While visiting the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, I couldn’t help but think to myself how beautiful these historical monuments/sites were. I really valued being able to visit and learn about the history while there. I love history—it’s one of my favorite subjects—and I’m a huge advocate that knowledge is power.
Unlike Buckingham Palace, where everything seemed a little chaotic with little to no organization, these sites were organized, and that made the experience much more enjoyable and a lot less anxiety-inducing.
We then went to Borough Market, which was amazing. There were lots of merchants from many different backgrounds offering a variety of food options and treats. I had Paia there for the first time. I loooove seafood, so when I saw it, I had to try it.
I also had customized dates with sea salt, caramel, and some peanut butter. Yummy. Sweet (very sweet), but yummy. And honestly, I’d rather have that over some processed candy or chocolate any day!
Now, I’ve been to different food markets while in Europe, and I’d say this one really stood out because of the variety of merchants it had. There truly was a very diverse background in the merchants and food options offered, but again, London is a very diverse place.
After visiting the British Museum, I couldn’t help but reflect on how imperialistic and colonialist the British have been throughout the past centuries. They have so many art pieces from so many different countries—it’s almost unbelievable. It’s only logical that London is so diverse. I mean, I would hope so, after their centuries of “expansionism.” It’s only right that the citizens of those countries live here now.
Aside from that, I was infatuated with the Africa section (obviously). I took many pictures, and I’ll insert one of my favorite pieces of art that I saw there:
A key takeaway from these past few days’ experiences is that, from a hospitality perspective, conservation is crucial. Yes, although the British lost an infinite amount of points for their years of colonialism and imperialism, they won a couple back for having preserved things so well. When historical monuments are well preserved, they become a great incentive for tourism in the future.