London at sunset
London in the late afternoon is a painting. The stone and brick buildings take on a rich golden glaze, arresting in the prolific green of surrounding trees.
The English philosopher Thomas Brown said, “London is a world by itself. We daily discover in it more new countries, and surprising singularities, than in all the universe besides.”
London at sunset is a very different place. We have a picture of the city as perpetually overcast, blanketed in soggy clouds and damp air.
Instead of the grim greyness that usually surrounds us Londoners, copper light bounces off glass and stone, and we blink and lean towards the sun.
The red Victorian buildings with their spires and Gothic windows glow like fairytale castles.
The curious thing about the city is that there are areas of tall clustered skyscrapers and office buildings spread out among older, squatter constructions. You can travel hundreds or even thousands of years on a single street.
Because of this, there is a lot more sky to be seen in London than in many other cities. The sense of breathing space is helped by the many parks, squares and churchyards that are seeded between even the most crowded areas.
As evening approaches and we arrive home, we can look out our windows at the departing sun and the approaching night. If we’re lucky, we might even spot the moon and a few constellations across the city’s darkening skies.
Originally published at https://wonderwanderwomen.blogspot.com.
