subject: London in the Summer [print this page] London in the Summer London in the Summer
With England having made an untimely exit from the World Cup and Wimbledon and Glastonbury wrapping themselves up in superbly and typically anticlimactic fashion, it may seem like the best of the Great British summer has already been and gone. In the midst of unconscionable sporting defeats and outdoor musical disappointments, what many forget is the fact that July and August see more foreign visitors to the British capital than any other months of the calendar year, and with good reason: depending on how you look at it, the Great British summer has only just begun. The next eight weeks will see London parks and green spaces full-up with barbecues and garden parties should the weather hold, while music festivals, theatre productions and special summertime exhibitions at the Tate Modern, Tate Britain and V&A museums will provide indoor distractions for Londoners, domestic and foreign tourists alike. That is, if the current heat wave should transform itself into the sort of monstrous weather we've enjoyed for the last six months, touch wood. Hotels in London are offering rates far below average in a bid to attract European weekenders, North American globetrotters and British country folk, and the restaurants, bars, nightclubs and cultural attractions of the capital should be reaching capacity in no time at all. So we should let the madness begin, shouldn't we?
It would seem that the recent doom and gloom-the combined result of April's ash cloud, May's election fever, June's subsequent post-coalition fallout and July's steadily mounting European debt crisis-has dampened our summertime spirits and shifted focus away from why London is and always has been among the world's foremost cosmopolitan centres and international tourist destinations. It will play host to photo-snapping Japanese tourists, American college students and even Italian culinary adventurers over the coming eight weeks, not to mention providing plenty to do for the average Brit about town.
As Camerlegg, or Cleggeron if you like, banter on about austerity measures, budget cuts and football disgraces, London itself will remain as indifferent as ever to the global political and economic goings-on. These are desperate times, sure, but they call for optimistic rather than equally desperate measures. Yes, sure, hotels in London are frantic to attract customers and generate cash-flow and yes, sure, this is not an encouraging prospect. But like the election just gone by, it's all about spin: it simply means that now is the time to take advantage of a trip, up or down, to London Town and the delights, cultural, culinary and otherwise, that make it the world class city that it is.
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