Dali’s Elephant and medium ben

Admittedly, I’ve never been taken with England. On my list of top destinations in Europe, she sits in the middle of my list. Probably somewhere between Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, here’s my top ten list (as of tonight, you will see that England doesn't make it):

Italy (again)
France
Portugal
Greece
Ireland
Croatia
Spain
Sweden
Germany
Czech Republic

I’m trying to place the reasons for why I never had a huge draw to the UK. Some of its probably rooted in some esoteric nationalism/rebellion, but I think it probably has more to do with stereotypes of too much rain, lousy cuisine and overall whiteness.

Fortunately, my work with Initiatives of Change has introduced me to a number of English over the years. Slowly but surely these wonderful people have worked on my attitude. My sister’s love affair with the country during her semester abroad completed the turn. With exhilaration, I landed in London this past week.

I’m here to sort out some finances for the Action for Life program (Yes, I'll admit, I’ve enjoyed telling people that I’m in London to do some banking. Just sounds posh and fun), and I’ve had some time to take in the scene and determine whether or not my stereotypes hold water.

On Weather: On point. Yes, it’s the middle of June and I’m still in thermals and sweaters. It’s been constant mix of big clouds and small clouds and it has managed to rain, even when the sun is out. Fortunately, people make a habit of having umbrellas around, so I’ve been pilfering them when available. Remarkably handy device. (On a side note: I’ve always wanted to create a website that gives props to the people who have invented important things but rarely get any credit. Whoever invented the umbrella got it right. I’ve also wanted to honor people for other major gifts to the planet – beds, socks, bobbers for the fishing line, etc. Please comment with any person you want to credit for a great invention.)

On cuisine: Mixed Bag. I’ve been aware that the influx of immigrants ot England have significantly spiced up the local fare. I dove into some quality Indian near Victoria Station and I’ve sipped a wonderful cappuccino (One of my hosts said this has been a significant improvement in recent years).

On whiteness: Way off. London takes in all the colors, just like New York. It’s a beautifully diverse place, with loads of folks from all over the place. I love it. I’ve been traveling, as well, up in the cities to the north and there they have quite mixed cities too. The countryside, well, its mostly green. And that’s beautiful too.

Given my schedule for work and travel, I only had a moment in London to check around the Thames and see some of the sights. Here are a few pictures and thoughts:

I found this Dali statue. I had a print of a Dali painting up in my room for almost all of college. It’s one of my favorite pieces. The painting frames two elephants squaring off in a desert, standing on giraffe legs, under a blazing red-orange horizon. Like kings on fragile footing.

I was a bit shocked at the size of Big Ben, which I thought might be more appropriately called medium ben. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big edifice, but it’s not huge. When I was a kid, the first book I ever read was called Big Ben. I don’t think it had anything to do with clock towers, but once I heard about Big Ben, I imagined it to be enormous. Since I grew up heading into Manhatten now and again, as a kid I figured that Big Ben ought to be approximately the size of the biggest building I’d visited in Manhattan: The Empire State Building. I mean, that’s BIG. I reckon I knew that Big Ben couldn’t be that big, but sometimes childhood conceptions stick around until you remember that they’re there. It all left me a bit disappointed with medium ben.



Westminster Abbey. Perfect.

Yes, England really starts to grow on me. Something so nice about seeing the peeps across the pond and a place where so much of the world meets up. I imagine it will continue to grow on me throughout my time here.