Sensory Overload in London (as an American) [Travel Vlog 2024]
Coming to London for the first time after bouncing around other parts of Europe took some adjustment. The scale of the city is truly overwhelming. In this video, I try to make sense of all of the stimuli in this city and share some thoughts on what this means in the big picture.
This is also the final video of my European tour! It’s truly been an incredible adventure, and I appreciate any of you who have been a part of it in any way. I’m so grateful to have been able to explore in this way and gain so many new perspectives. This experience has truly been a gift, and all I can hope is that some of my reflections may have sparked some constructive thoughts for you as well ~ All the best, Vlad
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Less of a travel vlog – more of a video journal. Like a podcast in motion ~
Come join me on my travels as I share personal reflections and discussions with friends on topics focused on mindfulness, making the most out of life, travel, self-improvement, health/fitness, and anything else that happens to be top of mind.
I can’t guarantee that the discussions will be consistent video-to-video, but what I can promise you is that the channel will always keep it real – 100% organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, non-GMO, authentic reflections 🙂
enjoy ~
Europe: July/Aug
SE Asia – Sep – TBD (?)
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:38 First Impressions
1:13 Big Adjustments
2:22 Westminster Abbey
3:21 Overwhelming Opulence
3:50 Tougher Day
4:10 Wall of communication
4:27 Dealing with discomfort
5:47 British Museum
7:03 Information overload
8:46 So what do we do?
10:53 Diversity of neighborhood
11:20 World at your fingertips
12:28 Mind-blowing collections
13:00 Current challenges
13:48 Make it stick
15:20 Notting Hill
16:48 Not what I expected
19:25 Brain is scrambled
21:00 Taking it in
21:55 So what?
22:50 The little things
23:36 Outro
36 Comments
I've just subbed.
I haven't watched your videos or even seen your channel before; but I found this video to be very easy-going, relaxed and honestly just very well-rounded.
What do you mean "some nice parks "?
very interesting…I shall check out your others.
the idea of equating an accent with intelligence is just silly
Good luck in trying to understand the world.
I've yet to meet anyone who has.
Did you realise that King Charles must have been at Buckingham Palace as the flag was flying high?
A sensible, thinking American – wow. It’s a joy to watch your travels! I’m glad you appreciated London and hope you get back sometime soon.
Did you visit the museum of childhood?
What an excellent video !!
Acclimating = acclimatizing . Enjoyed your vid .
Nice video dude, as content and technical work – calm and polished despite your crazily busy itinerary. I'm off to watch the rest of your European adventures! London can indeed be overwhelming in different ways to different people, it's just so big and old and full and busy etc. I think you caught a really good selection of 'the historical/cultural stuff' for a short first time visit. What was the Indian food/meal you went off to eat and how was it?
Excellent Vlog, refreshing to hear a thought provoking view of London and on another level the future of humanity in the age of 10 second information segments! I’ve lived and worked in London and I feel the best way of thinking about the areas are that all the districts were once separate villages that got blended together with the expansion of the city. You pointed out some museums that I will have to check out next time I visit.
First off it was nice to see your video and good to see
it was nice to see someone going to more than the standard places in London.
As far as I can see you did 3 or 4 days and 8 or 9 different venues. I would say myself that you only saw London very superficially and no wonder you felt over whelmed.
You could have spent hours at the Natural History museum for example instead of trying to fit in the other things on the same day.
You actually mentioned tic tok. You did the tic tok tour of London and it appears the tic tok tour of Europe.
I hope you don’t settle for that , or in any way think you have “ done Europe”. Come back stay a while and actually stay somewhere so you can get a better understanding of it.
As for your talk about information in this day and age. Again you can’t hope to understand someone who has spent their whole life researching one specific thing and think by going to the original source you personally have done your research. It’s a very anti intellectual way of doing something. And very dangerous because that means everyone thinks they are expert on every aspect of this world. Tic tok way of trying to understand and process the world. You have to believe someone when they say certain facts. Like gravity, like how to go to space, like the fact of when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Like the fact that someone may be responsible for brain surgery on you at some point and you need to believe what they say instead of thinking that you can research whether you need the operation and how it has to be done.
Sorry to be negative but what you said you wanted , which was to learn and experience was not what you aceeived at all. It was sad to hear your worlds and then see what you did ….
