London is one of those cities a traveler can visit again and again and feel every time surprised. In the recent years, I’ve been mostly wild about adventure travel, nature and wilderness, and only in a few occasions I spent time in a big city. But London has something special, it exercises like a fascination that makes me willing to come back again and again. I’ve been thinking about that and found out the 3 facts that make London unique to me.
The Awesome London Eye
1. The Thames: especially if there is good weather, the river is awesome and enchanting. Taking the boat is a nice alternative to move around and a great way to enjoy amazing views on the major London attractions.
A pub along the Thames
A little tip to avoid the crowd is to do the reverse journey: instead of starting in Central London take the tube to the farthest pier you’d like to reach and enjoy the itinerary from there to Westminster, or Tower Bridge.
The Thames also offers endless possibilities to have lovely walks or a ride by bike and is at its best late in the afternoon, when the sun is lower and the light amazing. I had a wonderful time around the Kew Gardens, along the riverside path in the woods.
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2. The tube: not only is the tube a fantastic way to move around in a relatively quick way, I am wild about London underground because it is an amazing melting pot.
I love to observe people, to me that’s part of a journey and so far London is one of the few cities I know where I feel as if the tube was containing the world.
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British Museum, Sculptures from the Parthenon
3. Free Museums: this is something I always admired and I wish it was more common in other cities. Free entrance is in my humble opinion one of the greatest form of cultural democracy. Art belongs to every single people in the world and making it accessible to everyone and especially to those who have limited financial resources, is something which I find remarkable. London has some of the most beautiful Museums in the world, housing amazing works of art and I love the possibility to savor all this beauty slowly, knowing that I do not need to rush because I can come back again and again.
Which are the facts that make London unique to you? I’d love to read your comments and to discover something new!
London is a great place to visit and I love the free museums but can’t agree with the tube comment. There are always delays and cancellations and replacement buses. Drives me crazy!
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Well, Andrea, you’re probably right regarding the tube and overall public transportation in London. I can only talk about my experience during several short stays. It happened only once, so I got the idea it was very efficient. But surely relying on public transportation every single day is another thing. Cheers!
I love London! These are 3 great reasons to love it. We used to spend time on the Queen Mary boat. It was permanently docked but was turned into a bar/function place. It was a great way to spend a hot summers day- a few pints on the deck watching Thames River life flow by.
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Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Uh, Queen Mary, sounds great! Will definitely have to give it a try (and a pint!). Always nice to discover new things. Cheers!
Great post! FREE Museums? Wow! I agree with your “cultural democracy” statement and believe everyone should have access as well. I really want to visit London someday besides being stuck at Heathrow during a layover!
How nice of you, Mark.
Yes, ‘cultural democracy’ should be widespread and I truly believe that mankind would benefit from admiring such beauties.
In Europe, London is a must-see. Thus I hope u’ll be able to visit it some day!
London? Great review. We went last summer, had a Great time. Two tours, Windsor Castle and the Palace. Stayed at the Bloombury Hotel. Needed a month there. LOL Nice Blog….
Paul
@twittedtraveler
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. True, London is so big and has so much to offer that a full month would probably not be enough!
Cheers!
Never been to London, but these are three good reasons to visit. I’ve always heard a great deal about Kensington Gardens, and would be curious to see that as well.
Oh, there are countless reasons to visit London indeed. The three I mentioned are those which I find very peculiar in London and which Makes me feel it different from any other city.