The 7 Wonders of London
When it comes to wonders, the number 7 is said to symbolize perfection and hence is used to list them.
Well, London Eye with its breathtaking views of the city, including long stretches of the banks of the Thames? Richmond Park, the oasis of tranquillity? Or St Paul’s Cathedral with you walking down the same Aisle as Princess Diana on her wedding day? Are they wonders of London? Hmmm they might be but I reckon the true ones are:
1. The free stuff!
London is one of the most expensive cities on earth but there are free museums, movies, plays, concerts and readings – it’s just knowing where to look.
Street entertainer in Brixton
Gigs are everywhere even in a cloth shop
A friendly-festival feel at London’s only roaming open-air cinema, which pops up at a string of beautiful locations across the city, from museums to gardens
2. The weather!
Well, the weather. Britain enters recorded history with a complaint about the weather. It is because the weather can change very quickly that many British people carry an umbrella with them throughout the year, even when it appears to be a fine day. They might not control the weather, but they know how to dance in the rain. And it’s easy. Just take a colourful umbrella and add a dance to go with it! If you ever have danced in the rain, you’ll know that it’s really fun.
I’d call it kind of street art
Black & White is neither a mere lack of colour nor of joyful
3. The Unexpected!
Keira Knightley in Spitalfields, Biffy Clyro in front row at LFW, a band you’ve never heard of turning out to be brilliant, the Huntarian, the Cinema Museum, site-specific pop-ups, a protest march you didn’t know about, secret gigs or even the Mad Hatter in Broadway Market.
Biffy Clyro sitting in the front row at LFW
Collection of old film reels -The Cinema Museum
The old and the new! London’s Gherkin behind the Tower of London
The remnants of the postern gate that controlled entrance to the London Walls near its east end
Brown, Crimson, Beige and White: The long, shiny feathers of Wild birds. And handwritten blackboards with a rétro flair. For a few seconds I wondered: am I in the 21st Century?
” – Do you know why they call me Hatter?
– Because you wear a hat?
– No. Because I’m always there when they pass the hat, so to speak.”
4. The diversity!
All the languages and cultures of the world are here, yet everyone who spends even just a short time in London becomes an honorary Londoner, and starts apologizing for standing on the wrong side of the escalator.
“- Are you an anarchist?
– What’s an anarchist? I’m just making a living”
“I’ve eventually got my style.”
London’s Chinese New Year’s celebration
5. The Calories!
Breakfast in Brixton Market, a lunchtime beer in Spitalfields, lamb or beef with a Yorkshire pudding in Islington, an evening curry in Brick Lane. Calories be damned! Jamie please save the nation!
Apparently, dishes cooked with goose are delicious and healthier than the ones prepared with butter or lard. I confess that I had never heard of goose fat before…
6. Afternoon Tea!
From finger sandwiches to scones with clotted cream and jam to sweets such as cakes and macarons, afternoon tea is nothing less than a full meal and that most quintessential of English customs.
Life among the English…always surprisingly
7. Cambridge!
Just beyond the city walls, the campus of Cambridge University escorts visitors back in time with its majestic medieval architecture and weathered cobblestone streets. Let alone, a fantastic punting tour through the heart of the city guided by one of the brilliant students, possibly the Prime Minister likely to be.
The true wonder we can say is mysterious, magnificent, stunning or in other words it is really a master piece, and due to these qualities it attracts everyone towards itself. And this is London as a whole. It may no longer be the largest city in the world, but I think it’s still the greatest. Mon the biff! 🙂
