The trip
London is a city for its history allows you to perform multiple "trips to the past". Plaques are common, statues that pay homage to a famous or illustrious indications that inhabited a building. In my book had marked several indispensable to visit related to the Second World War. This is a moment of our past that has caused me always fascinated, because its outcome still mark the way we live. Comenzamos a recorrer Whitehall, a long avenue connecting Trafalgar Square with the Parliament and the inevitable Big Ben.
Whitehall rezuma historia, its classic buildings invite you to imagine times pretértios, when the future of millions of people is decided between the walls of the Foreign Office and Downing Street visitors reported to the Prime Minister on the fighters killed during the days of the Battle of Britain or the D-Day plans. Shortly before arriving at a monument honoring the memory of those killed during the First World War we are next to one that honors the work of women during the second race war that darkened the world. The war effort in the country said that many British women in the factories trabajasen to the need for labor. Other vital tasks performed in the military, demonstrating courage and determination that earned them in 2005 special recognition through this tribute.
The truth is that much of the war, Winston Churchill spent, the then British Prime Minister, not in the 10 de Downing Street sino en las Cabinet War Rooms. In a street near Whitehall, St James Park bordering, is the entrance to a real time travel. We bought the entrance and descended. The Cabinet War Rooms were commissioned in June 1938, transforming a former underground storage to 10 meters deep in a bunker against bombing. The visit may be the facilities as they were after the war ended in June 1945. Some areas that can be visited are the rooms of the Churchill, control rooms or PBX. Showing maps which indicated the progress and offensive, or may be the telephone hotline that served with U.S. President. In my memory remains a sense of sobriety and the cut-down facilities. This became particularly important during the Blitz, the daily bombardment that was submitted to London by the German Luftwaffe during 1940 and 1941, causing more than 43.000 deaths.
The following days became exhausting days of early and take route. Returning to the moments lived mentally surprises me the urge to devour visits, cross monuments of our list and photograph it all without stopping the step. I am leading the march-step guide in hand while my brother joked martial whispering to my wife: "Look out that the hound has sniffed a clue". As a tourist rookie did not live the time or place, let alone the sensations. My rhythm is marked clockwise obsessed as I think that time was coming back and there was still much to see…
That salesman kindly face and great conversation, as his eyes moistened by memories, told me that he was one of those children
Meanwhile arrived Saturday morning and headed to the rest of the crowd and the famous Notting Hill market Portobelllo. Among antiques and novelties with a retro can you find all kinds of souvenirs and gadgets. In one of the galleries I liked a place where an old man selling reproductions of old photos. I began to dig those of London in war and seller and noticed she was struck by my selection. We talked about history, Dictators, literature and finally pointed to a photo. It showed a group of sad-eyed children; children were evacuated from London to the north of the country to keep them away from the bombing. They are also away from their families. Many of them lost their parents and younger have just returned without memories of their parents. That salesman kindly face and great conversation, as his eyes moistened by memories, told me that he was one of those children. And who until then talked incessantly, she stopped and smiled forced, thus as if a door shut inside that prevented certain experiences again and tortured.
Since that first trip I returned to London a dozen times, hopelessly in love with it. As Samuel Johnson said, "When a man is tired of London he is tired of life., for London has all that life can give.". Maybe it's museums or perhaps their musical. For some will be coming and going of people from distant places or walking while your ears hear sounds of different languages. For other flavors and colors will be some lively markets. But my passion for London as a city born live for today, fighting for the future without forgetting its past. It is a city that allows you to relive history, giving rise to our journey and reminding us that prefer the "past trips". And is that, How to build the morning without knowing the path that brought us today?
PD: Serve as a tribute to those who discovered me and endured the tourist London hound: my brother and my wife.
Eduardo De Winter
www.blog.infoviajero.es
info@infoviajero.es.
The road
Personally I have always traveled to London in low cost airlines like Ryanair or Easyjet. Both fly to Stansted Airport. To get from Stansted to central London by train and bus have. I leave you more information on how to go from Stansted to the center http://blog.infoviajero.es/londres/de-stansted-a-londres/
If we travel to Heathrow Airport can take the metro directly.
A nap
London is extremely expensive and the housing is no exception. Usually stay in the neighborhood of Hammersmith, located in area 2 underground and well connected. Specifically, in the Hotel 65 (www.hotel65.com) in Spain would be a pension rather, but is cheap and includes breakfast. A very cheap option are hotels Easyhotel Easy low cost group (www.easyhotel.com). The rooms are clean and functional but type size hideout, so I recommend at least choose one with window.
A table set
En Whitehall, cerca de Trafalgar Square y Downing Street se encuentra el pub The Lord Moon of the Mall. The value is the best tourist areas of London and the great location. The tables in the library are my favorite. Very remarkable breakfasts.
Highly Recommended
A must for topics of World War II is the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth Roas. The exhibition on the Holocaust is to make it in time and invites deep reflection. Another interesting monument is found in front of the Cathedral of St Paul and is dedicated to the firefighters who died during the Blitz. Green Park as a curiosity, which is located opposite Buckingham Palace was used during the war as a garden to supply the population at least rationing.
[tabEND]
