London: Where History Meets Traffic and Expensive Pints
well, folks, i've been in london for a few days now and let me tell you, it's quite the experience. the city's huge, i mean really, really huge.
so this city was founded by the romans way back in ad 43. that's old, really old. they called it londinium, which sounds way more official than just london. it started as a small walled settlement on the north bank of the thames, which is where the river is easiest to cross. makes sense, right? who wants to swim across a river every day?
i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. it's not exactly warm, but it's not freezing either. around 7.3°C, feels like 4.9°C if you're standing around like i usually am. the humidity's at 94%, so it's that kind of damp that gets into your bones. pack layers, seriously. that's my best advice for london weather.
the thames is kind of a big deal here. it's a tidal estuary, which means the ocean comes right up to the city twice a day. that's pretty wild when you think about it. there are 21 tributaries that feed into it, though most of them are underground now. the city's built on a flood plain, so there's always that little thrill when it rains a lot. someone told me that they actually have these big barriers they can lower to hold back the river if it gets too high. sounds like something out of a movie, right?
the geography is interesting. london's basically in a basin with gentle rolling hills. parliament hill and hampstead heath are two of the bigger ones, reaching up to 130m in some places. not exactly the alps, but they'll give you a decent workout if you're into that sort of thing.
if you get bored, reading and slough are just a short drive away to the west. watford and st albans to the northwest, luton to the north, basildon and southend-on-sea to the east, and crawley, guildford, and reigate to the south. these places form part of this massive commuter belt that stretches up to 45 miles from the center. that's a lot of commuting.
the food here is...interesting. it's definitely multicultural, which is nice. fish and chips is a classic, but honestly, after a while, it's just fried fish with potatoes. pie and mash is another local thing, though i'm still not quite sure what the green sauce is supposed to be. the full english breakfast is a heart attack on a plate, but worth trying once. and the curry houses? incredible. someone told me that london has more indian restaurants than mumbai, which is just mind-blowing.
the city's packed with famous people, past and present. shakespeare (though he was more of a stratford-on-avon guy), dickens, queen elizabeth ii, winston churchill, david bowie, adele, charlie chaplin, idris elba, isaac newton, michael faraday... the list goes on. it's like every famous person in british history either lived here or at least visited.
with a population of 9.1 million in greater london and 15.1 million in the wider metro area, it's crowded. really crowded. people speak over 300 languages here, which is insane. the culture is a mix of british tradition and global influences. pubs, monarchy, west end theater, all that british stuff mixed with arts, finance, and this weird green urban ethos where there are parks everywhere, even in the middle of all this concrete.
visiting london can be expensive. really expensive. the traffic is a nightmare, so use that oyster card for the tube and buses. it's cheaper and way faster than driving. pack layers because it rains a lot. be careful of pickpockets in touristy areas. someone told me that piccadilly circus and oxford street are particularly bad for this. also, check for strikes because they happen pretty regularly and can mess up your travel plans.
what makes london stand out? well, it's western europe's largest metro area for one. it's a global financial hub with the city and canary wharf. it's surprisingly green for how big it is, with tons of parks scattered among the skyscrapers. the thames brings north sea waters right into the city center every day. it started as a roman settlement on two hills, and you can still see layers of history in the streets. it's a "world city" that rivals new york, making it this unique, resilient, cosmopolitan place that's constantly changing but somehow staying the same at the same time.
it's been a lot to take in this week. my feet are tired, my wallet's empty, and i think i've walked about 20 miles a day, but there's something about this city that just keeps pulling you back in. maybe it's the history, or the food, or just the sheer chaos of it all. whatever it is, london's definitely got something special going on.
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