London Calling

For all of you who are leaving on exchange in the next month, you will soon discover that your chances of picking up the native tongue of your host country are just about zilch... good thing you know English. And that’s because at its zenith, the British Empire ruled 20% of the world’s surface, and 25% of its people.  

When I was 10, my family and I visited England on vacation. We spent our first few days in London and there was born my obsession with English royalty. At the Tower of London, my parents bought me a book on the wives of Henry VIII: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Eventually, I became the obnoxious person who suggests Elizabeth as a Friday night movie, points out historical inaccuracies in The Tudors, and yes, is incredibly excited at the new of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagement. All this to say, revisiting the largest city in Europe was a high priority on my list... And that I was meeting my dad there was a huge bonus!

My dad flew to London direct from Ottawa for a three-night weekend with his eldest daughter. Brussels being only two hours away by train, this was an ideal meeting spot. Just the night before, I had gone to opening night of Harry Potter with Lucy (a full day ahead of the Canadian release, mind you). Combined with the confirmation of the upcoming royal nuptials, this meant my British fever was at an all-time high.

Mid-day Thursday, my dad and I were reunited. Our first stop: Tower of London (good thing English history is a shared interest... Who do you think I’m watching Elizabeth and The Tudors?). Besides being pretty pricey (£18 for adults), this medieval castle is my favourite sight in London. The audio recounts the deliciously gruesome 1000 year past. Notably, three Queens (Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Gray) were beheaded and buried there and this is also where Richard III had his child nephews imprisoned and murdered so he could sit of the thrown.

Ironically, the Tower of London is also home to the Crown Jewels, apparently the most impressive collection in the world. These include a lot of the jewels used at a monarch’s coronation. Also on display, a crown made for the Queen Mother with Koh-i-Noor, the world’s largest diamond (or something... it was impressive).

Another passion of mine was born on my last trip to England: one for Hugh Grant and specifically for his role as lovable self-deprecating Englishman in the delightful 1999 romcom Notting Hill. Actually, this is kind of a Crossman family favourite. All this is to say that in three days in London, my dad and I went to Notting Hill every day. First for dinner on our first night, after which we saw exactly where we wanted to eat on night two. And then since we hadn’t been during the day, we returned on day three. Walking back to our hotel after our first dinner, we came across The Travel Bookshop... Any Hugh Grant fan will tell you that this was extremely exciting.

On Friday, we had the mandatory tourists trap on our agenda: Parliament (and Big Ben), Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace. We actually went inside Parliament and sat in on the House of Commons debate which was pretty cool (Dad! I can’t believe over four decades in Ottawa – you haven’t been in the Canadian Parliament!). Oh, and as we were walking right outside Buckingham, we saw a Bentley with Princess Anne in it. That’s right, my Dad and I know who Princess Anne is AND what she looks like. To finish the afternoon, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum... best described by the Lonely Planet as the country’s attic. Really interesting and worth the time invested (it’s free!).

Next day, we headed to Portobello Market in Notting Hill... it was so busy and bustling and selling everything known to man. I had Christmas presents on the brain (hint, hint, Val). And then to top it all off, in the street where you could barely move, I ran into my friend Naoki. So let’s recap: that’s a Canadian bumping to a friend from Japan who I know from Belgium in England. Globalization and exchange at its best. We wrapped up the day with a stroll down Kensington Gardens and a visit to the Museum of Natural History (not really worthwhile).

So it was a fantastic weekend... even the sun cooperated. Leaving my Dad on the underground, I started to miss home. A month and I was going to be back in Canada. It seemed too far and too close all at once.