London in 1969

Piccadilly Circus, London, 1969.

Tower Bridge, London, 1969.

These are postcards I purchased after I arrived in London in November 1969.  I had flown in from Thailand, and spent two weeks in that wonderful city, where the 2012 Summer Olympics are currently being held.  I was so happy to be there!  It was one of the peak experiences of my life.

With the help of a travel guide book, titled, Europe on $5 a Day, I managed to find a cheap room in a student hostel.  After the oppressive heat and humidity of Bangkok, I relished the cool weather in England.  The fog reminded me of San Francisco.  I bought my first winter coat and gloves, and I remember being advised by the sales clerk to learn the names of the English currency, when I handed her a bunch of coins and bills.  I trusted her honesty as she picked out the requisite money as payment.

I liked the elegant hats that women wore everywhere, even on the street and in the subway.  It was uniquely English.  I didn’t notice those hats anywhere else in Europe back then.

There was so much to see in London – Buckingham Palace, the National Museum, Westminster Abbey, the Tower, etc.  All of this made the history lectures in college come alive.  For example, I could picture Anne Boleyn being beheaded at the Tower.  Besides these popular tourist attractions, there was opera.  I was starved for Puccini.  But although I was happy to hear his Madama Butterfly sung in English, I thought it would have sounded more melodious sung in Italian.

In 1969, there were relatively few Korean-American women my age in Europe.  People stared at me wherever I went.  One day, a young Englishman stopped me and asked, “Are you from Hong Kong?”

“No, I’m not,” I replied.  Those three words said it all.

“Oh, you have a cute little American accent,” he said, smiling.

I imagine London is more cosmopolitan now.

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