For the fist time at WTM!
For the first time in London!
by Helen Arshinova
It was great! My first visit to WTM! And my first trip to London! The point is that they coincided. You (as a profi in travel industry who goes to such actions every year) may say: it is nothing! But for me, just a beginner in our company who have never been to World Travel Market and to London at all it was a great event! And I am eager to share my impressions with you.
World Travel Market at the ExCeL Centre……It was the dimensions of the exhibition and the Centre itself that amazed me.
I couldn’t but walk along that huge gathering of rerpesentatives of different nations and cultures.
And having left Michael and Ann negotiating with our partners I started on my journey.
It seemed to me that one needn't travel to meet the cultures of different countries it is enough just to come to WTM! Who has I not come across here:
- the dancers and musicians from the Middle East;
- a shoemaker from Holland;
- a potter from Cyprus;
- and Brazil carnival;
- and Peru theatre;
- and Japanese minimalism;
- and the holy land of Palestine;
- and African culture;
- and Kazakhstan one.
I happened even to meet well-known stars and not so well-known.
And London…Yes, the city itself impressed me greatly!
From the course of the English language London seemed to be the city of fogs and rains, Big Ben, Tower, the Thames, conservative and stiff citizens. And what a surprise to me was to see the city absolutely different from what I supposed it to be.
London, of course, is rich in history, historical buildings in the center of the city remind you of this, everyone knows the traditional tourists sights:
- the Houses of Parliament
- St.Paul’s Cathedral
- Buckingham Palace
- The Thames
- The underground
It’s a place of paradoxes as well. The hustle and bustle of life there can easily be contrasted with the tranquility and peacefulness found in its numerous quiet parks:
- Hyde Park
- Green Park
- Or in its outskirts
- Next to historical buildings there are a lot of construction of modern architecture
- And there can be found absolutely incredible buildings made of seemingly incompatible materials: glass, concrete and brick
- Visiting London one can’t but do shopping in Oxford Street:
And of course, drink some beer in one of numerous London’s pubs with quite peculiar names, that are as much a part of the capital’s history as the Tower of London and the Albert Hall.
Sincerely yours,
Helen
But however what’s generally forgotten (and to me it was a revelation) is that London is a modern capital too. It is vibrant, dynamic place, bustling with people, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, truly cosmopolitan.The Tower of London and Tower Bridge was dazzled because of variety of colours, attires, sounds gathered in one place. The whole world in one!
