Souvenirs

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

I have certainly seen a lot of beauty in my journey so far. I have loved seeing places with so much history built into them - Westminster Abbey and Shakespeare's Birthplace. I've loved the natural beauty of Norway's Nordkapp and the Scottish Highlands. I have loved meeting people from all over Europe and the world and seeing that their smiles and laughter are really not so different from my own.

 

Yes, there have been some down times in London. It is a big, busy and harsh city at times. It has kicked me down a couple of times undoubtedly. But I have definitely been looking for the good, for the beautiful and for the enjoyable in life over the past few months. In London and elsewhere, I have found it.

 

It's less than a month now till I am home sweet home in Canada and I am taking notice of all the things I will miss about London when I am gone. Just as I remember certain details about places in Canada, there are lots of tiny, special little memories that I will carry with me of London to remind me of my relationship with this beautiful city.

 

There's beauty in a gloomy, rainy day in this town, and in the rhythm of the tube taking me home from a night in the city. Joy to be found in eating pasties at the train station and buying cider at the convenience store. I've loved having to drink a lot of tea and the music of so many different languages constantly playing on my ears. I will always think fondly of London in the evening and how busy it is when you walk through Leicester Square. London to me will also always mean the thrill of sitting in a dark theatre when the curtain goes down, and strolling along the shops and cafes in the afternoon.

 

I know there will always be more to see and do in this city, in Europe, and everywhere. It would be impossible to do it all in this lifetime, and so instead I focus on the things I have done and seen so far and how wonderful they've been to me. It is these peculiar little things that are so beautiful and so specific to me and my time on this whirlwind ride.