I journeyed to London, to the timekept City,
Where the River flows, with foreign flotations. — T.S. Eliot, The Rock
My first time visiting London was during Spring Break of 2000. It was also my first journey out of the country and my first major trip without family, making it a very momentous experience for me. Though the trip was more than a decade ago, and I have yet to have the opportunity to return, visiting London for the first time left a profound mark on me that I treasure to this day.
The trip was organized by one of my theatre program instructors, bringing together a diverse group of students and teachers. Many of my fellow theatre peers were on the trip and all talked excitedly about what plays and sights they wanted to see. For my part, I was glad that the organized trip was not a structured one – we had almost complete freedom to go and do as we pleased, meeting up daily for group meals or sharing a late night drink in the hotel lounge. With my fellow travelers, I enjoyed a jaunt on the Big Red Bus Tour, taking in many sights of the city both ancient and modern.
While many in the group spent their evenings seeking out Haymarket Street and the many theatricals therein, I ventured out on my own, walking the streets of London and absorbing the city. I strolled down the Strand, wandered through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Green Park, and Soho, taking in the atmosphere of the neighborhoods and getting in touch with the essence of the city, the soul of the streets. These walks had a profound effect on me, greatly influencing the creation of some of my most memorable screenwriting characters in the men and women of YARD WORK, an original, and as yet unproduced, television series.
Many of my fellow travelers indulged in one of the many daytrips outside the city, including a journey to Stonehenge. I took a different route, journeying by train from Paddington Station to Oxford. I acquired several treasures on this mini-trip, including an Oxford fleece that still keeps me warm on chilly, damp days, and a genuine Paddington Bear, purchased at Paddington Station itself.
London, thou art the flower of cities all! — William Dunbar, London
Ancient ruins and centuries of history around every corner, diverse culture spanning food, music, sport, fashion and entertainment, and many famous sights and cities only a day’s journey outside the city, all accessible via bus, train, the Tube subway system, or on foot – London is more than just a great destination for your first international trip. It’s a city that will keep you coming back again and again, always with more new things to be discovered, more secrets to reveal. In a word, London is brilliant.