More tidings from Britain
Trip Start
May 05, 2008
1
2
97
Trip End
May 09, 2009
London,
England,
United Kingdom
Sunday, May 11, 2008
London so far has proved a mixed bag. The city certainly is impressive, between the great cathedrals of religion(St.Paul's, Westminster Abbey), those of government (Westminster and the vast array of impressive monuments scattered throughout the city) and the great cathedrals of commerce and industry (the ultra-modern skyscrapers visible on the skyline, Lloyd's and the Bank of England). Nowadays, rather than being a mere shadow of its former self as the center of the greatest empire in history and the financial capital of the world, London seems to continually re-invent itself and is certainly a city of the 21st century. Large building projects and cranes are visible throughout the city and busy businessmen abound on the streets
The Canterbury Cathedral
. Cultural activities such as theatre and the arts are prominent. Nobody can accuse London of being boring. As one great Englishman, Samuel Johnson, put it: 'When you are tired of London, you are tired of life'. On the other hand, London is a victim of its own success as an Alpha-world city for 4 centuries. As befits a city where there is a great accumulation of capital, the prices here are sky-high, and even for us coming from a rich country, they seem exorbitant. And that is not just the case for tourists; it is the case for locals as well. Most of them live crammed in tiny appartments and barely make do from month to month. To give Canadians a better idea of the standard of living, the prices here are about the same for most things in pounds as they are in Canada in dollars, but the salaries are almost half for the same job. This has caused a dramatic drop in the quality of living, which is not evident in the rich core of the city. However, when one travels through the suburbs (which we did during a bus trip to Canterbury), this is evident. Certain neighborhoods reminded us out of all places of Mexico City. Add to this the fact that most of them are inhabited by immigrants coming from all corners of the globe, and the city shows its other, uglier side. No offense to the immigrants of course, this is simply to say that not all is rosy in the great city on the Thames.We found it thus to be a great contrast to Canterbury, the traditional religious capital of England, where we visited its famous cathedral and strolled its charming streets. Even in a touristy town, the prices are noticeably lower and the people noticeably calmer and friendlier.
Until the next time, in Brussels...
Comments
You two must be having so much fun!
Things here are going really well. We all wish we were with you guys!