London was a city I
did not expect to enjoy in Europe as much as I did. After all, England is
probably the most similar European country to America, and I came to Europe to
learn about all the different cultures that comprise the boundaries of the
continent. However, I immediately recognized that I was being closed-minded in
my assumptions. Although America and England have many similarities, London
showed me that this country of the United Kingdom has its own very distinct
culture that has been comprised through hundreds of years of conflicts and
economic growth.
Before visiting London, the River
Thames was just a landmark on a map to me. I never realized how vital of a role
it played in helping London, and England, become a world power. Walking along
the river, one is able to be taken back hundreds of years in London history.
There are many major landmarks along the river, such as the Tower of London,
which was built in 1066 by William the Conqueror and was used as a prison and
royal residence. Another landmark mentioned, which isn’t still standing, was
the first London Bridge. This bridge had nineteen arches which caused large
currents, and often halted commerce along the river because many boats could not
fit through the openings. One thing that really shocked me about this bridge
was that it was so big that people even began building houses along it.
Ultimately, the bridge was a visually pleasing piece of architecture, but it
did not last because of the weight put on top of it and how it slowed down
ships trying to cross underneath it.
London, and the River Thames,
underwent many trials and tribulations before it started becoming an efficient
city used for shipping and commerce. There was a point in London’s history
where there were so many ships clogging the river that ships could not cross
and the citizens were becoming increasingly aggravated. Learning about the
Brunel’s and their engineering feat of building an underground tunnel was one
of the most interesting parts of the tour for me. Marc Brunel and his son built
the first underground tunnel that connect the north and south sides of the
river. It blows my mind that engineers in the mid 1850’s were able to come up
with a way to build underground tunnels in a way that is still used to this
day. Even being able to sit in part of the tunnel shaft really showed me how
London has been comprised of years of brilliant minds, creating inventions
beyond their times.
I learned many things about the
history of London from our tour guide, Emma. One thing I learned that I was
surprised I had never heard about was the Great Fire of London in 1666. After
many months of drought, the fire began on Pudding Lane in a bakery and it ravaged
the city for three days, destroying tens of thousands of homes and
architectural landmarks, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, and many government
buildings. After the fire was over, the
city was left to rebuild. Originally being built mostly from wood, they rebuilt
lost homes and buildings with brick, in order to ensure another fire would not
spread like this one had. They also started building the houses further apart,
to reduce other fire hazards. This tragedy helped get London where it is today,
by improving their infrastructure and architecture. They had to experience a
failure to strengthen their city.
London experienced
many setbacks along their way to becoming a major powerhouse. Learning about
how the city and the people overcame these tribulations speaks volumes about
the culture of the city, and the country. Through hundreds and hundreds of
years, Londoners did not let these setbacks stop them, instead they come
together and kept the city running, and after each setback, the city, the
people, and the culture only came out stronger.
Every country and city experiences
failures, but it is how they react to these misfortunes that sets them apart
from the others. In the face of adversity, London has proven to be a strong and
capable city ready to rebuild after whatever comes their way. I believe that
Brexit could prove to be another tribulation the city must face head-on in
order to stay strong. Mentioned in an article we were required to read, and
also reiterated by our tour guide Emma, many Londoners did not vote for Brexit.
It was the people in the more rural areas of Britain that voted to leave the
European Union. Emma also mentioned that this is because London tends to be
comprised of more liberal minds, only about five districts of the city voted to
leave, the rest begging to stay in the EU. I feel that Brexit will go down in
history as another test of the people of London’s strength.
I wrote in a
previous blog post before the trip that I wanted to see the people of London’s
reaction to Brexit and their thoughts on the future. Coming to the last day of
the trip, I realized that the only Londoner I had really talked to about the
topic was our tour guide. Getting some free time to tour the city on our own,
Grant and I decided to walk around Westminster and see what we came upon. After
the attacks three days before, we were expecting a mournful and melancholy atmosphere
from the people. We got stuck in a swarm of people on our walk, and it was not
until we saw hundreds of EU flags flying that we realized we had just walked
right into the middle of a protest. This city was the opposite of mournful and
melancholy. The people did not waver from the attack, instead they got back up
and were ready to face their next problem, Brexit, as strongly as they could. This
was their last chance to plead for the stop of triggering Article 50. There
were not only British flags flying, but there were French, Belgian, and Spanish
flags flying, people from all over showing their support with the “Exit Brexit”
crowd.
Experiencing this really tied the
trip together. With over 10,000 people in attendance, this protest really exemplified
the animosity Londoner’s have toward Brexit. Although London proved to have their
own culture much different than anything I’ve seen in America, there were many
signs comparing Brexit and Theresa May with Donald Trump, which made me feel
that as an American, both cultures are about to experience something similar.
Even though many citizens are upset about what the future holds, the protesters
filled the parks with smiles and laughs after it was all over. I believe that
no matter what unfolds, Londoner’s will be able keep their city strong during
the whole process, something they have proved to do time after time.
Display from the protest with heads of Theresa May and Donald Trump.
Glad I got to finally see Big Ben, and the weather was beautiful!
Took a break in the park after the protests, where we were among many still sporting their EU attire. This group was having a picnic on an EU flag, and all of their kids were wearing the colors of the EU, whether they knew why or not.
Tower Bridge, which many think is London Bridge, along the Thames River.
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