3 hours to reach another world: the UK!!

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  London, England, United Kingdom
Monday, July 6, 2009

I love how compact Europe can feel. In a plane ride of only two hours, you can be in a totally different world. From 90 degrees Fahrenheit & 90% humidity to a cool, damp 65F in a land where everyone speaks English. What a refreshing change. No wonder the Brits love to vacation in Southern Italy.

London was fun, but I don't want to return until I can spend LLLLL on a nice hotel and not feel guilty about it. The location of our hotel was very convenient, just a short walk from Buckingham Palace and near good transport links at Victoria Station. But inside, it feel like a dumpy, run-down version of my college dorm that was built in the 1890s. The tiny plastic "bathroom in a box" concept was so small you could use the handheld shower and brush your teeth at the same time. At least we didn't spend much time in the room.

The riverside Parliament building with its Gothic spires and Big Ben clock tower was impressive, and we enjoyed riding the river boats up the Thames. The British Museum was a fantastic, world-class museum worthy of its reputation.

The cliche is that people from colder northern climates seem to be more emotionally reserved or less expressive than their neighbors from warmer climates like Italy. Within two hours of being in London, I certainly noticed the differences. Yes, it was workday and the sidewalks were full of people. But instead of socializing, laughing, having a coffee at any outdoor cafe, and pushing their kids in strollers, the Brits were rushing off to work, talking in their cell phones, or listening to their IPods. It felt busy but lonely. I noticed no sounds of laughter or friendly conversation, except for the occasional roar of a bus engine. No elderly men playing bocce in the courtyards or sitting on a bench in the piazza. It was clearly a business city. London reminded me of America, of how you can be in a large crowded city, yet feel alone because there are fewer interactions among people. Technology has replaced conversation & human relationships.

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near St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, a TKO client	London traffic	busy Trafalgar Square	Parliament with Big Ben
the Thames River & London Eye	Pub sign	the London Eye	central business district of London
Big Ben clock tower	along the Thames	typical London taxi cabs	modern steel/glass bldgs. along the Thames
the Tower of London castle	the Tower Bridge of London, NOT London Bridge	Buckingham Palace	Inside the British Museum
London double-decker bus & red phone booth	the famous Rosetta stone tablet	part of the Elgin marbles, from Athens Greece	in the British Museum's Egypt section
Eygptian statue	ancient jewelry, similar to modern pieces	Asian section of the British Museum	the Tube
near the train station	memorial to children who fled WWII bombs	Inside the train station

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