Travelling in reverse – playing tour guide

– January 11, 2010

I recently got the opportunity to host two North American guests on their travels to London: Cory, my German born – but lives in America – cousin and Jon, a Canadian friend I met on my travels through New Zealand in 2005.

In the absence of any imminent travels of my own, this was a brilliant opportunity to see my city from a foreign perspective.

Surprisingly for a place I complain so much about, I found I wanted to proudly portray all I felt was thrilling about living in London. I stopped looking at everyday activities as dull and monotonous and started seeing them through the eyes of someone experiencing them for the first time. I came to actively seek out the charming and idiosyncratic aspects this historic city has to offer.

A simple ride on the tube during the commute was transformed from a necessary evil to a giggling adventure. The typical silence on a London Bridge platform suddenly became laughable rather than stifling. Standard English food stopped being merely the norm but became classic culinary delights to impart to those that had never tried them before. Suddenly, a pint in a classic pub was not just to fill time in the schedule but an activity in itself.

I found myself taking pictures of sights I had seen many times before, now appreciating the association of time spent with good friends. Even being on the train was a photo opportunity. We took the effort to drag out deck chairs so we could delight in the aesthetic result.

Brighton

One of the experiences I love from travelling is to share information about your culture and to learn about others. This was true even with two people I know well, from two familiar cultures. Simple pronounciation differences could reduce us to uncontrollable giggles (‘warship’ was the case in point). Some of the food suggestion were met with upturned noses (ok, I know I don’t eat Black pudding, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try it!). And differences in customer service ideals nearly led to eviction from an ice skating rink.

It would be great to think we could live every day with the awe and excitement you experience in discovering a new city or culture. In reality, this is probably a little unrealistic. But I’d like to think I can continue to appreciate the little adventures, to make an effort to try new things and to remember the unique charms London has to offer.