Ahmet Usame Bal I never thought that I wouldn’t be able to explore all of London in two weeks, or even manage to visit many of the places I had planned to go. London is truly a bustling city; there’s something new around every corner. Of course, it’s also a city that’s quite different from what we’re used to. Just walking down the street feels like an exploration, and you come across interesting things.
For instance, one of the foxes we encountered while walking tonight. But there are many like it. Yes, seeing foxes on the streets of London is as natural as seeing stray dogs in our cities. One of the reasons for this is that London is a very green city. In fact, there are so many large parks that it feels like the city was built inside the parks, not the other way around. At one point, we even came across soldiers practicing in a park. And while deer don’t come into the city like the foxes do, you’re quite likely to see them in these parks — though we didn’t manage to. Other animals like squirrels, ducks, and pigeons are also very accustomed to humans. They’ll eat directly from your hand.
Exploring London
Every morning before class, I would go sightseeing. On the first day, I went to the Westminster area, where Big Ben, the iconic symbol of London, is located. But when I got there, I learned that Big Ben isn’t the name of the clock tower itself but rather the name of the massive 13.5-ton bell inside. The tower is actually called the Elizabeth Tower. Built in 1843, this is one of the tallest clock towers in the world. And the complex it’s part of, the Westminster Palace, is the seat of the UK Parliament. This entire area stretches along the Thames River. Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Hyde Park are just a few of the places worth visiting in this area. Of course, as you walk between these places, there are plenty of interesting things to discover along the streets. So, I’d recommend keeping an eye on your surroundings.
Throughout my two weeks, I only used the tube or underground (as they call it here) to get around, never anything else. London, home to the world’s first metro system (1863), has an extensive subway network. You can get anywhere with the metro, as it weaves through the entire city like a spider’s web. The nearest station to your destination is usually just a 10-15 minute walk away. We only took one ride on the famous red double-decker buses just to try them out, but that was it.
Art
One of the must-see places in London is the Natural History Museum. If you’ve seen it, it’ll probably look familiar to you as well — even if you can’t remember where you saw it, the famous blue whale skeleton in the museum is likely something you’ve encountered before. Besides that, the museum is packed with everything you can think of related to nature — animals, plants, minerals, space — you name it. It’s so vast that it’s nearly impossible to see it all. You eventually get tired and end up quickly glancing through the remaining sections. So, if you have the time, I’d recommend setting aside two days to explore the museum slowly. And the best part is, admission is free. In fact, many of London’s museums offer free entry. Another such museum is the famous British Museum. You might have heard people online say that it houses the history of every country except England. There’s some truth to that, of course. Given that England’s history doesn’t go back that far and it doesn’t have much of its own civilization to speak of, they’ve collected the history of others.
“Then We brought the Israelites across the sea. Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them unjustly and aggressively. But when he was about to drown, Pharaoh cried out, ‘I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Israelites believe, and I am now one of those who submit.’ (Allah said), ‘Now? But before this, you were always rebellious, and you were among the corrupt. So today We will preserve your body so that you may become a sign for those who come after you. And surely most people are heedless of Our signs.’” (Yunus 90-93). Indeed, Pharaoh’s body, found in the Red Sea, is also here.
By the way, although admission to the museums is free, don’t forget that you need to make a reservation before going in. Apart from that, I also enjoyed visiting The Sherlock Holmes Museum, The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾, Highgate Cemetery, the Greenwich line, and Kew Gardens. We didn’t make it into the Harry Potter studio, though — tickets started at £53 per person!
English Cuisine
To be honest, English cuisine isn’t very rich. Since I stayed at a local English dorm, I had the opportunity to experience their food up close. We mostly ate typical English dishes for three meals a day. The main things I ate were pie and mash, fish fingers, chips and beans, and British pie. I didn’t try anything else that was unique to here, I suppose. There were also things I couldn’t eat due to the use of pork.
By the way, chips and beans is just fries and baked beans. They normally eat it for breakfast. But they mix ketchup into the beans, which I didn’t really like, to be honest. The other dishes were fine, though. But don’t expect anything too amazing. The pie was pretty good, though.
Shopping
There’s a second-hand market called Portobello Road Market. If you go early in the morning, you can find some nice things. It’s the city’s most famous second-hand market, and people here buy and sell second-hand items quite a lot. Due to the high cost of living, most people seem to buy their clothes from places like this. After all, London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. But before you go, be sure to check the opening hours as they can vary.
Covent Garden is another lively area where you can find good deals, cafes, and cultural destinations. Chinatown is also in this area somewhere.
And of course, there’s Oxford Street, the largest and busiest shopping street in Europe. It’s home to hundreds of stores, including those of many famous fashion brands. But I can’t say the prices here are as affordable as the other two places.
A Few Notes
You won’t generally have much trouble finding a place to pray in London, as you can usually find a mosque or prayer room nearby. Edgware Road is one of the areas where many Muslims live. I’d recommend checking out the city’s bookstores, especially the second-hand bookshops. You can find some lovely old editions of English classics in these shops. Although people in this city generally appear polite (at least on the surface), they can quickly change if you stop or slow down and disrupt the flow of people in crowded places like the metro. I wouldn’t recommend testing it out 🙂 Lastly, I’d suggest cycling around London. With almost no hills, it’s a great city to explore by bike. You’ll find plenty of bike rental spots for Santander or Lime around the city.
London is one of the most unique, greenest cities I’ve ever been to. Although I didn’t get to see everything, I saw quite a lot in the time I had. If I ever got the chance to go again, I wouldn’t hesitate — I’d pick up right where I left off and keep exploring.
