Too Close For Comfort

I have a deep appreciation for the London Underground.

Have you experienced this rabbit warren of tube-like passageways beneath the city? You haven't? Then you've not really experienced the proximity breach that you come across only in that unique setting. If you are a person who must maintain a 'bubble' around you, perhaps you would prefer a taxi.

But most Londoners do not very much mind this uncommon crush of humanity around them. Perhaps the closest I can get to an explanation here is that they are, quite simply, patient.

When I walk through the London Underground, I can't help but think of the safe haven it provided during the Blitz of WW2. Few people had access to a bomb shelter, and the tube became the go-to place when sirens began each night. People who were there have stated that there was a camaraderie between those who gathered, night after night, listening to the unspeakable bombing above them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/96967001@N06/10861470244/

Songs were sung, games were played, and someone usually had some food to share. Although they might not have said this experience was 'fun', it certainly was something they long remembered, and later treasured.

So, I hope you will find your own way to the England I love; that you will scurry onto a Tube, for the Tower of London, or a show at the West End, or the Houses of Parliament. It will give you a new appreciation for Camaraderie.

See you along the way!
the SconeLady


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/96967001@N06/10861470244/">cmccain202dc</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>