July 7,2005 is a day that I will never forget. I awoke that morning going about my usual morning routine. I climbed into my car and turned on my radio and I could not believe what I was hearing, the unthinkable; London, my beloved city had been attacked. Jon and I sat on our couch watching Sky news that an American station had cut into, and cried. We could not believe what we were seeing. We stayed glued to our television set for days, we even saw the attackers arrested and cheered in our living room.

The attacks had felt like they happened to us as well. We love London like a second home, it was tragic to see the whole city hurting. I desperately wanted to go lay flowers at the tube stations on our trip after the attacks but it did not seem appropriate. Now there is a place to reflect on the tragic events of 7-7-2005, there is now a memorial to those who lost their lives that day.

I made sure to visit the memorial this time. It is located in Hyde Park along Park Lane. The memorial is hauntingly beautiful. There is a cement pillar to represent each person who lost his or her lives that day. Each pillar represents a person and has where they were killed, along with the time the bombing took place. The pillars are laid out symmetrically to form a giant cube. Off to the side is a simple plaque with the names of all the victims.

As I walked among the pillars it was very sad. To walk among the pillars was like walking among those people that were represented. The memorial moved me to tears. I was so happy that I had a place to go pay my respects to those who died on that tragic day. I did not leave flowers, as it is not encouraged. I think that this is a must see when visiting London. It highlights the craziness in this world and reminds me to be thankful for everyday.

Author Info -  Jackie has the unfortunate pleasure of being married to Jonathan - Anglotopia's Anglophile-in-Chief. Follow her online activities on Twitter here. Read more from this author

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