Traveling through London is like taking a step back into the past. In some respects, London (as well as other parts of Europe and England) represent living history. Rather than tear down and re-build, architects build upon existing structures. Thus, one might espy an extremely modern building attached to something constructed in the seventeenth or eighteenth or nineteenth century. Elsewhere, massive structures that were constructed centuries ago--like museums and cathedrals--still stand today. I think that seeing these structures are significant for reminding people that history is not something abstract that exists only in text books. Rather history is alive, and significant, and a continuing presence on our lives. History is not a dead thing, but something that continually shapes the future. Walking amongst these ancient places tucked along contemporary shops and houses emphasizes, to me, that London is a living and breathing example of things that have been... and things that can be.
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