Why Join the Adventure (JtA)? JtA is a community of like-minded people, who are interested in experiencing life and making a positive mark on the world.
This means embracing new experiences, pushing boundaries, and being up for the challenge. It’s also about seeking out the thrill of the adventure, taking the road less travelled, and appreciating the journey. “The world is one big adventure – DARE to go there!®”
The first day in the United Kingdom (UK), we entered the country and spent our time in Hammersmith taking in the sights, checking out the shops and enjoying the pub scene. However, for the second day, we headed into London, the capital of England.
But not before experiencing breakfast at Leon’s, a fast-food restaurant we found in the Broadway Shopping Centre West, Hammersmith Broadway.
This place poses the question on their website: “Why can’t fast food be good food?” And answers its own question, “Our mission is to prove that it can be by serving naturally fast food that not only tastes good but does you good too.”
And they certainly lived up to their mission first thing in the morning, before a huge day of adventure.
We ordered coffees, and I ordered the Banana and Cinnamon Porridge, which is made using organic oat porridge with banana and cinnamon. Naturally sweetened with dates, cooked fresh using organic British oats and organic dairy milk.
This experience was life changing! It turns out that starting the morning with a good coffee and Leon special porridge sets you up to sustain adventure all day. Oh, and tastes sensational!
But it was also a good moment to sit and chat about what laid ahead for the day.
After breakfast, it was time to head for the London Underground, best described as a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Underground has its origins in the Metropolitan Railway, the world’s first underground passenger railway.
Our experience of the London Underground so far is of excess demand, with many people having to cram in up against the doors of trains that look like they have been to battle their whole life.
But what impressed us was the speed and efficiency. These trains don’t muck around, they move fast and so do the people. And if you miss one of these trains, it is only minutes till the next one. This is proving to be a great way to get around London.
Once in London, walking up from the Underground, we were confronted with history, culture, and cutting-edge technology. This was a huge overload to the sensory system!
Surrounded by perfectly curated old buildings that have so many stories to tell, in which the course of history has been affected worldwide time and time again, this was a moment of great gravity.
But just about as awe-inspiring and somewhat disconcerting, was the biggest LED screen I have ever seen attached to what looked like a historic building. This thing was huge and showed off its content with such clarity.
Continuing on this adventure, it is sharply obvious that London cares about its history and culture. Everywhere you look, there are plaques, statues and monuments. Each one a testament to a rich tapestry of humans advancing out of the cave era into the modern world we know now.
To add to all this, London is abuzz getting ready for the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023.
This means a huge and evident effort to transform London into a world stage, where every aspect will be under scrutiny.
But as much as London proves to be awesome, it also has some surprisingly underwhelming or understated aspects. This was certainly the case when standing in front of Buckingham Palace.
The front fence was impressive, but the building itself was at best, bland. This was a little shock, but somehow pausing and taking in the moment, the gravity of the history in front of us wasn’t lost.
However, other sights not only didn’t fail to captivate attention by us and everyone in proximity, but also caused for reflection on the world as a whole.
These sights included Big Ben, the world’s most famous clock, Westminster Abbey, Palace of Westminster, and Trafalgar Square.
And while the breakfast was certainly energy sustaining, we didn’t miss any opportunity to drop into the many pubs. This included for lunch, dinner and random moments along the way just for a drink.
Something I find so interesting around experiencing British pub culture, out in the streets no one makes eye contact or shows any level of human connection, however, in a pub the human spirit, as us Australians know it in our daily lives, comes to life!