Stockholm- A Culture Capital

Stockholm- A Culture Capital
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

Friday, March 26, 2010

Londinium

The great city of London was originally founded by the Roman Conquest and was named Londinium, they believe it was a cosmopolitan area where merchants and trade was the base of society. Since then the city has slowly evolved into what it is today, one of the largest metropolitan areas worldwide and a cultural center like none other. I have been lucky enough to have spent the last 2 weeks in this great city and been able to see all of its modern glory as well as plenty of historical fare. I have been staying in Wimbledon (yes the tennis place) with my lovely friend Barbara. Since she has a job I got some to myself to rove the city and some of its touristy sites but also was blessed to have her and some other locals to show me the local vibe.

At Borough Market

A definite highlight of London was seeing the West End Shows and all of the live performances going on. I saw Wicked, Legally Blonde the Musical, and the quite literally spectacular Lion King. I also saw Sir Ian McKellan (Gandalf) live in the absurdist play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. The play was done masterfully, the script, character and humor were great; and Ian McKellan was as wonderful live as he is in the movies.

Reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe

Just roving around the different areas and districts of London is an experience in itself; you come across great restaurants, plenty of shopping whether it is markets and boutiques or the huge shops on Oxford Street, and a variety of architecture. I went to Fleet Street where Sweeney Todd was from, the palaces, Parliament, St Georges Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and pretty much any notable or iconic building in London.

The museums and galleries in London are some of the best in the world and were a great source of often-free entertainment. In the British museum you see amazing exhibits of mummified cats, frescoes from the Parthenon, and the Rosetta Stone. They also have an extensive library with a giant reading room in the middle. The galleries hold works from Rembrandt, Picasso, Titian, and many of the Renaissance and post Renaissance masters.

Outside of Legally Blonde

London definitely has some great nightlife as well, they have something for every little niche. They have cocktail bars, clubs, pubs, and venues with live music of all kinds. Along side some great cocktails for me some of the best memories ‘surprisingly’ revolved around food. I did manage to try some local delicacies such as the Cornish Pasties or meat pies, banoffee pie, beans with tomato sauce and other pub fare. I also had some great Asian food, Spanish tapas, and good ol’ Starbucks.

The city was great to me and I will be missing it, the friends I made, and, of course my London girls Hanna and Barbara. London is a city of extreme variety and has so much to offer to anyone who seeks out adventure. Alas I am off to France once again and I will fill you in from there.

1 comment:

  1. Glad you're having fun Mackenzie! Keep on blogging. It'll be a great record of your adventures.

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