London

An old edition of a Lonely Planet Guide described London as being something we foreigners absorb long before we ever set eyes on it. Toychests around the world hold little replicas of its famous red double-decker buses. Mantle clocks sound the Westminster chimes. Nursery rhymes mention the bridges and cathedrals of the city. Children's books, from Paddington Bear to Harry Potter, make us aware of its streets and landmarks. As the birthplace of the Anglosphere London dwells in a unique place, far away yet intimate, in the minds of every English speaker.


Perhaps that's why it's these pictures that give me that cold little stab, more than those of crying commuters or harried policemen.








And I feel the same deep anger that I felt on September 11 2001 and October 12 2002.