Shades of Europe: Monopoly Will Never Be The Same Again (Discovering London)
July 12th 2008 08:56
Category: No Category
My interest in the UK first piqued when I heard it had a significant avant-garde scene, and also a vibrant gay community. After I quit uni I started making friends with intellectuals and academics all around the world, and I met two or three very interesting people from England. There was Ulysses, of Cuban origin, living in London with his Eastern European wife, Viv, an academic from Huddersfield who had published a book on social constructionism in the field of psychology, and Simone, a TV & Film Studies PhD student (now an academic) with an interest in Buffy & Fight Club, residing in Reading. I still keep in touch with Simone, but have lost touch with the other two... anyway, they were hip and cutting edge and challenged my idea of English intellectual life as stagnant and pretentious.
Watching London's bid for the 2012 Olympics, I was surprised to see lots of black people and a vibrant, hip campaign emphasising spontaneous acts of altruistic performance! It was the best video, and I wanted it to win, preconceptions about London being stuffy and righteous momentarily left behind. Watching Love, Actually was another film that made me re-evaluate my perception of modern English culture. Then there's the Sugababes, a multicultural vocalist trio who throw out boppy, harmonised melodies with an off-beat glamour and modern zing.
So, I've come to open my mind to a new kind of England, one that has paid attention to the direction the rest of the world has taken and is determined to follow suit, over the years. None of this prepared for becoming immersed in English culture by way of spending 10 days in the country. I should point out that I have been to 20 countries over four continents, and am one of those rare people who LIKE subverting their paradigms on a daily basis. So much so that I have to watch myself because my tendency isolates me from most everyone on a regular basis in this day and time. I'm waiting for that to change. Anyway...
As an experienced traveller I have learnt to look forward to discovering both the new and not-new, looking for the new in the not-new and the not-new in the new, as Calvino might put it. So I was looking forward to stepping into someplace called 'Kensington' which didn't conjure up visions of UNSW and Price of Wales Hospital, low-rise stocky buildings and the 400 bus route (I'm thinking of a suburb adjacent to mine in Sydney), discovering what 'Soho' was all about (there's one in New York City, but I haven't been there), puzzling over Chelsea (also a NYC area), Greenwich (there's a Greenwich Village in NYC, yet again), Paddington (an inner city suburb in Sydney) and Oxford and Regent Streets. I figured I couldn't be dismissive because these places were likely to have been invented long before their American and Australian counterparts.
England's historical heritage is a bit daunting, not because there's so much of it but because much of this history is guarded over by eurocentricism-happy historians, and not so frequently given a PoMo twist. So, while I am interested, I'm not a voracious consumer of European history. I wait until the source is right to learn. Flipping through my Lonely Planet London, I realised I didn't have to worry - there were so many galleries and museums dedicated to contemporary art that I wouldn't be able to see all of them. I was a bit more optimistic about my opportunities for self-discovery after discovering Barcelona about four months ago. I learnt that there were hot spots of innovation in the great expanse of land known as Europe, and found myself surprisingly at home. I wanted to stay there to live. Reading the LP Barna I was skeptical about the supposedly unconventional sights, and reading the LP NYC had been a heartening experience at a time when I needed faith that people were still experimenting in ways I couldn't anticipate (reading about a restraunt that serves three courses of dessert was lovely, for example).
I quickly realised, after my first few hours of London, that its Kensington was a great improvement on Sydney's. Referred to as 'posh' in the guidebook, it had great charm and vitality. The people were well-heeled and spiritually intact. I liked walking about, brushing up against them metaphorically, and I asked directions even if I didn't need to because it was like conducting a personality test, often with pleasing answers. I encountered a young man who didn't think Earl's Court (the area of Kensington, which is a borough, and quite big, I was staying) was the 'crown jewel' of London, but it was hardly unpleasant. I thought of it as something like Sydney's Double Bay.
Unfortunately I can't tell you much about the other places because my experiences were limited. It was surprising to see 'Wimbledon' on the train lines, and I had so many questions about the station of 'Westminster' that it was the first place I went to. Imagine my delight when I got out of the station to find myself staring at Big Ben. I actually thought it and the Houses of Parliament were Westminster Abbey, but it didn't matter because I was just captivated by the sight. Photographs hadn't done those elegant spires justice, and the golden details on the clock face were stunning. I would later see them gleaming in the sunlight. This was still one of my favourite sights in London by the time I had done my ten days' worth of sight-seeing. The Cao Dai temples in Vietnam had seemed solid in Q. T. Luong's photographs, but seemed very dainty to me when I got there, but these building, which had seemed dainty and ethereal struck me with their bold presence. I was charmed.
