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On one fine morning, my husband told me that there was a proposal to conduct a workshop in London. I was surprised at that time because I knew some Ayurveda practitioners in London but was unaware of their good practices and reputation. So, I was happily surprised when a group of ayurvedic practitioners in London invited my husband to conduct a workshop.
As my husband is good at planning tours according to their purpose, I was a bit relaxed. We began our planning approximately six months before our departure. 3 days were kept for the workshop, and we were going to plan a 5-day itinerary to visit London. All expenses are now calculated in pounds. There is a separate visa for the UK, which is not included in Schengen (Europe), but we got the visa easily. There were so many things to see and do in London. Actually, London was a priority on our bucket list, as we had a Europe trip in 2017 but could not visit London.
In our school days, we had a syllabus in history about the British and their 150 years of rule over our country. British people are fond of discipline. There is so much curiosity in our minds, like Shakespeare, Piccadilly Street, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Queen, their palace, prince, princess, and so on.
We arrived at Heathrow Airport, which was not very crowded at that time. We heard that this is one of the busiest airports in the world. For every 5 seconds, one airplane can take off or land. This airport is closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the morning. The Royals can afford it and dictate it. In India, most of the airports are flooded with passengers at night. London has four international airports. We stayed in Reading, 40 km away from London, during our first half of the tour. The workshop was at Brunel University. Reading was near Stratford upon Avon (Shakespeare’s birthplace). We visited this place and were in awe to see how well maintained it is. Shakespeare was born at this place on April 23, 1564, some 458 years ago. So, it was fascinating to see his house, clothes, utensils, and so on. Stratford town is very awesome, containing a river, a typical square, and so many shops and coffee shops with chairs to sit in. Then we visited Windsor Castle, a royal castle. All royal members have stayed some or other time in this castle. The official church of the royals, St. Gorge’s Chapel, is a treat to watch. It is very beautiful from the inside. It was founded in 1475. It is a place of worship for the queen, king, and royal family. It has witnessed many royal marriages. It is the place of royal burials and funerals. We also saw the burial place of Queen Elizabeth II. Then we visited Warwick Castle, which was surrounded by so many trees, greenery, and always a river.
After completing the workshop, we shifted to central London by the most famous tube at Paddington station. All the transport systems in London are so easy and amazing. We easily commuted using the underground metro (in London it is called a tube), overground local trains, buses, and so on. Every area in central London is near one railway station and 4-5 bus stops. We faced no problem with transportation or understanding the use of the various train lines.
The next day, we had a tour of Wimbledon in the morning and Lords Cricket Ground in the afternoon. Wimbledon has 38 courts with royal arrangements. Lords is very near to our hearts due to our love for cricket. Due to British people, we Indians have developed a lot of love for the sport. There was 2 and half hour conducted tour to lords. One guide was allotted for 15-20 people to deliver the information. We saw the ground, the dressing room of cricketers, the visitors’ gallery, and the media gallery. There is a museum containing articles about famous World Cup players. India won the 1983 World Cup at Lords. We were so proud and glad for our cricketers, who were members of the cricket team, and Captain Kapil Dev. It was an amazing experience to visit the lords.
The next day, we started our tour on the hop-on, hop-off Red Line. We picked up this big bus from Piccadilly Circus. A huge circle containing big showrooms of famous brands. We strolled on the famous Regent and Oxford streets. I was glad and surprised by the way they promoted the products. Piccadilly Circus is the heart of central London, within a short walk of Trafalgar Square. This area is very crowded, but the people are disciplined. There was good cleanliness on the roads. It contains the Embassy’s, the National Arts Gallery Museum, monuments, and so on. We picked up the big bus from the ‘Mamamia’ theatre stop. There was a craze in our teens about this. Then we had an appointment at 3 o’clock for London Eye. London Eye is a giant wheel that provides us with a bird’s-eye view of London. The Thames River Cruise was an enchanting experience. The guide was making funny comments about the structures we can see on either bank of the river. From the big bus, we visited the huge structure of Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul Cathedral Church, and the Tower Bridge, which contains a museum. A Kohinoor diamond is kept in the jewel house of the Tower of London. We were slightly disappointed not to see it due to the time crunch.
We had a ride on the London Eye. A huge capsule structure roller-coaster from which the whole of London can be seen. Big Ben, London Bridge, and the and the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, where still the dramas are performed, are fantastic experiences. Then we had the Thames River Cruise, a guided tour, from where we were very near London Bridge. We also saw the opening of a bridge, through which a ship passed away—a very thrilling experience.
The next day, we had an appointment to visit the Madam Tussauds Museum. It was a very extravagant and fantastic experience. We saw many (मेणाचे पुतळे) wax statues of different celebrities from the whole world. There was a small taxi tour that presented us with a time-travel view of how London was built. Then two hours’ entertainment and all. Then the most famous Buckingham Palace and their Guard of Honour. In front of that, we visited ‘Hyde Park’, a 350-acre area containing fabulous lakes, thick greenery, and big trees. There are places for jogging, walking, playing cricket, drawing, painting, and relaxing in a chair. It is a very beautiful place. It was very close to our hotel. Then we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is the world’s largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design. It is where the legendary wagh nakh (tiger claws) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are on display. Then we had a guided tour of Stonehenge Village; ancient rock structures are preserved in this place. In the evening, one of the Ayurvedic physician friends sponsored a treat of Indian food at the ‘Dhishoom’, a very famous pub with jazz music, a different experience. We had dinner at the English pub earlier, when we stayed in Reading. That was also an amazing experience.
On the last day of our tour, we visited the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. They are huge, and we were clearly short on time. Now the time came to say buy buy to London, a very big and fabulous city in the world.
We were so glad that there are so many Ayurvedic clinics with yoga and Panchkarma therapy in and around London. These practitioners used our traditional and herbal medicines. They treat the patients with this therapy. British people took the treatment of Ayurvedic therapy in our workshop. There were 5–6 European and British practitioners. They are working in NHS (National Health Scheme hospitals run by the government), but they are still interested in learning Ayurvedic therapy and want to do that practice.
I feel British people are intelligent and disciplined. So, they ruled the whole world with such qualities. The ancient structures and monuments are preserved very well. We have to learn their discipline, etiquette, manners, and decency. Central London is so crowded, but there was no chaos, hustle, or bustle. Everything is running so smoothly and patiently.
Finally, I was surprised to travel from our hotel location to the T2 terminal in Heathrow by bus and train. What a convenient trip with savings in pounds!! We are grateful for the invitation and kind hospitality of London-based Ayurvedic practitioners. We express our gratitude to Ayurveda, Panchabhautik Chikitsa, and Ti. Appashastri Datar for providing us with this amazing chance.
