"London - a Canadian's perspective " a London Travel Page by susiederkins

What more can I possibly say about one of the great cities of the world? Along with Rome, Hong Kong, New York, Paris - it's just one of the places that should be on any good travellers' "Must See Before I Die" list.

Many others on this site have already covered most of the things I could have to contribute. Perhaps I could add that though this city has a reputation for being outrageously expensive (it can be), it can be done on a budget. If you don't mind staying in a hostel and have a comfortable pair of walking shoes, you can happily view many of the city's major highlights on very little dosh.

Every day I got a bus pass which was valid for all 4 zones, all day (until 4 a.m. the next day) for £3. It's cheaper than the tube, and what you sacrifice in convenience is made up for in seeing the city as you get to where you're going. Also, if you're like me, you like to get a really good lay of the land, which taking the tube robs you of. (Convenient as it may be, I find it disorienting to hop on the underground, hop off somewhere else, and emerge above-ground with no bearings as to where I just came from).

One of the best things about this city is the close proximity and low entrance fees (by donation) of all the major galleries and museums. In a single day you can see the Rosetta Stone, some Monets and Manets, some world-class modern art, and some very famous portraits. That is, if you don't actually want to spend any time browsing in any of those locations. :0) The National Gallery alone could take days to browse properly; I've been there 3 times and feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

I come from a place that is rich in natural beauty (Vancouver, BC), so what amazes me most about a place like London is that there are so many things I know from pictures and films (Big Ben, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, etc.), all just sitting in the middle of everything. There is a word I used in university that I never had a concrete sense of: palimpsest. It's the layering of time, and you get a sense of that in London. Jack the Ripper roamed the streets here, the whole city burned down here. It's layer upon layer of generations of people going about their lives. And it's amazing.