Minding the Gap and Other Musings

There is something about the way British people speak that just charms us Anglophiles. I mean honestly, what American girl wouldn't be illogically swept off her feet by a Hugh Grant or Fred and George Weasley? While most Continental Europeans see the British as bunch of uncouth louts, most Americans are immediately won over with their accents and idioms.

For example, the British prefer the term "Way Out" over "Exit." When speaking about this to a young Brit, he explained to me that the word "exit" denotes emergency or fear. A "way out" is simply that - a way out. Now, take the phrase "mind the gap". When the doors open on the London tube this automatic forewarning on the intercom ensures that patrons do not trip off the train. In America we would say "watch your step." But really "watch your step" just seems to be a bit more overbearing, perhaps even a little demeaning - as if every passenger is a clumsy fool waiting to trip and fall and sue somebody. I'm so enamored with Brit-speak that I'm tempted to start using "the loo" and calling up my "mates."

London...my first impressions:

London is an old, old town that has proved resilient through years of turbulent history. I admire that about London. It has weathered plagues, fire, bombings, beheadings, and the perpetual follies of its ruling class. I like how they are steeped in all sorts of quirky traditions, the nightly ceremony of the keys at the Tower, the changing of the guard, the tagging of the queen's swans. The pomp and circumstance is quite amusing. Nevertheless, London flourishes and strives to become as hip and relevant as New York. In the past decade Londoners have watched the growth of new fixtures like the town hall, the Gherkin, and The Shard. Quite honestly, I wasn't sure how I felt about this unabashedly 21st century architecture standing amidst the old-school landscape - that is until I learned that Prince Charles equated it with a "monstrous carbuncle". So I decided I liked it, just to spite him.


I had expected London to be smaller, quainter. My ignorance slapped me in the face as I realized that London is a major world class city. I find it humorous however that the Tower of London still harbors its ravens in accordance with the old legend that the empire will fall if the ravens are removed. I wonder if the ravens were on holiday in 1776. Do the raven-keepers realize that the empire has already fallen? Maybe they just don't want to be out of a job.

London got me thinking about old age. You know those insecure old people that try so hard to stay young cool but end up failing miserably? You've seen them, they have cheap hair dye and wrinkles flopping over their bikini bottoms. They are put to shame by the more savvy old people, the unabashedly gray-haired retirees who get on Facebook and are off globetrotting in their spare time. This begs the question - What kind of "old" category does London fall into? Is London wearing a bikini at the beach or it is a spry, silver-haired adventurer?