I simply love sports. Even though soccer (football) isn’t my favorite, it was the athletic focal point of London. Countless famous and underground teams are followed like a religion by their diehard fan bases. A popular introduction when I met someone was, “What football team do you support?”. I don’t support any team in particular. However, I attended a Queens Park Rangers vs. Tottenham match and toured the Chelsea stadium at Stamford Bridge.
Soccer (football)
The Queens Park Rangers (QPR) game was only an exhibition match, but the energy was still everything I hoped for. I sat in the section with the QPR fanatics who sang songs the whole match, and many of them had team tattoos. Tottenham was the better team. The Spurs played their starters in the first half, including Son, one of the most famous players in the world. Then, both teams went to substitutes in the second half. One of the lesser-known players on the Spurs scored a ridiculous goal coming from many sharp passes and an easy, clean, tap-in finish. Tottenham won 2-0 as their fans sang loudly after each goal and after the final whistle. Chelsea’s stadium at Stamford Bridge was a little outdated, but it was massive, and the tour was spectacular. The tour guides passionately told vivid stories as they had lived through them. I got to go in the locker rooms, onto the pitch, and all around the stadium.
Royalty
England and London specifically are internationally known for their monarchy. Many tourist attractions, history, pomp, and circumstance concerning the monarchy are spread around the city. Buckingham Palace would serve as England’s white house, although it is a lot uglier in my opinion. British Royal Guards, in their red uniforms, tall black hats, and carrying their bayonet rifles, stand outside. Although I didn’t get to see it, there is a changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace once a week, which is a huge spectacle and tourist attraction.
The British Royal Guard roam around the political areas on horseback. It is more for show than for protection. Outside the British Parliament building, there were guards on horseback posted at attention. They were intense and stoic, considering all the wild tourists right next to them. I went on a free walking tour centered on the rich history of the Monarchy. There were random buildings all around the city that nobody would suspect were important, and the tour guide would point them out, explain the history, and illustrate how extravagant the inside was.
Food
London’s food was a major highlight. I went to Borough Market. It was super impressive, spanning multiple blocks and buildings. It had every kind of food imaginable, both grocery-style and made-to-order food. I went to The Black Pig sandwich shop for their pulled pork sandwich upon the recommendation of a friend I met in Dublin. It was seriously the best sandwich I ever had. I also got a delicious Thai iced tea from another place. London is known for its Indian food. I went to a famous touristy place called Dishoom. It was delicious and reasonably priced. It had unlimited Chai tea, too. I’m sure there were better, less-touristy options, but I’ll have to check them out next time. I ate many meals solo on my trip. It was quite peaceful and fun to people-watch others in the restaurant.
Landmarks
After visiting Borough Market I walked over to the famous Tower Bridge. I am usually unimpressed by bridges like this being from the Bay Area, and this one was no different. It was cool, but I like a lot of other attractions way better, like the market or the rooftop.
The first picture was a Princess Diana memorial in Kensington Gardens. The gardens were stunning, and this memorial was one of the highlights of it. What was cool was that this part was encapsulated by hedges, and you could only see inside from windows in the plants. The right picture was Green Park, right next to the Buckingham Palace. The trees covered the path to create a majestic shaded walk. I loved how there were giant green parks all around London.
Shops
Something unique to London was the narrow side streets lined with shops. These streets had luxury designer shopping, small boutiques, and restaurants. I don’t shop for nice clothing, so I walked straight through those. However, it was still enjoyable to walk slowly and experience the culture. On one of the narrow, high-end food streets, I stopped for a stroopwafel (my favorite) and a rose petal lemonade. I think it was 6 pounds for both, not too expensive.
Overall
I see what all the hype and love for London is about. It truly was an amazing city. But I found it more difficult to make friends there than in other cities. I think the bigger the city, the harder it is to make friends. I’ve talked to other people about this, and they agree.