London served as my gateway to Europe. My sister and I who had never before been abroad figured if we started in an English speaking country it would be a smoother transition into the European way of life. London, while fabulous in its own right, turned out
to be one of the more chaotic cities we visited. London is a hodgepodge of underground stations, winding streets, expansive squares, and rows of identical houses. A place where one neighborhood mingles into the next without so much as a sign or arrow of distinction. As pedestrians we forever were challenged to look right when crossing the street, as cars come speeding by on he "wrong" side of the road. On our first full day, we decided to wing it, navigating the glorious streets of London in the rain, pocketing our map and guidebook and simply hoping for the best. Well turn after turn, and one torrential downpour later we ended up in what we later discovered to be Soho, London's infamous sex district. We found ourselves in the midst of a neighborhood of "XXX" ratings and explicit window displays, all the while huddling together under our umbrella trying to avoid the streams of water pouring from overflowing gutters. It is comical to look ba
ck on now, remembering how we were simultaneously laughing and crying, running through puddles in frantic search of a warm place to stay dry (not exactly easy to find in the sex district). Finally we rounded a bend and in the distance, like a beacon of light, was Starbucks! Despite the tourist faux pas of indulging in an American brand abroad, Starbucks was our savior. We warmed ourselves and dried our feet over hot mugs (no paper cups here) of coffee and biscuits, and laughed about our first adventure abroad.
London served as my gateway to Europe. My sister and I who had never before been abroad figured if we started in an English speaking country it would be a smoother transition into the European way of life. London, while fabulous in its own right, turned out 
to be one of the more chaotic cities we visited. London is a hodgepodge of underground stations, winding streets, expansive squares, and rows of identical houses. A place where one neighborhood mingles into the next without so much as a sign or arrow of distinction. As pedestrians we forever were challenged to look right when crossing the street, as cars come speeding by on he "wrong" side of the road. On our first full day, we decided to wing it, navigating the glorious streets of London in the rain, pocketing our map and guidebook and simply hoping for the best. Well turn after turn, and one torrential downpour later we ended up in what we later discovered to be Soho, London's infamous sex district. We found ourselves in the midst of a neighborhood of "XXX" ratings and explicit window displays, all the while huddling together under our umbrella trying to avoid the streams of water pouring from overflowing gutters. It is comical to look ba
ck on now, remembering how we were simultaneously laughing and crying, running through puddles in frantic search of a warm place to stay dry (not exactly easy to find in the sex district). Finally we rounded a bend and in the distance, like a beacon of light, was Starbucks! Despite the tourist faux pas of indulging in an American brand abroad, Starbucks was our savior. We warmed ourselves and dried our feet over hot mugs (no paper cups here) of coffee and biscuits, and laughed about our first adventure abroad.
1 comment:
This is a great blog! I think we need to plan a trip for next year and travel together!!!
Post a Comment