London to Australians
- Jul 6, 2016
- 5 min read
In Japanese "Pari Shokogun" is a psychological disorder displayed by some individuals when visiting Paris, as a result of extreme shock when finding out that Paris is not what they had expected it to be.
I wonder if there is a London Shokogun? because London to Australians is just like what Paris is to the Japanese. It's hyped up to be this utopian city where the people, fashion and the culture is way cooler than Australia.(Okay most of that is quite accurate) but would we up and leave Australia to start a new, hipper life in London? well this is what you are about to find out.
Our trip to London came to be when we purchased a cheap ticket for a bus that would take us straight from Paris to London through the channel tunnel (Which I thought would be like driving through an aquarium tunnel with a glass roof so we could all look up and in amazement that we were in a tunnel under the ocean! it totally wasn't) Anyway, the next step was to find somewhere to sleep in London and since 10 bed dorms in hostels have been our cheapest option so far we search them out first only to find that they cost more than you'd imagine, so we opt for an Air BnB in Aldgate East, just opposite one of the many hipster areas in East London, Shoreditch. After settling into our room in a converted 4 bedroom house and a long wander through the art lined streets of Shoreditch we head into a rustic pop up bar for a drink. 4 beers later and an unexpected bill total, we call it quits and head home to accept the fact that the bus ticket here was going to be the only cheap purchase on this trip.
Day 2 in London we find something FREE to do, yes FREE!! a walking tour of the street art in London. We all know Banksy has some major pieces here but during the 3 hour tour we quickly learnt of so many more artists decorating the streets of London with their murals and installations. (STIK, Alo, Jonesey ) Keir our guide and street artist himself, explained that most of the art not only made for pretty cool Instagram photos but they had strong cultural and political messages behind them which is why the local business owners are now paying artists to install pieces on their buildings instead of flicking it off as vandalism. Oh and Just to back up my theory of what London is to Australians, our previously mentioned tour guide Keir was from Perth and now resides in London living out his street artist, hipster dream.
After taking our millions of art photos and being guided by our fellow Aussie, we wandered through the Spitalfield markets and the countless numbers of thrift shops along the way. Creativity and confident edginess is like a Shoreditch trait and if you find yourself thinking "wow everyone dresses so cool here, I'd love to live here" then you're not alone. Being in East London you feel compelled to channel your inner hipster and rock those ripped vintage jeans, oversized belt and leather backpack, you'll fit right in!
Having seen enough of East London we become tourists the following day by taking a walk down the river Thames, passing the London Eye and make it to Buckingham Palace just in time to see the Changing of the Guards. I'm sure there are a lot of blog posts about how amazing it was to witness and i probably should have been more excited but i wasn't. The tradition behind it was long forgotten and is now just another tick in your "London To Do List" . It was more entertaining to watch other crazed tourists from a distance, running out onto oncoming traffic just to make it to the gates of the palace like if they didn't get there at that very second the palace might disappear. Unusually it was a hot sunny day that day so naturally we did what every other Londoner did that day. Head to the park, beers in hand and get your kit off to soak up every last second of that sun.(note: didn't actually get clothes off) There was an odd sense of happiness and it seemed like the general mood in the air had been lifted. All the screaming babies seemed to stop and laugh and all the busy men in business suits slowed their pace to chat to one another. Man, a bit of sun works wonders in London.
If you ever read about London, you will always see a section about Camden, and this is no different. Camden is like Alice in Wonderland on acid. As soon as you step out from the tube station you will run into the weirdest most wonderful characters, selling their homemade products in the markets or buying more homemade products for their collection. It was the complete opposite to East London, you should never try to "fit in" in Camden, you must always, always stand out. Even the bars here weren't trying to be anything, they just provided good music, strong drinks and great vibes all day long for locals and tourists alike. Camden is a must see area, if not for the place, then for its people. We spent all day here and still couldn't get enough. But it brings us to the end of our trip where meet up with a friend from Perth who had taken the leap like so many other Aussies, to start her teaching career on the other side of the world.
We visit Meghan in Clapham and choose a restaurant based on its diner/drink specials since London has drained our wallets. I'll be honest I was expecting to meet up with her and be won over by stories of her new friend group and how amazing nightlife was and how she could travel Europe on weekends or days off. But although she could brag about all that so I would just stay here living the dream and never go home. She opened with "Everything's so expensive here!" and it's so true! You cant have the best of both worlds in London with Europe on your doorstep AND cheap rent. Nope its one or the other. You travel lots and live in your car or you stay at home and live in a decent room with only 2 other people instead of 4. (okay its not that bad)
Stay sassy London, I'll afford you one day.
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