An American in London By Matthew Kepnes At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The train ride would have been bearable even with jetlag had not another passenger decided she wanted to sing. This old woman, an obvious American Idol reject, began singing, or murdering, what sounded like Chinese folk songs as loud as she could.

Unable I couldn't take it anymore, I said something. Then I said it again. Everyone else seemed to mumble in approval. She just looked at me and gave me the thumbs up. A guy across from her laughed and began to sing along. Soon they were both singing and the train was mumbling in discontent more. Yet there was no revolution. English manners still prevailed. But I had had enough and, least I look too improper, switched carriages. It took two carriages before the woman's singing faded away but silence finally filled the air.

It's funny how you can learn a lot about a culture in instances like this. The English are famously reserved. The other passengers felt similar despite also being annoyed by it. The English are well known for their reserve and politeness and rather be perceived as impolite, they'd tolerate an annoyance such as this lest they loo too improper. In America, the whole train would have thrown that woman out by now.

With London being so massive, I divided the city into little sections. Today, I explored the Thames river and the plethora of sights around it. I saw Trafalgar square and walked down Whitehall Street where all the governmental offices are until I came upon Big Ben. There I was in front of the icon of London and, gazing upon this giant clock, was disappointed. I had expected him to be...bigger. The Parliament tower went higher than Ben. I had always pictured Ben to be very tall (not that he's short) but it was a little disappointing to see his stature tiny than I imagined. I guess all those angled shots from movies have ruined me much like the close of Mt. Rushmore hid the fact at too is tiny. Not to say it wasn't beautiful- it was. Big Ben was still amazing and as I ate lunch in the shadow of him and Parliament, I couldn't help but be in awe of their Gothic architecture. I'm glad Guy Fawkes didn't blow them up- he would have robbed humanity of such wonderful things.

One thing that did saddened me about London is all the congestion and construction around their tourist sights. I found that some of the best tourist cities in the world shield their historical sites from modern development. Philadelphia's historic area is blocked, parts of Rome are a no drive zones as is Athen's Parthenon. It allows you to enjoy the cities without having to dodge big double decker buses. If I had one complaint about London's historic sites, it would be that. Attractions lose some of their historic wonder and magnificence when surrounded by construction crews, buses, and trains. It's hard to throw yourself in the age when construction crews are blasting sidewalk behind green fences. I know it is hard when cities are so big and congested but if other places can do it, I have faith London could too.

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