For a start, things work awfully well in London, the way they should – controlled by an “invisible force” of masterful planning, clever & smart action, silent monitoring & control. CCTV cameras & access control systems are everywhere – sometimes as many as five staring down at you at one point! (Oops! Nothing-to-hide!). Big Brother was always watching or was it Big Ben? People are extremely courteous with sorry & thank-you “pounding-off” the shelves at the drop of an English hat. Once you make sense of the underground tube & over ground rails and the iconic double-decker buses you “gain freedom” to go about London “better &  faster than Oysters do”. For others, there are the likes of Uber (arrives well-dressed & cheaply, within minutes of booking using the App) and the London Black Cabs coyly watching from the sidelines. The dress code is simply “40 shades of Grey” – with almost everyone wearing black, but not without that occasional casual flash of golden yellow / milk white skin scorching-up a cold winter day! Staying hot is sometimes easy!

We focused on calmly “experiencing” London – becoming a temporary Londoner and discovering beauty spots on our own, rather than run around on a crazy sight-seeing spree. We: caught the London Eye, checked out mighty one-eyed Nelson at Trafalgar Square, tried to gate crash the Buckingham Palace to see Kate, William, little George +1 inside (very much less than a "ton")-in the “Middle”, Hyde Park, Somerset House, King’s College-Strand, the Opening Tower Bridge, the Millennium Bridge leading to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster, Big Ben, Oxford Street, Canary Wharf etc. We had a 100% “green dinner” at a School Classmate’s beautiful independent House at Cheam Village & caught up with some old-times school conversation. We also checked out “little India” in East Ham and certified Saravana Bhavan’s Idli-sambar-filter kapi combo!

The Thames gives real sheen to London with the British having tirelessly build many bridges –to cross and connect with the fabulous historical buildings and rich stone pavements – you can still hear the horse-power pounding of yesteryears! I tried my best to smell a Chennai Coouum off the Thames-without success. The Thames is one of the cleanest City rivers!

People keep a very fast-paced walk and car drivers respect every “signal”, especially the “walk” & zebra crossing steps. The roads & pavements were clean enough to eat an Indian rice meal on them - without the plantain leaf!

On the minus side - I counted exactly four Beggars  (Fully clothed and nicely packed on the pavement), over the entire period.

The London weather fell in love with us, and understanding our warm Indian origins chose to behave, showing respect & mizzling us with its blessings once in a while - but dropped snow after we left! (Could hold no longer) 

There were many travels & visits after which “travail” you wish you were back home at the soonest, to feed & keep alive the old bed-time story that ‘East or West Home is best’ or ‘Namma Ooru Poal Aaguma?” – but not this time. I wish I could stay on in London  – there is so much of evolvement in this civilization, which may take years for India to catch up. We never built this City (actually the Romans did!) – but my “ancestors” did contribute handsomely - whatever the British looted in India! Never mind, I made up my mind to “occupy a piece of land in London”, one day, in the best possible legal manner – without hiring the services of Alexander the Great or Christopher Columbus!

London is a must visit, should one get a chance. We? Already making plans for our next trip in the summer of 2016 – and this time to see the spirits of Scotland & Ireland and James Bond’s ancestral home - or what is left after "Skyfall!"