A Million Merci’s; A Thousand Thank-you's. Review on London

The following review is based on personal experiences and views, so it may not be useful if you want to know detailed information and routes, etc. But then again you’ve already read over 40 web pages (or none at all) of my perplexing nonsense, it wouldn’t hurt to read another... I was meant to finish this yesterday, but then thought against it out of superstition (and the fact that I didn’t actually finish it).

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London. The place where Artful Dodgers and dodgy artists walk alongside posh-dosh businessman and dazzling women who strut the streets in scintillating stilettos. The place where each breath of air drenched in desire, each pedestrian highway filled with class (and lots of chewing gum). The place which has been featured in Bollywood movies times too many. The people, the spaces; So much to see and do, so little time to do it all in! Here are a few of my favourite things about London…

The Underground

You can waltz around in limousines; see the sights of the top of a double-decker bus; travel in a trade-mark black taxi…but none of those would give you the experience that the trains give you (for all the miser’s out there: this is probably the cheapest ;)). Delve down into the London Underground, a place the city would look incomplete without. A place you must visit (be it out of interest or out of compulsion), with the tacked-up, tiled walls decorated with graffiti, cigarette stumps scattered across the floors like confetti. If you really are such a miser then there’s free entertainment as well to enthral you further: Musicians at every corner, seeking some of your coppers.

A photo to capture the moment: Remember Marilyn Monroe losing her skirt over the Subway breezes? (Well, even though it’s not LA and it’s safe to wear a skirt) There’s a feeling in the air which induces you with exhilaration…maybe it’s the thought of discovering the city, or just the gusts of underground wind.

The Theatre

You don’t have to be a drama queen to like drama. Neither do you have to be a regular soap opera watcher. But I promise you that you will fall in love with the theatre after you see a play at the London West End. No doubt the tickets are expensive, but everything it completely worth it (you get to sit in classy red chairs). The music, the acting, the props, the costumes, everything is perfect. There are several theatres scattered around London, each showing a different play…so do make inquiries before visiting them :)

The Food

As you would except of a metropolis, there are restaurants of every kind here. Actually I went to a really good Rajastaani one the other day, called Chai Pani near Marble Arch – a very less impressive version of the Gateway. But why would you want to taste India away from India? There’s food from every continent available here, you just have to go out and look for it. I guess you’d want to taste English food, but I don’t think they have any interesting specialities (er…fish and chips? Sandwiches? :S).

And if you don’t like food, and prefer to worship the source of all evil which is Ronald McDonald, then there’s a temple of his around every corner (no joke, just turn into any avenue and your sure to see that ostentatious “M” sign glaring at you, hypnotizing you to enter the place and forcing you to eat yourself silly with the “food”).

The Art and History

You have to visit an art gallery in London. But then again, this is coming from an artist… The National Portrait Gallery (located near Trafalgar Square) hold some of the most exclusive and admired portraits (both photos and paintings) in the world. The Tate Modern should be interesting, spend a few hours trying to find the meaning of modern art. I’ve heard there was once a work of art comprised of rotting cattle with flies hovering around them. No comment.

Culture also takes the form of the history hidden up in the museums. There’s a museum for everything. And they are all so amazing! The National Maritime in Greenwich, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, too many to mention. Plus there’s the London Planetarium and Madame Tussaud’s.

The Shops

How can you not go shopping in London? To spend or not to spend, that is the question. Because window shopping is just as fun as purchasing. :)

Oxford Street? Paradise found. :D The happiness given from visiting a massive departmental store with everything with prices so high that they make you so high is like no other. Selfridges, a must visit ( c’mon, they even showed it in Mujhse Dosti Karoge). Let those banners of designer labels fall on you like a new sky. And in juxtaposition to the expensive shops are really tacky ones as well! Doesn’t that elate you? You have to be there to fully understand what I’m going on about…

The River

The Thames – a river with varied pronunciations. It’s worth seeing the sights from the decks of a boat; watching the reflections on the liquid surface, another London being created underwater. It’s so much more fun to be out in the open on a boat rather then watching the world go by from behind glass panels. Unless it’s raining of course. You may have heard about London and the notorious weather…

As London used to be a major port there are many storehouses located around the river. The old warehouses on the waterfront have now been converted into luxury apartments, and I’d so love to have one. But first I’d need a few million pounds…

The People

The residents and the visitors: they’re what make a city. People from everywhere, coming together, living in the same city, travelling together. Its no heaven, or some great world achievement for world peace. But it’s a nice thought. A profound moment.

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Thank you so much London. For all those Christmas sales, summer breezes, boat trips on the river, the Zee Cine Awards 2005, culture and crudeness, and priceless memories. And for the desperation, the exasperation, the aspirations and the inspiration.

Comments most welcome… :)