Watch out London, I'll be back!

- July 23, 2015

Lets talk about London. Oh no, I forgot you are not that much talkative :P So let me just write a few words about this posh city of fashion, art, business and money.

London, 2015

First of all I have spend in London about 48 hours, and for a city like that it is definitely not much. But I believe in the power of the first impression. Yup, I even believe in the love at first sight! So this two crazy and intense days were enough for me to feel the sensation and decide I am coming back to London soon, although I cannot call this feeling love. But let's start from the beginning as nature intended.

The first thing I have noticed was a massive traffic jam, which is just so typical for big cities. I got stuck in a bus and as usually in this kind of situation my nerves got a little bit tense. The journey from the Stansted Airport to the Victoria Station took more time than the flight from Cracow to UK. It was a nice and sunny day and I got really, really pissed off knowing that I am wasting my time that is after all priceless. Every minute in the bus with a group of noisy (and also pissed off) Italians was making me more and more angry. Normally I don’t experience traffic that often – as a biker and walker, who lives just 15 minutes walk from the workplace- and so it was just so hard for me to sit calmly and watch the city behind the glass.

The second impression, when I finally got released from the bus, was the Buckhingam Palace. I was lucky, I get there at 12 o'clock, just on time to see changing of the guard. I got so excited about that I even took few very, very bad pictures and I am sharing with you one of them:

Changing the guard at Buckingham Palace

The palace itself was... quite nice, but after visiting Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna and Prague I already can recognize buildings that make me feel amazed and astonished. And the modest façade of the Buckingham Palace is not among those buildings for sure. Besides I am not a royalist nor a fan of the present-day aristocracy, so it might affect my judgement. Especially, that the Buckingham Palace is the residence where VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE lives.

The London chaos AD 2015

London 2015

Covent Garden, London 2015

My next route in London have lead me to the James Park and this is the place I immediately loved. The idea of a park in a city center is just too good to be implemented in Poland. In cities that are growing without any sense or logic (like my belived Cracow for example) it is not easy to find a green spot, or a piece of lawn you can actually sit on. But London is full of parks! And this was just amazing to sit on the grass, eat some lunch and rest after hours of walking. No crowds, no noise, no traffic. Just the royal ducks and swans.

James Park, London 2015

The royal ducks and swan of London and far away a part of the London Eye

After a nice rest I went shopping. Shopping in London is a whole new story, and there are many bloggers that can tell you more about it. I will tell you just one thing: before visiting London I didn't know there are so many things I actually need but I am not aware of it ;) Yep, shopping in London can ruin your budget.

London, 2015

On the next day I spend few hours in National Gallery. On that day (that is my luck) there was the staff strike in the Gallery, so part of the exhibition was closed. But I was really happy anyway because the painting I wanted to see badly, as it is my favorite one since I can remember, was available. And not many people were interested in this Van Eyck painting depicting the Medieval kind of love so I could just enjoy it freely. The National Gallery despite the strike was full of school kids who were having there some kind of art classes. And it realized me how awesome this kind of classes could be. I just believe that dealing on a daily or even weekly basis with this range of art develops sensitivity and sense of aesthetics. Those kids are really lucky!