Going back a bit, on my first hop on the train I discovered that specific trains only did specific routes, and their railings were coloured to match the designated colour for that line. For example, the District line was green, the Circle line was yellow and the Piccadilly was navy, I think. The underground was quick and clean (even though I did spot a tiny rat in one of the stations), and I never had to wait more than four minutes for a train. There were more electronic signs than there were in Sydney, and some doors didn't open automatically.
I would find that I needed to ask every third person I queried as to how to get from one place to another to repeat themselves. I didn't know that people could butcher the English language (ha ha) so thoroughly. Make it sound like one of the continental European 'each syllable confirms the unmistakable world order' languages. I had expected something of the sort whilst preparing for this trip; in fact, I had expected it to be worse, so I managed to get by without gritting my teeth too much - I simply had too much newness to focus on.
Anyway, while I was there I visited, travelled by or just saw on the map a number of places I'd previously only encountered on my Monopoly board. Trafalgar Square, for example, was a beautiful piazza which I wasn't intending to visit - it was just the entry to the National Gallery, and a major transport hub, so I saw it twice (or was it thrice?). It had lions and an obelisk with fountains, a very European kind of beauty. It was literally covered with tourists - they draped their bodies over the lions and took up half of the space on the stairs. A guy from Africa asked me to take his photo. From a certain angle I could see Big Ben, and the angles from which I couldn't do so were stimulating in their own right, because the square was surrounded by interesting buildings, and red double decker buses. The place was also resoundingly international - Canada House, read a large building to the right of the National Gallery. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the square, there was an establishment oriented to things Chinese or African or maybe both. Funny how England has really opened up to the world. Inspiring, also.
I was intrigued by the way all these separate sights came together to make up my London experience... walk down from Piccadilly Square and you'll find the Institute for Contemporary Art, which is right at the entrance for St James' Park, a certain walk in which will take you to Buckingham Palace, which is about 25 mins walk from the London Eye. It was all very interesting to see my perception of London growing and expanding. As far as modern cities go, London turned out to be quite exciting.
One of my favourite views of the city came from the back of a taxi at night - all the attractions were lit up, and it just so happened that the route took me across the Thames, gave me my first view of Buckingham Palace, and a number of other beautiful buildings which had their textures accentuated by yellow or green lights. It was fabulous, and it made me think that I wouldn't mind extending my stay to live permanently... a thought I am casually pursuing now, a week or so after my last day there.
Speaking of BuckPal, I stood outside its gates for a while to take in its entirety (and very nice gates they were, of black and gold), and just as I was about to leave a black guard marched from one side of an entrance to another, so formally and pompously that I felt the need to ridicule him, Australian style. The nearest person was an Estonian middle-aged man with a child who didn't understand my rejection of the employee's formality. I decided to mime the action I was deconstructing, and he merely nodded and said "Every day." I figured that he probably wasn't used to people mocking authority figures, gave up and left. Estonia was one of those places run by Communist Parties, after all. The palace had a very nice monument beyond its gates, with fountains and bodies of water where people gathered and lovers converged.
Interestingly enough, I had a more difficult time trying to catch a glimpse of 10 Downing St, the traditional residence of the Prime Minister. While Gordon Brown excites me as much as a damp dishcloth, it was interesting to be so close to the HQ of men like Winston Churchill and Tony Blair (who I still kinda see as charming and intelligent) - you couldn't see the site because the street was warded off by a heavy police presence. Fair enough, I guess.
That's enough for one entry, methinks... more in Part 3!
Watching London's bid for the 2012 Olympics, I was surprised to see lots of black people and a vibrant, hip campaign emphasising spontaneous acts of altruistic performance! It was the best video, and I wanted it to win, preconceptions about London being stuffy and righteous momentarily left behind. Watching Love, Actually was another film that made me re-evaluate my perception of modern English culture. Then there's the Sugababes, a multicultural vocalist trio who throw out boppy, harmonised melodies with an off-beat glamour and modern zing.
So, I've come to open my mind to a new kind of England, one that has paid attention to the direction the rest of the world has taken and is determined to follow suit, over the years. None of this prepared for becoming immersed in English culture by way of spending 10 days in the country. I should point out that I have been to 20 countries over four continents, and am one of those rare people who LIKE subverting their paradigms on a daily basis. So much so that I have to watch myself because my tendency isolates me from most everyone on a regular basis in this day and time. I'm waiting for that to change. Anyway...
As an experienced traveller I have learnt to look forward to discovering both the new and not-new, looking for the new in the not-new and the not-new in the new, as Calvino might put it. So I was looking forward to stepping into someplace called 'Kensington' which didn't conjure up visions of UNSW and Price of Wales Hospital, low-rise stocky buildings and the 400 bus route (I'm thinking of a suburb adjacent to mine in Sydney), discovering what 'Soho' was all about (there's one in New York City, but I haven't been there), puzzling over Chelsea (also a NYC area), Greenwich (there's a Greenwich Village in NYC, yet again), Paddington (an inner city suburb in Sydney) and Oxford and Regent Streets. I figured I couldn't be dismissive because these places were likely to have been invented long before their American and Australian counterparts.
