George Lew posted on January 10, 2011 17:43
London, My Home Away From Home
by Eleanore D'orville
There have always been reasons for me to travel to London. I have done so 12 times, in my 24 years of existence. My maiden trip was in 1987 and then in July the following year. At times I travelled alone and sometimes mom accompanied me.
London is my favourite holiday destination for various reasons. One is that I have relatives there; my Nana (grandma), uncles and aunt. My uncle Donald and Nana reside in Ipswich while aunt Molly stays in Norwich and uncle Alastair and family are at Newcastle. So going to London is always fun, more so for Easter, summer holidays and Christmas.
I love my British kin very much especially uncle Donald who has been a father figure to me. It was he who “influenced” me into becoming a Manchester United (MU) fan, buying me the club’s jerseys and scarves. Uncle Donald himself is a staunch MU supporter. Thanks to him, I know all about MU and its players.
My favourite MU player is Cristiano Ronaldo, whose humble beginnings started in Funchal in Madeira, Portugal. Before MU he played for Sporting Lisbon, a Portuguese football team. In summer 2003, when MU played a friendly match against Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo showed off his ability to play on both wings. Impressed, MU signed him on for 12.24 million pounds (MYR715.442 million). He made his debut for MU as a 60th minute substitute against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford (MU’s home base) and in 2005 was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year, the only award which is voted by fans. Ronaldo received the same acclaim the following year. He was also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year 2005 standings.
Football aside, London’s charm has always captivated me. Its appealing history fascinates me. I had studied London’s history in secondary school and enjoyed it thoroughly. I have been to the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, Buckingham Palace and have also witnessed the Horse Guards Parade several times. I can still recall how much I enjoyed feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square when I visited London in 1991.
In London, I rely on the London Underground as my main mode of travel. It is the world’s oldest underground system and is one of the largest in terms of route length. I use its service regularly, as it is fast and efficient. If I feel like enjoying the London scenery then I hop onto a bus. But most of the time, we spent our holidays walking down the streets of London. Walking, as I have found out, is the best way to see the attractions.
My latest trip to London was in August 2006, in what was a decision by mom “to kill two birds with one stone”. Mom wanted to celebrate her 60th birthday with her relatives and friends. While for me, I was thrilled about going to Old Traford to watch my favourite football team MU in action, playing its opening match against Fulham in the English Premier League.
What a day it was. We lost our way getting to Manchester and were so worried that we would miss the game. Although we saw a sea of people in MU jerseys making their way to the stadium we however had to find our hotel which was in the opposite direction to collect our tickets for the game.
Luckily, we managed to make it 30 minutes before the match kicked off, being able to grab a hotdog and rush for our seats. Outside the stadium, the atmosphere was nothing short of boisterous with everyone in their red MU jerseys eating, drinking and shopping for souvenirs. I felt so proud to be a MU fan.
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