Journal # 8 - The Streets of London

I studied abroad in London and it was a city that immediately captured my heart. I loved the hustle and bustle of the city. Everyone always had somewhere to go, something to do. But it was not only that, it was the fact that Londoners walked or biked everywhere. It was rare for someone to own a car in the city, and I loved that. There were always so many cool things to do, from the touristy attractions like the Royal Palaces and the London eye, to the more local hubs, like shopping on the Portabello Road Market or grabbing a bite to eat at the local pub.

However, one thing that I never realized until I started taking this class was the apparent lack of nature in London. After all, it is a city. It is incredibly fast-paced; the city almost never sleeps. But where is nature?

Don’t get me wrong, the city has beautiful and magnificent parks that I believe the city counts as its form of nature. During nice times of the year, you will see these parks busy with locals and tourists alike, enjoying the weather and relaxing. However, is this truly nature? I don’t think so. These parks, after all, are manmade. They were not constructed by nature and left unharmed by the hands of man. No, instead these parks were created by man. Created for some sort of escape for the average Londoner in the city; a city where no nature really exists. How is it that someone can truly experience the full benefits of nature when it is manmade?

Take this picture above for example. I never noticed this before, but when I visited London again this past summer, I took a picture by the London eye. What do you notice? Yes, the London Eye in all its magnificent beauty and the beautiful, old-time architecture surrounding it. The sky is blue, and the sun is shining in all its glory. But… what about the water? What do you notice about it? It does not look blue to me. It looks pretty brown.

This made me think about the pollution that probably comes along with a big, industrial city like London. How London has so little nature in it. So little of these natural things that help keep our world healthy and alive. The things that keep our sky clear and our water blue. However, London does not have any of it. 

I think the hustle and bustle of a city is a great thing. However, it is also important to have a balance between the city and nature. I can only imagine that city life can get extremely routine and dreadful when one has lived it for years and years. We need something to break up routine, to give us a breath of “fresh air,” and to cleanse us. Nature serves this purpose, and it is important that humans understand this.