Visit London...Anyway!

Living in the UK during the recent London bombings has been an emotional but somehow uplifting experience for us. Emotional, obviously because of the range of emotions that we experienced during and after the tragedy, but uplifting because of the almost uniform reaction of Londoners and the British people in general. As I sit here watching the final debris being removed from the bus which was exploded now 2 weeks ago, I am struck by the "business as usual" attitude in the square. And, in fact it has been that way from as early as the Monday following the incidents.

The emotions we experienced began with memories of 9/11 - as the breadth of the tragedy began to unfold, we could not help but recall watching similar scenes of a much greater magnitude on that fated day. Afterwards came the frustration of knowing that whenever we go into London we will have to alter our routes around the stations and lines that will be shut down for some time to come. Then came the anger at these seemingly normal young men who felt so passionately about their "cause" that they were willing to take not only their own lives but those of their fellow citizens to prove their point. But finally, there was a sadness that people who were born and raised in the UK having all the opportunities this wonderful country has to offer could be so "duped" into causing all this tragedy.

There are still some disruptions in the tube services, and although I have not seen any figures, I am sure at least some people are staying away because of what happened. But overall, we have been struck with the positive response by the average folks just wanting to get on with it. This is exemplified nowhere better than on the We are Not Afraid website, where many people are buying t-shirts and other reminders to those misguided people who feel they must kill themselves and others for their cause.

But it was most uplifting to see the reaction of the Muslim community. One of the greatest things about the UK is the wide diversity of races and religions represented here. And, for the most part everyone gets along quite well. There is a general feeling of tolerance of other peoples' beliefs, and there is an obvious interest in the various cultures as demonstrated by the popularity of films like "Bend it Like Beckham" and others. This give and take attitude is healthy and has contributed to many positive statements from local Muslim leaders and even people on the street who are as mystified by this kind of behavior as we non-Muslims are.

There is a great lesson to be learned from this. America is still the greatest melting pot in the world, but somewhow I believe that we have lost some of the tolerance of other people's views that we once had. We need to get that back in order to understand how these things could happen. Knee-jerk reactions almost never lead to satisactory conclusions - it takes understanding and dialogue to begin to make any real headway.

Enough from our soapbox - this site is supposed to be about travel and this article specifically about travel to London. So like Nike says, "Just Do It!". Show these extremists that they cannot change our way of life. Experience the beauty and splendor of this world-class city. Come to London this summer - you will not regret it!