My 24 hours in London was a brief insight into a city of paradoxes.
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.”
– Samuel Johnson
London offers over a thousand years of history, alongside a distinctly British modern flair. Shows, shops, restaurants, historical landmarks… there is so much to see, taste and experience! I had just 24 hours. My friend and I were determined to make the most of our single day in the city. After fortifying ourselves with a ‘cuppa’ (British slang for a mug of tea), we hit the streets.
London is massive. The city does not shoot up, but rather sprawls across 600 square miles, over twice the size of NYC. Even the city center is not quite in the “center” but spread out along and to the north of the River Thames. It is impossible to get easily from place to place unless you take the “tube” (mind the gap) or one of the famous double-decker buses.
First stop: Westminster Abbey
Fully caffeinated, we began our sightseeing at the famous Westminster Abbey, which is located next door to Big Ben along the banks of the Thames. The current architecture of the Abbey dates back to the 13th and 16th centuries; however, the site itself has been the setting of every British coronation since 1066. It is now the final resting place of many of those monarchs.
The dead residents of the Abbey far outnumber the daily number of living visitors they receive. Over 3,300 people are buried in Westminster, among them some of the most esteemed in the nation’s history. Figures such as Sir Isaac Newton, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Stephen Hawking, and Charles Dickens lie in state within the gothic structure with its cramped and twisting maze of ornate statues and soaring ceilings.
Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Sir Ernest Shackleton, and Nelson Mandela are not buried there, but are honored with plaques. As I wound my way through the labyrinth, I was most struck by the tombs of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Contentious cousins, rivals for the throne of England, the two women are now buried next to one another. Catholic and Protestant side by side: it was both beautiful and disturbing.
The changing of the guard: Buckingham Palace
Our next stop was the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which occurs every day at 11:30. We were able to arrive fairly early, but still had to peer over the shoulders of the crowd to catch a glimpse of the royal guards in their famous red coats. It was strange to see them not with antique muskets, but sleek bullpup assault rifles that clashed with their tall, fluffy hats. Equally surprising was hearing Katy Perry’s “Firework” played during the otherwise quite formal ceremony. Yet another example of rigid historical tradition and modern influences coming together in this city of paradoxes.
Off with our heads: The Tower
After the guard had marched away, my friend and I rushed over to spend the afternoon at the Tower of London, a popular tourist attraction not only because of the crown jewels, but also because of the many prisoners housed in its walls over the years. Though our tour guides and pamphlets assured us time and again that very few people were actually executed inside the Tower walls, the rack on display (an ancient torture device) was not particularly reassuring.
Also on display in the tower are graffiti from the many Catholics imprisoned in the past for remaining faithful to the Church of Rome. Here was another paradox: a place where massive diamonds in one room of a tower, and the scratched names of dead men in another, are held in equal esteem and wonder.
From London Tower, we could see the iconic Tower Bridge, which we walked across on our way towards dinner and our final stop of the day. As we walked along the Thames, I saw more contradictions and paradoxes in the architecture around me. Sleek modern buildings surround Victorian masterpieces. Crumbling ancient architecture runs directly into a modern business center. It had a slapdash, but charming effect. We popped in and out of different eras every few steps, as though we might turn the corner and see Sherlock Holmes striding towards us, deerstalker hat and pipe in hand, outpacing a modern businessman in his three-piece suit.
Much ado about something: Shakespeare’s Globe
After a meal of meat pies and bangers and mash, we made our way to our final event of the day: the famous Globe theater. White and distinctive, the Globe rests comfortably alongside the Thames river. It opens its doors to the rich and poor, Shakespeare experts and beginners, lovers of art and chasers of the thrill, just as it has since the Bard himself graced the stage. We were there to see Othello, performed in the smaller theater alongside the Globe – a reproduction of Shakespeare’s first masterpiece.
Set in the modern age, this version of Othello presented us with another set of contradictions, a story from the past brought to life in the present, pure Shakespeare performed with modern costumes and set pieces. Shakespeare’s timeless classic of a good man driven to evil by jealousy had the audience – including me – on the edge of our seats. Theater itself is a paradox, a story performed by actors who portray someone on stage, then return to a life most likely very different from their role.
As we departed, I considered all we had experienced. London is a sprawling mix of old and new, strange and familiar, the precious and the vulgar all brought together in one paradoxical, beautiful blend – much like all of us. I had only scratched the surface of all the things to do and see, but maybe someday soon I can return again for another adventure. Cheerio!