For being a person who loves to travel, I’ve not had opportunity to travel outside the country as I much as I would wish. The only place I’ve visited in Europe was London, during the Easter holiday weekend in 2001.
I was charmed by the friendliness of the people, the wonderful architecture, and most of all, how extensive and rather amazing the Underground was. My favorite souvenir was a refrigerator magnet, now sadly gone, that featured the sign, “Mind the Gap”. I still have the brolly I bought, and a small bag of left over coins.
London is a wonderful city.
My sympathies and my compassion go out to those in London after this senseless attack today. If the terrorists think, though, that Londoners will respond in fear, they don’t know the history of the city, and the resolve of the people. As Euan Semple wrote today (and glad I am to hear he is okay):
Maybe is is because we have had years of being bombed by the IRA and who knows, maybe it goes all the way back to the blitz, but the prevailing response to the awful events in London today is one of calm interest and concern for those poor souls involved but not once anything resembling panic.
All of my friends have said they will be back on public transport tomorrow and all have expressed the view that becoming fearful and curtailing our lives is just the response terrorists want.
We in the States can learn much from our friends in London.