England's historical heritage is a bit daunting, not because there's so much of it but because much of this history is guarded over by eurocentricism-happy historians, and not so frequently given a PoMo twist. So, while I am interested, I'm not a voracious consumer of European history. I wait until the source is right to learn. Flipping through my Lonely Planet London, I realised I didn't have to worry - there were so many galleries and museums dedicated to contemporary art that I wouldn't be able to see all of them. I was a bit more optimistic about my opportunities for self-discovery after discovering Barcelona about four months ago. I learnt that there were hot spots of innovation in the great expanse of land known as Europe, and found myself surprisingly at home. I wanted to stay there to live. Reading the LP Barna I was skeptical about the supposedly unconventional sights, and reading the LP NYC had been a heartening experience at a time when I needed faith that people were still experimenting in ways I couldn't anticipate (reading about a restraunt that serves three courses of dessert was lovely, for example).
I quickly realised, after my first few hours of London, that its Kensington was a great improvement on Sydney's. Referred to as 'posh' in the guidebook, it had great charm and vitality. The people were well-heeled and spiritually intact. I liked walking about, brushing up against them metaphorically, and I asked directions even if I didn't need to because it was like conducting a personality test, often with pleasing answers. I encountered a young man who didn't think Earl's Court (the area of Kensington, which is a borough, and quite big, I was staying) was the 'crown jewel' of London, but it was hardly unpleasant. I thought of it as something like Sydney's Double Bay.
Unfortunately I can't tell you much about the other places because my experiences were limited. It was surprising to see 'Wimbledon' on the train lines, and I had so many questions about the station of 'Westminster' that it was the first place I went to. Imagine my delight when I got out of the station to find myself staring at Big Ben. I actually thought it and the Houses of Parliament were Westminster Abbey, but it didn't matter because I was just captivated by the sight. Photographs hadn't done those elegant spires justice, and the golden details on the clock face were stunning. I would later see them gleaming in the sunlight. This was still one of my favourite sights in London by the time I had done my ten days' worth of sight-seeing. The Cao Dai temples in Vietnam had seemed solid in Q. T. Luong's photographs, but seemed very dainty to me when I got there, but these building, which had seemed dainty and ethereal struck me with their bold presence. I was charmed.
Going back a bit, on my first hop on the train I discovered that specific trains only did specific routes, and their railings were coloured to match the designated colour for that line. For example, the District line was green, the Circle line was yellow and the Piccadilly was navy, I think. The underground was quick and clean (even though I did spot a tiny rat in one of the stations), and I never had to wait more than four minutes for a train. There were more electronic signs than there were in Sydney, and some doors didn't open automatically.
I would find that I needed to ask every third person I queried as to how to get from one place to another to repeat themselves. I didn't know that people could butcher the English language (ha ha) so thoroughly. Make it sound like one of the continental European 'each syllable confirms the unmistakable world order' languages. I had expected something of the sort whilst preparing for this trip; in fact, I had expected it to be worse, so I managed to get by without gritting my teeth too much - I simply had too much newness to focus on.
Anyway, while I was there I visited, travelled by or just saw on the map a number of places I'd previously only encountered on my Monopoly board. Trafalgar Square, for example, was a beautiful piazza which I wasn't intending to visit - it was just the entry to the National Gallery, and a major transport hub, so I saw it twice (or was it thrice?). It had lions and an obelisk with fountains, a very European kind of beauty. It was literally covered with tourists - they draped their bodies over the lions and took up half of the space on the stairs. A guy from Africa asked me to take his photo. From a certain angle I could see Big Ben, and the angles from which I couldn't do so were stimulating in their own right, because the square was surrounded by interesting buildings, and red double decker buses. The place was also resoundingly international - Canada House, read a large building to the right of the National Gallery. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the square, there was an establishment oriented to things Chinese or African or maybe both. Funny how England has really opened up to the world. Inspiring, also.
One of the seated lions
I was intrigued by the way all these separate sights came together to make up my London experience... walk down from Piccadilly Square and you'll find the Institute for Contemporary Art, which is right at the entrance for St James' Park, a certain walk in which will take you to Buckingham Palace, which is about 25 mins walk from the London Eye. It was all very interesting to see my perception of London growing and expanding. As far as modern cities go, London turned out to be quite exciting.
One of my favourite views of the city came from the back of a taxi at night - all the attractions were lit up, and it just so happened that the route took me across the Thames, gave me my first view of Buckingham Palace, and a number of other beautiful buildings which had their textures accentuated by yellow or green lights. It was fabulous, and it made me think that I wouldn't mind extending my stay to live permanently... a thought I am casually pursuing now, a week or so after my last day there.
