Big Ben, Westminster, London
I wrote most of this about two weeks ago, right after it happened. I have been remiss in writing for a while–the classwork at Oxford got busy, we had finals, and then had to move out of beautiful New College. But now I am back in London, relaxing, staying with friends, and have time to sit in a gorgeous little pub in the London neighborhood of Maida Vale, the Warrington Hotel, and write.
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Ten years. Ten years since that fateful day, April 17, 2013, when I landed in London as a newly minted 14 year old eager to see Europe. I’d already been obsessed with history and foreign affairs for a number of years (since the Kosovo War of 1999-2000), and going to Europe for the first time was glorious. Ten years later, I finally found myself back in London, The Swinging City (as it was known in the 1960s)—a combination of old time British propriety and the ongoing cultural revolutions characterized by rock and roll, the Beatles, and Sandi Thom.
Admiral Lord Nelson, Trafalgar Square
I hadn’t planned on being out of Oxford that weekend (July 20-21) until a few days before it happened. A group of colleagues from the program were making the trip, and I decided I wanted to go back and see the legendary British capital as an adult. We’d been out late Friday night, but we still got up and caught a 10:01 train. The ride was a quick one, and in an hour we found ourselves arriving at Paddington Station. We didn’t have anywhere to stay, but decided we’d figure that out later. We took the Tube out to Piccadilly Circus, where we grabbed lunch (it was kind of breakfast for most, although I had grabbed a bite before leaving). I had some fish and chips that were great. From there, we made the quick walk down to Trafalgar Square, where the column commemorating Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson is located, along with the National Gallery.
A View 