Keep Calm and Marvel On – The Brilliance of London, England; Part 1

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Over this spring break, I’ve had the most wonderful – most awe-inspiring, phenomenal, stupendous, extraordinary, and breath-taking (for “wonderful” simply isn’t enough to describe the awesomeness that had befallen upon me, so I take to abuse the thesaurus) – experience: school trip to LONDON and PARIS!

I’ve always loved to travel and sight-see, but the trip was beyond anything I have ever imagined. First time in Europe, the two cities have absolutely captivated my heart with all their beauty and charisma. The architecture and respect for arts and culture have stayed with me and will stay with me for ever; at every turn, there seemed to be an anecdote behind every little detail carved into the intricacies of the buildings and the ground that one dances upon. “Keep[ing] Calm” certainly wasn’t optional. Though the spring Calgary weather of snow and wind and cold practically followed everywhere we went, it was still an amazing experience. Hopefully I will be able to capture the great highlights of London and do her at least some justice.

After coming back to Calgary, life seemed a little too normal. School. Homework. Exams. All the torture endured and accepted for the past few years became a little too meaningless. I often found myself thinking about London, about Europe, about traveling; with the approaching IB exams, I became even more restless. What was so frightening about coming back to reality is that one may forget what it was like to enjoy oneself in the midst of our worries, so I wallowed in the waters of the River Thames. I sat in the London Tube as life flashed by. Not to be melodramatic, but who knows when the opportunity will come again? How can we focus on our present demands with insight into what we want to become? A quote that resonated with me from the play Six Degrees of Separation really had me thinking about the essence of traveling and extraordinary events that we experience.

“How do we fit what happened to us into life without turning it into an anecdote with no teeth and a punch line you’ll mouth over and over for years to come… And we become these human juke boxes spilling out these anecdotes. But it was an experience. How do we keep the experience?”

Whether it is through writing or photography; art or remembrance – alas! we must allow these amazing experiences to change us and shape us for who we are and who we are going to become. I genuinely hope that, through my posts, I can capture what it was like to be eighteen and in a city of thousands of years of history behind every gravel. I hope that I can inspire others like yourself to open your eyes to the world beyond your own. Photographs are framed, but the experience is border-less.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)

Now, with that in mind, please welcome Her Majesty…

   

ENGLAND.

First impressions of London as we drove from London Heathrow Airport (west end of London) to our hotel (east end of London): humidity (fog and thick, low clouds), driving on the “wrong” side of the road (just because North Americans drive on the right side), and beautiful, surreal buildings.

Fact: During the industrial revolution, factories were built in the middle of London. As the wind currents from the Atlantic Ocean blow east, the west side had better air quality. Hence, the most of the oligarchy settled down in the west side. The London 2012 Olympics were held in east London in incite economic growth.

Random Fact: Q: Why was Mad Hatter mad? A: The hat-makers used to use mercury as one of the materials for making hats.

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Picturesque houses.
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Residence of artists: big windows and large front doors to squeeze those canvases in!
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First London Underground station, spotted.
First look at River Thames.
First look at River Thames.
MI6, James Bond Headquarters, spotted.
MI6: James Bond Headquarters, spotted.
First drive-by of Houses of Parliament - totally awestruck by its Neo-Gothic grandeur.
First drive-by of Houses of Parliament – totally awestruck by its Neo-Gothic grandeur.
First look at Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye after we landed in London.
First look at Big Ben and the London Eye. My mind still hasn’t come to the comprehension that we’re in London – absolutely a phantasmagorical experience.
A look-back at the Houses of Parliament together with Big Ben.
A look-back at the Houses of Parliament together with Big Ben.
First notable red telephone booth, spotted. (Notice how the street lamp post behind the telephone booth is so intricately designed!)
First notable red telephone booth, spotted. (Notice how the street lamp post to the left of the telephone booth is so intricately designed!)
Tower of London (left); Tower Bridge (middle).
Tower of London (left); Tower Bridge (middle).

Stay tuned for Part 2!

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