Hot in the City

Week 1, Entry 2

Adapting to London life has been surprisingly easy; I already feel like I could be very happy living here! The city is amazing and intricate in the way that American cities are simply lacking. All the cobbled, twisting roads make it somewhat like a fantasy land just asking to be discovered. I feel like I could live here for ten years and the city would still have secrets to uncover. My ideal situation at this point would be to just pick up my entire life in Ohio and plop it right into London. In particular, I would have to choose Covent Garden.

Covent Garden has so far been my favorite location. It has a very diverse, hip and bohemian atmosphere to it that I constantly crave in the United States but have trouble finding. It seems to have absolutely everything, from shopping to pubs to outdoor concerts. Last night the group attended a free opera called "Pleasure's Progress", and it was fantastic! The actors were extremely talented in all areas, and it was a hilarious production! I love the constant juxtaposition of old and new that is present in the city. The opera was written in the 1700s, and the actors took me back to that time period almost completely, even though I was also conscious of my role as a 2010 American tourist. Also, as I was sitting on the cobbled square, my mind conjured up thoughts of Eliza Doolittle selling her flowers, and I could hear the hustle and bustle of the people in restaurants behind me.

Another fantastic peek into the past was our visit to the Tower of London. I couldn't believe that I was actually standing in the very place where Anne Boleyn was brutally executed. I literally felt like I was living and breathing history, and at the same time I felt so far away.