London Calling

If I could, I would go to London every other weekend. I would see my lovely UK cousins (see first post). Stroll around Richmond Park. See my childhood friend and her family. Go to Victoria and Albert and to the British Museum. And generally just dream walk.
It's hard to describe how I feel about London, but here is a try:

A good writer once said that all his hopes lay in one city, but it took moving to that city for him to realize it.
As far as I know, there is no steadfast rule that one actually has to live in the city where one’s hopes lie. I’ve lived in a number of cities and have learned not to pin many hopes on any particular location, no matter how big and versatile. At the same time I have not yet learned to let go of my hopes. They still exist and and, in my mind, at least, I still like to find a pleasant spot for them to reside in, without me having to move with them. It is a much nicer exercise, since they, the hopes, don’t have to rent or buy a place, contend with high prices and unfamiliar line-up of goods, worry about jobs or schools. The hopes are free to go wherever they want. They are my representatives to the world and they can reap all the benefits the place has to offer, without any of the inconveniences.
The search went on for quite a while, but I am happy to say that I finally settled on a place. All my hopes lie in London.
I have been to London only once, and I must say that the visit was crucial in finalizing my choice. I could not go as far as to choose a place solely on the authority of others.
London turned out to be really beautiful – full of roses, and old trees, and parks with free-roaming deer. The Thames is not all embanked in stone and you can watch the tide rise and subside on its shores. It has great and small bridges and you can tread on most of them at your will. Each of the many railway stations – Waterloo, Liverpool, Paddington, Victoria – has its own history and distinct character. Being inside them is like stepping out into the world without ever having to leave the city. Looking at London, who would ever think that it is situated on an island?
It was a thrill to be there. The only day that somewhat faded from my mind was the day we spent on the sight-seeing bus. To be fair, the day was rainy and we had to stay on the first floor of the double-decker.
I knew I would like London. I didn’t know I would love it. I cannot imagine the world without it. Its reputation precedes it and it does not disappoint. It’s the only place in the world where to be affected is quite natural.
It is very old, of course. Feet have been beating its pavements for almost 2000 years and that alone is reassuring. London burned more than once and was bombed repeatedly, yet it is as densely built and as densely populated as ever. In earlier times, London would signal its approval or disapprobation by opening or closing its gates. It is still used to having its opinion consulted and bestows it generously and decidedly on matters ranging from world politics, to music, to shopping, to literature, through its many newspapers and magazines.
To the outside world, London as a symbol of traditionalism, of old, entrenched views. To the people who live in it, it is all about the newest and the latest. Tradition lives well when it is continually challenged.
London is a relentless self-promoter. There is no other city in the world the streets of which we know so well by name, without ever setting foot there. “So and so of London” on a label is as much a boast as it is a craftsman’s guarantee. London is so seductive, because it wants you. It wants you to come and set up shop and bring your family. It wants you in its stores, its restaurants and its clubs. To that end, it is prepared to shuttle you back and forth across the city in its sprawling underground and its colorful comfortable buses at practically any time of day and night.
London is an enduring experiment in self-determination. From the earliest days, it has been its own highest authority. The government that has its seat there is not the boss – it’s a tenant, like countless other outfits and organizations. The Royals are at the service of the city and not vice versa. They add glitter and pomp to its events and serve as a huge tourist attraction.
Finally, London is unsentimental. It does not find joy in romantic decay of glories past. It is rather annoyed by them and prefers to concentrate on future glories. The bronze kittens of the Trafalgar square are as hungry as ever. At Paddington station, a little bronze bear positively shines with anticipation of future marmelade sandwiches. I’d better get my hopes a ticket on that train