Guest Blogger Curious Mum Explores Nordic London!

London is quite the cosmopolitan city, made up of so many different cultures all gloriously blurred together. But how often do we actually spend time experiencing and learning about one another’s traditions? It’s time to take full advantage of what the capital has to offer!

Celebrating London’s cultural hotspots and making them burn bright for every member of the family, Shared City organise special tours that practically take you around the world without leaving the city! One week you could be touring Little Italy, the next saying Ola Brazil and the next be subject to a Brilliant Buddha Experience…without all the passport and flight hassle. No matter which place you visit, every experience lets you discover and explore London’s local diverse communities in a way you never have before.

In fact, we spent our Sunday in London’s Little Nordic area. Starting the day off with a Lutheran service in Rotherhithe’s beautiful St Olav’s Church, we were then treated to a lovely Norwegian lunch spread, giving us a taste of the yummy local cuisine. Over coffee and waffles (served with homemade jam!) we were given an insight into Lutheran traditions and the history of Norwegians in London. Rather than a history lesson, these talks were informal, animated conversations. With a hop, skip and a jump, we moved on to the Finnish Spring Fair just down the road, perusing all on offer, learning about Finnish history and etiquette (and the history of the sauna!). We even met a real life moomin too.

An immersive educational experience wrapped up in a mini holiday, feel part of another community for a day. Rather than being packed onto a stuffy bus tour, these personal tours (complete with a very approachable and bubbly guide) let you get out and about with something to catch your interest at all times from quizzes to fill out to classes to take part in. For example, coming up in half term holiday, you could spend time in India at London’s world famous Bhavan Centre, trying your hand at some Indian dancing, music and food.

With access to such a rich array of communities all living under one skyline, Shared City definitely provides a unique tour of the city. So the next time the kids ask ‘where are we going on holiday?’ it might be worth telling them ‘London!’

[Originally posted by Curious Mum here]