Most often, when I travel to Europe, I go to either the central or eastern part of the Continent. As a result of this, I am more familiar with cities such as Kraków and Ljubljana than I am with the western Europe. When I do go to western Europe, I find that while cities such as Berlin and Paris are nice places to visit, they also are not places in which I would like to live. So, on my trip to London, my expectations were actually not that high. That said, what I found pleasantly surprised me.
On the way from the airport into the city, our driver told us that the U.K. is "Europe but not Europe". This is a very apt way to describe London. While many physical and cultural aspects of the city are very informed by Europe, many aspects of it also remind me of some eastern American cities such as Chicago. The result is completely unique. Even more interesting, and sometimes a bit odd, is the fact that the Brits have preserved many of the stereotypical aspects of the city that Americans think of when they think of London. There really are double decker buses, and all of the taxis look like they came out of a time warp. The city fathers have even maintained the famous red telephone booths even though everyone has a cell phone. This is not something Londoners simply do for tourists and there seems to be a sense that these things are part of their history and must be preserved.
While in London, I took the time to play tourist. Over the past 4 days I have seen many of the major sights, such as the Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey. However, my favorite part of the city is the strong presence of theater and opera. In my short time here I took full advantage of this by taking in the sequel to "Phantom of The Opera", "All's Well That Ends Well" at a re-creation of the Globe Theater, and my favorite, Verdi's "Macbeth" at the Royal Opera House.
I am currently in the process of applying to various master's programs, one of which is a joint degree between Uniwersytetem Wrocławskim in Poland and The London School of Economics. If I am accepted to this program I think I could be very happy studying, and possibly working in London. Maybe it is because of its unique flavor, but I find London to to be one of the few western European cities that I simply enjoy being in.
On the way from the airport into the city, our driver told us that the U.K. is "Europe but not Europe". This is a very apt way to describe London. While many physical and cultural aspects of the city are very informed by Europe, many aspects of it also remind me of some eastern American cities such as Chicago. The result is completely unique. Even more interesting, and sometimes a bit odd, is the fact that the Brits have preserved many of the stereotypical aspects of the city that Americans think of when they think of London. There really are double decker buses, and all of the taxis look like they came out of a time warp. The city fathers have even maintained the famous red telephone booths even though everyone has a cell phone. This is not something Londoners simply do for tourists and there seems to be a sense that these things are part of their history and must be preserved.
While in London, I took the time to play tourist. Over the past 4 days I have seen many of the major sights, such as the Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey. However, my favorite part of the city is the strong presence of theater and opera. In my short time here I took full advantage of this by taking in the sequel to "Phantom of The Opera", "All's Well That Ends Well" at a re-creation of the Globe Theater, and my favorite, Verdi's "Macbeth" at the Royal Opera House.
I am currently in the process of applying to various master's programs, one of which is a joint degree between Uniwersytetem Wrocławskim in Poland and The London School of Economics. If I am accepted to this program I think I could be very happy studying, and possibly working in London. Maybe it is because of its unique flavor, but I find London to to be one of the few western European cities that I simply enjoy being in.
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