Day Trip in London

As I read '1000 Things to Do in London for £10 or less' on the train this morning the attraction of this famous city became very apparent to me. This is a place that is absolutely brimming with culture; from its many comedy clubs, legendary cocktail bars & swanky caberet shows as well as it's distinctive suburbs and intriguing mix of inhabitants.

I was accompanied on my trip by Toby, a psychology student from Germany whom I'd met on a brief trip to Newcastle earlier this year. He is certainly a unique fellow with a keen eye for detail and is, somewhat expectedly, very philosophical about essentially everything. What definitely comes as a suprise however is the strong Rastafarian flavour of his English - "Bombaclaat!" is the last word you expect a sensible looking white man to frequently utter. He is the perfect counterpoint to a city tour bus.

We made our way to the Camden Town Markets soon after lunch and I couldn't believe its striking resemblance to the Ameyoko Markets in Tokyo. Even the layout of the shops beneath the railway and the buildings surrounding them was uncanny. It is also fair to say that they are both just as fascinating as the other. Some of the more quirky shops we found sold excess German army supplies, bongs in an unparalleled selection of colours, rare vinyls and even a gallery exhibiting Formula One photographs from some long forgotten era. The great variety of stores is fascinating and you can get lost in the numerous alleyways and backstreets within the market. If you're feeling peckish there's everything from tapas bars to exotic curries, many of which offer free tasters. Otherwise just stand back and oggle at the locals who come to show off their fashion idiosyncrasies.

There are of course the numerous city landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, etc. (all obligatory viewing for the first time visitor) but there is a certain freedom you enjoy when you simply walk the streets and discover interesting places by chance. We ducked into a traditional pub called 'The Albert' not far from Westminster Abbey for the unoffical national dish: fish & chips with mushy peas and a pint of English ale. Sure, it was mediocre and the service was crap but the atmosphere was great due the lively regulars and the unmistakeably British decor, roaring fireplace included.

It was somewhat ironic that I was telling Toby about the anonymity one has in London compared to Warwick because by some atronomically small possibility I was spotted across a busy street by a friend of mine from Australia whom I hadn't seen in years. I introduced Toby to her as my 'friend from Germany' and suddenly there they were in a full blown conversation in German. Suffice to say I found all of this surprising. It turns out that she had spent some months living in Regensburg where Toby studies and had picked up the language during that time (she is extremely intelligent). We exchanged numbers and the ridiculous nature of the whole meeting began to sink in as we continued on our way.

On the ride home I realised that each new place I visit is not only exciting and fresh in itself but unavoidably highlights aspects of home or other countries and cities that were perhaps overlooked or simply appreciated in a different way. As they say, a fish doesn't know it's in the water.