Tired of London, Tired of Life – Wandering Around London

An often used quote that I hear regarding life in old London Town is the famous Tired of London, tired of life words of wisdom uttered by the English author Samuel Johnson to his friend the Scottish lawyer and writer James Boswell. He has a point. Life should never be boring, dull or empty in London. There is always something to do and new experiences to be enjoyed, all you have to do is open your eyes and mind. Seek and ye shall find…

When I hear people say they are fed up with life in London, I understand where they are coming from. I don’t think any sane person could possible like squeezing onto a tube during rush hour…some people have no choice. I can understand how people on minimum wage who are working like slaves for some big faceless corporation and who are struggling to pay rent, pay for travelling costs and to even eat healthily can sometimes be fed up with life in the big city. I can understand how those who live in crime ridden, drug ridden, gang infested estates in London can become pissed off with life. And I could go on and on… London isn’t paved with gold for most people. Unless you happen to be a banker, politician or gangster…

Today’s blog post was inspired by my friend Mr X. Who told me last Saturday that there was nothing to do in London when your broke. He was down to his last 30 quid and didn’t have too much cash to play around with. Visiting London’s free museums isn’t really his style, which is something that I can relate too. However you don’t need lots of money to enjoy yourself in London!

Tired of London, Tired of Life – Wandering Around London

On Saturday I made my way over to Holborn tube station to join  the Message From the Invisible. Only the rich boys and girlies of the Tories and Lib Dems could dream up taking a few quid of this countries most vulnerable people. We always seem to find billions for wars…! The protest made it’s way to Oxford Circus where around 200 people had a peaceful demonstration, but disruptive demonstration…

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay till the end of the protest – I was there for 2 hours – as I had things to do and places to be. My next port of call was  the Southbank Centre down by the River Thames. Avoiding Oxford Street like the plague I headed down to the river. When you walk with your eyes wide open there is always something to see…

Hello We Are Anonymous read the flyer the masked crusader handed me.  ‘There is no leader, there is no spoke person. We are all of you, and none of you at the same time’. I couldn’t help but agree with the placard that said WAR WITH IRAN, SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING!! I seen it coming and all I’m going to say is I told you so. We are living in corrupt times!

I never tire of the views from Waterloo Bridge. I can never walk over this bridge without stopping for at least a  few minutes to enjoy  the visual feast that presents itself before my eyes…

The River Boat which is in fact an  art installation hotel room that is perched on top of Queen Elizabeth Hal,l will once a month feature a live musical performance. On Saturday afternoon Andrew Bird launched what is known as Sounds From a Room. And a good idea it is too. There will also be a couple of free exhibition on display, Crazy Coffins and Before I Die.

Along the Southbank especially on a Saturday there are loads of buskers performing – singing, dancing, playing music and even comedy routines. I feel it is about time those statue fools got banned…they are a complete waste of time.

I enjoyed lunch with a view…a delicious packed lunch which I made myself. If I was to eat out every time I went out on an adventure I would be broke!

People watching… London is a great place for such a pastime.

There is always something to admire when wandering around central London. Especially the beautiful buildings…

The streets of London are not paved with gold. Life in the big smoke is tough for some who have fallen so low that they sleep in doorways.

Have you ever stopped to read the Edith Cavell memorial which sits at St Martins place…do you even know who she is?

Like all my adventures around London I like to finish off with  a drink or three.  It should have only taken me 10 minutes to walk through China Town to reach the Sam Smith’s pub in Soho that was going to be my final destination, however I stopped  to watch some of  Chinese New Year action and have a few snacks…the snacks were unfortunately truly terrible!

After fighting y way through the crowds of China Town I eventually made it to the White Horse pub on Rupert Street for a well deserved rest and a few jars of fizzy water!

Before I jumped on the tube I watched a street dancer doing his thing at Piccadilly Circus and an entertaining fella he was too…  I always find it funny how quickly people move when the busker wants a few coins for their efforts…

I was going to head over to Camden and watch some live music and enjoy a few pints of quality real cask ale…but alas by the time I got home, and  had something to eat and relaxed for a bit I was too tired…London had tired me out.

The full Tired of London, Tired of Life quote is as follows:

“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

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