 of us, but no concrete plan of where we’d like to be at midnight. A couple hours go by and Maha leaves because she isn’t a big fan of pubs. The rest of us went to find something to eat but got separated in the crowd and never reunited. Suddenly only 3 of us were left, Mey, Kevin, and I. Mey was a traveler from Malaysia. Kevin is an expat living in London so we followed his lead. The plan was to find a spot in Leicester Square to watch the fireworks. On the way there we noticed a street performer playing popular cumbia, salsa, and reggaeton tunes from his guitar. Dozens of pedestrians surrounded him joyfully dancing to the music. Mey grabbed my hand and we danced as the guitarist strummed his strings to the rhythm of Despacito. After our dance party it was time to find the best spot to stand when the clock struck midnight. Kevin led us to a spot where we waited in anticipation. Excitement was building as the crowd grew immensely. It was a cold night but being squeezed together with so many people provided warmth. The strong smell of marijuana filled the air. People drank and shared large bottles of liquor. The clock hit midnight. It was finally 2020. Fireworks lit up the sky as people yelled in celebration. Our plans to have an after party fell apart so we decided to head back to our accommodations. Mey and I were going in the same direction so we said bye to Kevin and were on our way. This is when things got crazy. We quickly realized the entrance to the Tube was closed. We tried multiple ways to get in and all were blocked off. Imagine thousands of confused, drunk people roaming the streets of London. This is what was happening at the moment because nobody knew how to get home. It was chaos. After walking for an hour we finally find an open station. We stampede into the station and push our way inside the train car. I felt like a crab caught in a fisherman’s net. That’s how crammed it was. Anyway, everyone made it home and I rested before enjoying my last full day in the UK.
01/01/20
Later that day I was on a mission to find delicious food. The food I had eaten so far in London was subpar at best and overpriced, which was frustrating. I heard great things about the Indian cuisine there so I decided to give it a chance. I walked to the neighborhood of Shoreditch, a predominately Asian neighborhood in London. I ate at a restaurant called Dosa World and it turned out to be the best Indian cuisine I’ve ever had in my life. The taste, texture, and seasoning was on point. Everything about my meal was perfect. After leaving the restaurant, I walked around viewing the graffiti art, which seemed to be on every corner of the neighborhood. They covered the walls, streets, bridges, and apartments. It was an unexpected but welcome surprise. It was time to head back so I walked over the Tower Bridge to take the Tube back to my hostel. As I walked over there were hundreds, maybe thousands of people, stopped on the bridge snapping pics of each other and taking selfies. This massive bridge had two towers positioned in the middle, both of which had glowing green lights emanating from them at the top. There was a long line of people paying to enter the towers to see the view from the top but I opted not to because it seemed like a waste of money. I arrived at my hostel, then ordered a drink and burger at the bar. The burger tasted so bad I couldn’t finish it. It was like they microwaved it after sloshing it in toxic waste. I should have known better based on my past experience in this country. Minutes later a beautiful, black woman, in her mid 20s, comes in and sits next to me at the bar. She also ordered the burger and I warned her how terrible it was going to taste. As we’re engaging in conversation I learn she’s from Virginia and this is her first time traveling solo. I’ve been traveling internationally for 5 years and only once ran into another black American. It’s extremely rare so it’s nice to see other people that look like me that share my passion. I give her pertinent tips to make her traveling life easier and she fervently put it all down in her smartphone. This is when it hit me that I’m a seasoned traveler that knows what he’s doing. It’s funny how you don’t notice things until you say it out loud. We shared laughs, stories, and tips. We exchanged contact info and then I headed to bed. I had an early train to catch in the morning. My time in the United Kingdom was coming to an end.
I wasn’t a huge fan of London itself. The popular attractions didn’t appeal to me because I found them to be overpriced traps. The food was mostly terrible. The main things I enjoyed were the history lessons and spending time with the unique people I met. It was an overall fun trip but I don’t ever want to live there.
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