Please take a moment to try and understand what I said and understand the experience is not buzzing about Europe in a couple of months. That only a small part of travel. I have done the go to many places all at once too. However when we did it , the idea was to see there various places and then plan further travel for where we wanted explore in more depth. I hope you can do that with your life and not settle for the tic tok experience of travel through Europe.
Great video ❤ 😊
Very thoughtful!
Americans always go to London yo see England. But do you people realise that London is only 1 Square mile?. Its about time you all visited the North. Villages that go back centuries. I am a Northern lady, but I can trace my mother's family back to Henry the eighth time . Would love to see Americans experiencing the beauty of our country. X
"You can say anything in a British Accent and sound smart" 😂 — you need more exposure to British accents, I think! My first time in the UK, riding the Piccadilly in from Heathrow, I found myself sitting across from a couple of drunk Scouser blokes. Technically they were speaking English, but literally the only word I could understand — probably because it was about 1/3rd of their vocabulary — was "fookin''"
Combined with simultaneously discovering the existence of British Tabloids, this really put a dent in my American preconceptions of the poshness of British culture.
Your perspective on London is interesting and informative. I'm a Brit and I've lived and worked in London, but haven't seen but a fraction of the places you've taken us to in this excellent video. I agree that London is an amazing and vibrant city, and it includes some wonderful green spaces, such as Hyde Park, St James's Park, Green Park and so on. Anyway, I hope you got home OK and that you will find another opportunity to return to London.
dude if u wanna take stuff in dont try n do only few hrs in some of the worlds best museum. ud learn better doing 1 for a whole day
You really love the sound of your own voice.
you have just convinced me there is at least one intelligent ,thoughtful and literate American young person. Thanks for the video , it has reassured this Englishman that not all Americans are as dumb as a tic toc clock
Great video, very impressed with your thinking.So pleased you liked our capital city next time you are here go to the Cotswolds, The Lake District, Canterbury, York. Stratford upon Avon, Wales, Scotland , Northern Ireland to name but a few
You are a great young man hope you have a happy & contented life. 🇬🇧🏴🏴& Northern Ireland 😊🙏❤
Just for background. The tower you named Big Ben is actually Elizabeth tower.
Big Ben are the bells inside 😅
I lived next to Holland Park as a teenager…. Used to spend long summer days there playing frisbee and eating ice cream…
Accents vary widely in the United States … In 2023, there were 1,063 independent book stores in the UK and Ireland. Then a number of chain bookshops as well. People are buying books in the U.K. The 2023 UK fiction market showed an 8-percent rise in 2023, to £907 million (US$1.2 million). Nonfiction revenues in 2023's UK market showed a 5-percent increase to a total £1.1 billion (US$1.4 billion).
Interesting fact, 'Big Ben' is actually the name of the bell inside the clock, the tower was renamed 'The Elizabeth Tower' to honour HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012
Big Ben is a big bell in the Elizabeth Tower, part of the Palace of Westminster, which houses the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
No such thing as a " British" accent. You are thinking of ENGLISH !!
Britain has MANY accents including English, Scottish Welsh and Irish, and all the dialects in each country.
Big Ben is NOT the tower. Big Ben is the largest BELL inside the Elizabeth Tower.
" acclimated " !? ACLIMATISED !
Sorry mate, dull and mostly gibberish.
Fantastic video vlog, thank you. I live 18 miles from London & feel ashamed really not visited it enough 🙁🇬🇧❤️xx
Enjoyable vlog, thanks.
You managed to draw me in within a few seconds and I ended up watching the entire video! I'm British and I lived in London for 23 years. I loved your appreciation of it. Liked and subscribed.
Those lions were smelted from Napoleon’s captured cannons after he was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.
What a wonderful vlog of my beautiful home city ❤
If you enjoy the river, take a boat from Westminster,
to Kew, Richmond or Hampton Court.
Kew Gardens have acres of flowers and gardens and is nice in spring.
Richmond park is huge and has wild deer.
Hampton Court is where Henry VIII lived and has a maze and acres of grounds.
You can continue walking along the Thames past pubs and restaurants in Richmond, to
Teddington Lock, where boats are lifted in the Lock to the higher part of the river.
It's nice in summer. Don't be tempted to swim in the Thames as its tidal, so the currents are strong and the water can rise quickly.
I once watched a video about London and someone from America made a comment about the lack of trees so I made the point that there are actually more trees in London than people!