Chapter 4

I found the discussion of seeing england for the first time particularly interesting. Before I visited England for the first time I didn't know what to expect. I have always listened to English bands from the Beatles and the Clash to Lilly Allen and the Arctic Monkeys. I have always followed English football and have worn gear from English clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea. Before actually arriving in London in the summer of 05 i had no idea what reality was like in England, just the pictures in my head of roaring stadiums and Rock and Roll bands. Needless to say my two week trip opened up my eyes to many things in England that I couldn't gather from Premier League coverage or Rolling Stones albums. The country that had captured my imagination with its more progressive sports and arts captured a different part of my imagination when I toured Westminster Abbey and saw the river Thames. I found that the part of England that intrigued me most was the old world charm so accurately captured by Charles Dickens rather than the oppressed youth punk scene portrayed by the Sex Pistols.