London: not your average European city

Every city in Europe definitely has its own outstanding personality but London is clearly not part of the continental Europe because it was staggeringly different than any other European city I have been to.

First, I noticed many obvious differences like the way the cars drive, the money that was used and the fact that everything was written in English! (finally!) What was most surprising was they type of people that I saw and the multitude of cultures within the city. According to Eurostats, The UK has had one of the highest rates of immigration over the past thirty years. I was expecting to arrive and be pleasantly greeted by some nice British gentlemen with a lovely British accent. Ha! I saw and met lots of people from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Spain, and Columbia. Soho seems to be the most diverse area for people to live in. The wealth of England along with its location on the Thames River makes it a desirable location for immigrants. London seems to be a very popular spot for young people to move and start a new life. The city has a very liberal culture and which is pretty accepting for new cultures. It reminds me of the United States and “melting pot” of different cultures. Below are some snapshots that I took while wondering the streets of busy London and it shows London’s diversity in culture.

While walking around the city, we stumbled into the Borough Market. It reminded me a lot of the markets that we saw while in Spain but this one definitely had a London flare. The Spanish markets were covered in fresh fruit and other produce, meat, and cheese counters. The Borough Market did not have quite as many fresh produce and meat but it appeared to have way more mouth-watering dessert items….yum! I held back my temptations and continued to notice more and more ethnic stands. In Spain, we noticed that the markets can tell you a lot about the type of culture. This market definitely screamed about London’s diversity.

London is a big city in population (“Greater London” has a population of 7.2 million) and territory. In other words, it is not an easy walk to get from one end of the city to the other. Public transportation is a novelty and huge part of London’s culture. When thinking about going to London, I was excited to see the typical touristy transportations like double-decker busses, the uniquely shaped taxis and testing out the “tube.” I was blown away when I saw the gas prices, 11.9 pounds per liter! I would use public transportation too!

Another major difference in London is the currency. While the United Kingdom is a member of the European Union, they chose not to use the Euro. “Money is a powerful source of everyday identity,” says Donald McNeill in New Europe: Imagined Spaces. He mentions the 2001 British election when the UK Conservative party warned the people that if the Labor government were re-elected, the pound would cease to exist. Good call on their part because these days, the pound is doing way better than the Euro and the Dollar. The exchange rate was a little hard to get used to and it was easy to spend way more that I wanted to.

While in the EU, it was still necessary to go through customs upon our arrival. At first, the line for the EU member citizens was extremely crowded and I was happy to go to the non-EU member citizen line. But after about thirty minutes in line, it was finally our turn and the EU member line was completely empty. They clearly had an easier time going through customs. Tourism in Europe is on the rise and The UK is one of the top spenders in the EU. They spend a lot of money attracting people to come and see their plethora of attractions. I tried to see and do as much as my budget would allow. From my expensive but well worth it trip up in the London Eye along the Thames, we could see all the hot tourist spots: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Globe Theatre, Tower of London and Herrods.