Speaking of BuckPal, I stood outside its gates for a while to take in its entirety (and very nice gates they were, of black and gold), and just as I was about to leave a black guard marched from one side of an entrance to another, so formally and pompously that I felt the need to ridicule him, Australian style. The nearest person was an Estonian middle-aged man with a child who didn't understand my rejection of the employee's formality. I decided to mime the action I was deconstructing, and he merely nodded and said "Every day." I figured that he probably wasn't used to people mocking authority figures, gave up and left. Estonia was one of those places run by Communist Parties, after all. The palace had a very nice monument beyond its gates, with fountains and bodies of water where people gathered and lovers converged.
Interestingly enough, I had a more difficult time trying to catch a glimpse of 10 Downing St, the traditional residence of the Prime Minister. While Gordon Brown excites me as much as a damp dishcloth, it was interesting to be so close to the HQ of men like Winston Churchill and Tony Blair (who I still kinda see as charming and intelligent) - you couldn't see the site because the street was warded off by a heavy police presence. Fair enough, I guess.
That's enough for one entry, methinks... more in Part 3!
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Comment by AmyHuang
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
Yeah it takes me great concentration to try to understand them too! But don't forget it's us that's been butchering the English language by making it lazier
My partner's family is from Manchester and they are even harder to understand ;P
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Haha, that doesn't sound too good, I had enough troubles with some Londoners! As for the Scottish, forget about it, lol!
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
I hate it when people talk about London because I can't believe I have never been.
When did you page become so bright? I think I'm blind....
Comment by AmyHuang
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
Yeah that's true, the English language is one big mix pot of plagerism
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
I got tired of spelling out 'Buckingham Palace', and considered BuckPal a way of distracting away from any absolute sense of reverence a reader might be inclined to experience upon reading those words.
I feel similarly about New York City... but give yourself a break, you can't have been everywhere!
As for the colours, I think it's time for a change... being blinded doesn't sound good.
Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
I love your Monopoly analogy. The first time I walked on The Strand I was so thrilled and Oxford Street nearly blew my mind. I also went down Fleet Street just to say I did it (although it was a bit boring!)
I lived in the UK for almost two years. I lived in Kent for a while but eventually moved up to Balham which is SW London (quite near Wimbledon actually). I worked in a pub there (as you do) and we had an amazing West Indian clientele who I loved.
I really loved London and would go to the West End on my days off. But probably my most favourite London landmark was Tower Bridge and I can't even explain why - just seeing those blue arches as I pulled into the station seemed to connect with something in me - collective memories of my ancestors perhaps?
Thanks for reminding me of my Swinging London days (back when I was a windswept and interesting traveller like you!)
Keep travellin'...
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Near Earl's Court station, very close to where I was staying, there was a cluster of pubs, and half of them had signs on their doors/windows asking for staff. It was so tempting to print out my resume and hand it to them, see if I could stay for longer than I intended... but I already had a Eurostar ticket to Paris and hotel bookings in Amsterdam, so I let it go... Maybe I'll be back someday!
On my first day I took one of those tourist-oriented double decker buses which take you around what are deemed the most interesting sights in London, and we went through Oxford St and Fleet St. I was honestly too tired to do anything else! So there I was, on the most mainstream (and expensive) methods of seeing the place, and I loved every bit of it, all ready to twist my neck to savour the changing angle of such-and-such renowned world tourist destination before the next one would insinuate itself into my field of vision and made me look ahead instead in expectation instead.
I also really enjoyed Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and (I think it was called) the Southwark area, with the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. Walking from the London Eye to the Globe was one of my favourite experiences, encountering street performers, book markets, people sunning themselves on the sand on the Thames, a graffiti den where all the young skaters and street culture gurus were hanging out, a film institute of some kind and wonderful cafes/restraunts on the way. When I return I hope to see Camden Markets, the two White Cube galleries, the National Portrait Gallery and check out Brighton!
Travel is a marvellous thing, is it not?
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
I hadn't forgotten you! I personally find the Scottish more difficult to comprehend than the Irish...
I wouldn't say the English have plagiarised German words (and French (laissez-faire), Arabic (alcohol), Japanese (tsunami), etc) because when you look these words up in any dictionary their origin is always documented.
What I meant was that, once the English accents taken up by the new settlers of America, Canada and Australia had become different and distinctive enough to sound notably different, the English could have embraced these new accents, replacing the traditional English accent with them due to exposure from overseas. Like a cultural import, if you like. But from what I can gather the majority seem happy with their accents and it doesn't look like they intend to part with them anytime soon. It's their loss, as far as I'm concerned!