The Money Mustache Community
Other => Off Topic => Topic started by: lemanfan on September 26, 2015, 01:59:38 AM
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I've not been to London, England for almost 30 years and I think it's time to discover this great city. So far I've been reading up a bit on what to see and do, but there must be ways to understnad the city better.
Does anyone have tips of books, movies, podcasts or blogs that helps me understand and grasp the scope and history of this city? Get a better grip on the various parts of the city, and give me the understanding I won't get from a travel guide.
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I think understanding London would be like understanding New York City...it's just so huge and varied that it would probably be a monumental and impossible task. And there is a lot of information out there about London and its history. My grandmother was born in Clerkenwell...came to the States in 1907...so our family has always had a certain connection with the city. Not so much now, but as a child and young person I remember the visits to England and the relatives coming over here. Definitely high points in my life. I would just say to start reading widely about the history and culture, and do study the tourist info, so you know how to navigate on the public transport to get to places that interest you. One big thing I'm wondering about--and I have not been back since 1999--is the influence of all the immigration. Is London still English? Who knows? Oh, and one more thing...drink lots of tea. : D
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Yes, London is Big. Trying to discover all of it will leave you frustrated and exhausted. Most people who live in London concentrate their time in a few areas only - where they live, where they work, and where they go to meet friends/family or for entertainment.
I would suggest finding themes that interest you anyway and applying them to London - food? pubs? beer and gin? sports? music? theatre? politics? You could base a visit around one or more of any of those.
London really is an agglomeration of villages, so picking a particular area that might be interesting and walking around it until your feet are killing you can work. Walking tours are a more organised/expensive way to do this.
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I do understand that London is big and just like NYC probably impossible to grasp for a rural scandiavian like me. But someone must have more concrete sources to recommend?
(I've read five or six non-tourist guides about NYC and I'm still learning more before and on each trip...).
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The novel "London" by Edward Rutherford traces about 2,000 years of London history through a half-dozen families. It's huge, but it has a lot of historical detail.
Once you're in London, the Museum of London is great. It looks like it has online resources as well.
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Samuel Pepys was the consummate Londoner. Claire Tomalin wrote an award-winning biography: "Samuel Pepys. The Unequalled Self." Random House, 2012. I got mine from Amazon. If you like London, this will give you a great look not only at Pepys, but at his world from around 1633 to 1703.
Pepys's diary is online at pepysdiary.com or samuelpepysdiary.com (try both, or google key words). Pepys was an upwardly mobile young civil servant during Civil War and Restoration days. He witnessed the beheading of Charles I (that was before the diary period) and during the period of his diary witnessed the Plague and the Great Fire of London. Through his work he saw and spoke with Charles II, James, Duke of York (later James II), Barbara Countess of Castlemaine, a renowned beauty and one of Charles II's mistresses...actors, actresses, musicians of the time...he knew everybody, and there are many vignettes...he witnessed the coronation procession when Charles II was restored...he saw executions-- hangings, drawings and quarterings...once in a while there is a snippet that gives you a real feel for how people talked. (A pox on her! Can she not walk hither?" And so forth. Some of it gets a little repetitious..."Up betimes and with my workmen...","Ate a bit of bread and cheese" "And so to bed." And sometimes you hear a lot about his health, like when he took his stockings off and thought that made him catch a cold....so it is not all drama and famous people, but it is a great journal of day-to-day life, and I believe it is considered one of the best diaries out there. The online diary posts a new entry daily, but you can go back and read the ones you missed. And there are a lot of posted comments which sometimes explain confusing words or whatever. You might want to take a look at the diary, Tomalin's biography, or both. (I'd recommend both.)
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Rick Steves website for travel guides and free podcasts. You won't understand it all, but he can help you prioritize.
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I just found a great blog today that you might like: spitalfields.com
There are a million archived posts about various categories of London life. My grandmother would have loved it.
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Thanks! :)
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http://www.amazon.com/London-Biography-Peter-Ackroyd/dp/0385497717/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443343335&sr=8-3&keywords=history+of+london (http://www.amazon.com/London-Biography-Peter-Ackroyd/dp/0385497717/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443343335&sr=8-3&keywords=history+of+london)
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London's history is everything. There is a good series of books called "Elizabethan London", "Johnson's London", etc. read them in order and you'll see how much this city has grown. Also read Dickens!
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I've now booked my tickets and will spend an extended weekend in November in London. More questions will probably follow.